Band overcomes slow start to find groove

Dead & Company began its second set in Nationwide Arena last night with the Grateful Dead’s “St. Steven,” a staple of the parent band’s sets for decades and, in many ways, on any given night the acid test for both the band’s groove as well as its ability to create improvisational magic.

The new aggregation is by now a known quantity, with John Mayer playing the role of Jerry Garcia beginning Halloween 2015 in a revival group that features founding members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann and is rounded out by RatDog Guitarist John Mayer not only rivals Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia’s uncanny instincts in improvisation, but adds a revitalizing blues feel of his own. keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge.

A previous stop in Columbus was a revelation, Mayer not only rivaling Garcia’s uncanny instincts in improvisation and adding a revitalizing blues feel of his own, but delivering a credible vocal substitute, as well. In the new Dead, Mayer replaces Garcia’s sometimes delicate singing with a solid, bluesy soul. Burbridge is an imaginative, virtuosic player and is an inspired stand-in for original bassist Phil Lesh.

It took the second set to really make the point last night, though.

After the brief vocal introduction to “St. Stephen,” Mayer built his first solo from the blues, the tune’s rough, roadhouse feel echoing the influence of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. The performance rode an energetic, Allman Brothers-styled shuffle before it stumbled into the chorus, which simply set the stage for the band to take off from there.

A ragged reading, it also delivered its special magic last night during a second set that featured the older, more expansive material. “China Cat Sunflower” also tapped the best of the original’s band’s best qualities, with Mayer updating his improvisation with a wah-wah pedal and the group nailing the transitions from jaunty to free-sailing.

The opening set wasn’t as inspired. The mix was often a bit muddy, Weir’s vocal weaker and under-amplified, and the overall energy a bit diminished.

Though deadline called before the end of the second set, it showed all the signs of satisfying all but the most uncompromising Grateful Dead fans.