Fans were in for a surprise when Rolling Stone posted that the Dead & Company's upcoming summer jaunt world be the band's last. The magazine, claiming to repeat sources close to the Dead organization, appeared with egg on its face when co-founder Bob Weir tweeted a link to the article while adding, “News to me. . . ” Fellow co-founder Bill Kreutzmann tweeted back to Weir, “Whew. I thought you knew something that I didn’t! '#themusicneverstops #wewillsurvive.'”
The band went on to issue a statement: “Dead & Company has made no official decision as to this being their final tour.”
Along with Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart, — the band is rounded out with guitarist John Mayer, former-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge, and longtime RatDog and Dead sideman, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.
As far as guitarist Bob Weir is concerned, the Grateful Dead's music has always been reflective of what their audience has been “vibing” back to them on stage: “The Grateful Dead started out as a dance band. We started out in clubs, and we played for people who were on the dance floor. We've always interacted with the people listening to our music — they give us energy back, we wrap it up, polish it up, or whatever we're gonna do with it, give it back to them, and it's just back-and-forth. To share it, there's something wonderful about that. It's pretty much the closest thing to religion that I find myself doing.”