Photo via Dead & Company’s Facebook page

Dead & Company opened their Playing in the Sand destination event at Cancún, Mexico’s Moon Palace yesterday. This year’s event takes on special significance: Not only was last year’s Playing in the Sand cancelled at the last minute, but this will also be Dead & Company’s final year of touring. John Mayer played a new guitar, commissioned by Jerry Garcia luthier Doug Irwin and built by Bill Asher.

The ensemble kicked things off with a lyrically fitting “Sugar Magnolia.” Soon after, Wynonna Judd emerged to sing on “Ramble On Rose.” Bob Weir joined the country legend a few days earlier during her set at Girls Just Wanna, which is held at the same site.

Then, during Dead & Company’s second set, Jay Lane–who subbed for Bill Kreutzmann at a few shows in both 2021 and 2022–appeared for a run from Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” into The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” which the musicians added to their catalog last year. Lane returned shortly after alongside Tedeschi Trucks Band drummer Isaac Eady and Wally Ingram to join Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart during their drum segment. The second set came to a close with “One More Saturday Night,” a tune they teased at the send of their first set,” before the group encored with “Ripple.”