My husband and I spent a hot, red, white, and blue 4th of July weekend in Vegas seeing Dead & Co at the Sphere (yes, again), and I was struck by a few things. 1. Everyone should be so fortunate as to enjoy their work as much as these guys do. Bob Weir has been creating this music for 59 years and is still innovating. John Mayer radiates pure unadulterated joy on every song. Mickey Hart and his gloves are making magic. And Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane. They make it whole and real. 2. It was amazing to see the age diversity in people who have discovered the Grateful Dead and are finding joy in their music. Whether you were there for Warlocks or your here now, there is connectivity in the lyrics, music, and generosity of the scene that knows no generational boundaries and it's beautiful. 3. The Grateful Dead are no strangers to leveraging technology to augment their shows, going back to the Wall of Sound which debuted in 1973, and the way they are leveraging the canvas of the Sphere is mind-blowing in its creativity and connection to the music. It is experimentation and A/B testing in motion, and the opportunities are endless. Would I like to see them more fully explore the hologram of Jerry and perhaps what AI could bring to this party if used responsibly - yes, yes, I would. 4. When I started at Compaq Computer, my first job in tech, I was working so hard to be seen as "a professional who belonged" and not some hippie from Arkansas who had been accidentally let in. I cut my hair, wore suits, and even splurged on a Coach briefcase. But I kept one small nod to my non-work self in my office - a Grateful Dead mousepad - and when a colleague joked one day that "I couldn't possibly be a Deadhead", I recognized that if I was going to be successful in business, I needed to do it authentically. 10 years later when I started at Microsoft, I had firmly found my path and an organization that valued me for me, and I never looked back. 5. People are worried that AI will kill creativity. And I get the concern. But as we shared in Cannes with the Microsoft theme of "AI is not creative, you are", creativity is part of the human condition and AI is there to help. Dead & Co sold new limited-edition posters every night at every show. Different artists were showcased. The design was specific to the Dead, specific to Vegas, and specific to the trending vibe. Obviously, technology was used, but the creators were in charge. We happily bought 4. So, what's the wrap? Music, creativity, and authenticity create connections and joy, which in turn creates energy, which in turn enables productivity and a flywheel of positive impact. I hope you are immersed daily in fueling your own flywheel!
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Ann Lundberg
1w
Kya -- re age diversity for Dead & Co -- we go every summer with our kids and many family friends and it's become a multi-generational tradition. The stories live on!
So much of this post is why I loved working with and for you for so long. Absolute authenticity, blurred lines between work and life (in a good way!) and always seeing the bigger picture. Miss you!
Love this. I was lucky enough to catch one of their shows at the sphere in June. What stood out most to me, was that no one had their phones out. I was up in the nosebleeds (which ended up being such a cool experience in that venue) and aside from people swiftly snapping a picture when the screens changed - no phones! I loved seeing people living in the moment, and prioritizing dancing of course. But I think it speaks volumes to GD fans, the empathy and self awareness to not impede someone else’s experience. 🩵🤟
I can 100% relate to point#1 . I loved working at Microsoft Advertising. It was a place where I could be my authentic self . I just loved my work and gave it my all.
When you walked into my Microsoft interview wearing a GD tie-dye, I knew I wanted to be on your team. ❤️😉✌️💯
Nicole Woods
5d
You will always be one of my very favorite people! This made me happy to read - so much wisdom. I’m lucky I get to be your friend. And I remember the mousepad.
Kya Sainsbury-Carter you were an inspiration of creativity when I worked for you at Compaq all those years ago even with the suits and I maayyy remember the Grateful Dead mousepad🤷🏼♀️ Would love to catch up! Viva Espana!
Tom O'Hara
1d
This is great, and we loved the show when we went too!
Awesome. I was fortunate enough to see the postcard from earth from the sphere. It was amazing!
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1wLove this, Kya and 100% agreed on point #5. AI definitely will not be the death of creativity. A few months ago I was able to partner with some colleagues over on the Microsoft Philanthropies side who as a part the 50th year anniversary of Hip-Hop and a partnership with the Hip Hop museum, created a platform that leverages AI to aid with songwriting and overall song creation! What was even cooler was bringing it all together in our Atlanta office with the Ludacris foundation. We invited songwriters and producers to our in-office recording studio and literally had a full day of technology and creativity! We turned some creatives who were skeptical about AI into believers who actually want to use it as a collaboration tool!