The four surviving members of the Dead, joined by a trio of well-versed companions, launched their "Fare Thee Well" mini-tour on Saturday night in Northern California, where the legendary jam band got its start 50 years ago and almost two decades after the death of beloved lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.

During a performance that featured a little more than 3 1/2 hours of music, the group's so-called "core four" - rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and percussionists Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann - unreeled a set list featuring both crowd-pleasers and more obscure pieces from their early catalog.

The band got the Levi's Stadium crowd of about 80,000 into its customary loose-limbed groove at the start with familiar renditions of "Truckin'" and "Uncle John's Band." From there, the rest of the first set veered unevenly through "Cumberland Blues," "Born Cross-Eyed" and a 20-minute-long "Viola Lee Blues" that gave Phish front man Trey Anastasio, who had the honor and pressure of serving as Garcia's surrogate on guitar, his first challenge on a solo.