John Mayer Leaves the Door Open for Dead & Company: 'I'm Not Swearing It Off'

John Mayer says he has not ruled out returning to the stage with Dead & Company, though he does not yet know what form a comeback might take.

In an interview with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM, Mayer addressed his future with the band — the Grateful Dead spin-off he joined as lead guitarist in 2015. "I'm not swearing it off," he said, according to Rolling Stone. "I'm not saying, 'You'll never see me on stage doing that.'" He also told USA Today that he was "going back to my corner" and described himself as a lover of the music rather than a performer on stage. (Rolling Stone)

The comments come roughly seven months after the death of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir in January. Weir co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965 and, decades later, invited Mayer into Dead & Company alongside former Dead drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. The pairing grew into a close friendship; Mayer spoke at length about their bond in a Rolling Stone tribute interview published in February. (Rolling Stone)

Dead & Company completed what was billed as their final tour in 2023. Since then, Mayer's relationship to the catalogue has shifted from performing it to sitting with it as a listener. His "going back to my corner" remark suggests a step away from the spotlight, but not a door closed.

Cohen, the SiriusXM host and Bravo producer, is himself a lifelong Grateful Dead fan — a fact NPR explored in an August piece about his decades-long devotion to the band. His full pre-show interview with Mayer is scheduled to air on SiriusXM's Radio Andy, Channel 102, on Friday, 28 August at 10 a.m. ET, according to JamBase. (JamBase)

Mayer's connection to the Dead has deep roots. He has been fully accepted by the Dead fan community, Rolling Stone reported in January, and was identified as the most likely candidate to carry the Grateful Dead's legacy forward after Weir's death. That acceptance was hard-won: stepping into a band with one of the most devoted followings in rock history is no small thing, and Mayer spent years earning the trust of fans who initially questioned the pairing. (Rolling Stone)

For fans, Mayer's latest comments land as neither a promise nor a farewell. He is keeping the possibility alive without committing to anything — and after the loss of Weir, that ambiguity carries real weight. The Grateful Dead's history is one of evolution, members coming and going, the music persisting through lineup changes that would have ended most bands. Whether Dead & Company adds another chapter remains unknown. Mayer, for his part, is not closing the book.