60th anniversary D&C GG Park update

The Rich men in The Summer Fog .. Say just grease up your tight lil.. ah FDS.

Let's see if they do an MSG run in September!

Update: as a long time fan of Grateful Dead music, who has seen Bobby Weir hundreds of times, I'm glad people are out there having a good time and definitely encourage all to go enjoy life while you can. If this your jam, by goodness, go jam it up. 

Here's a few reasons I won't be going, and yeah, no one asked:

1. I can't afford it. More importantly, I wouldn't pay it. I stopped seeing Weir when his ticket price went over $100. He's too inconsistent for my concert dollars. This thing is like a wannabe dead lite coachella

2. The weakest band of the post grateful dead alumni projects somehow is the most famous, the most expensive, yet has the least amount of songs in their pool, and least amount of jams, and is the most accessible for the mainstream audience. Thanks John Mayer

3. I'd rather go to Mexico City, see a mariachi band and eat tacos every day and spend 85% less on the whole trip

4. Gen X rant over

> Thanks John Mayer

it literally hurts me. I know part of this is generational angst and conflict, but the Grateful Dead used to have all kinds of people who were concert attendees, homeless, poor, rich, blue collar, white collar, preppie kids, wooks

but now Dead & Co seems to be a vehicle for white affluent millennials to be seen on social media 

The airplane selfies on the way to Vegas were insufferable 

Another thing that's insufferable: I know this guy locally who is close to my age, probably 10 years younger, and Dead & Company is what got him into the Dead. No shame in that, that's for sure, and its exciting that new fans are still being made! When he asked me if I was going to see Dead & Co on the last tour, he seemed to have his feelings hurt when I, very carefully and diplomatically said, "No, not a big fan, but have fun". I kept my worse opinions to myself.

But it seemed to much for him. He couldn't understand. He started to press me. "If you don't like them, what other bands DO you like". Again, I carefully explained that the surviving members have had many bands since the demise of the Grateful Dead, and I've seen most of them, and preferred all of them to this one. 

The insufferable part: I sent him links to recordings. The Other Ones, Phil Lesh Quintent, Furthur, even Ratdog

Nothing. No response. Been a couple of years now. I think his love for Dead & Co is similar to when many people fell in love with the Grateful Dead. Whatever era you got turned onto, that was your favorite era, even if it sucked (1995 for example), and no one can tell you otherwise. To suggest recordings of bands that DON'T sound like Dead & Co must have been a bridge too far for him

Maybe one day he'll get bored and check them out

I spend time on Reddit, and there's some folks there who pretty much insist that D&C are equivalent to the GD, and even superior to them in some ways. Their insistence, I think, is fueled in part by the younger generations' obsession with authenticity. While I can appreciate that in some ways, saying something is so doesn't make it that way, and it just comes off as obnoxious in my eyes.

Enjoy what you've got, just don't try to convince me that what you have is what we had.

And as for your friend, Lager, you should invite him to Viva. We could use some fresh meat new blood.

Uncle John is coming to take his children home

ignore at your own peril

I think Viva, and message boards in general, aren't as easy vehicles for self promotion, especially visually, as much as social media is. You can, but it takes more work. You can't just plaster your selfie over and over and build a fan base. Try that here, and folks will troll you. Because of that, I don't think the friend's gonna be interested. Also, he hasn't reached out to me since I sent him links to bands that aren't Dead & Co. 

Regarding the phenomemon of liking Dead & Co more than the GD or calling them the equivalent, I probably said something stupid like that when I did the first 1998 Other Ones tour. You get excited, and its very real in the moment, and you get arrogant. "How could anyone else's experience with something else be more real than my own?"

As we age, we realize its not the case. Only by looking back do get a tiny bit more objective about what took place. I'm a DSO fan, and I can't tell you how many people have turned them into a band bigger than the band they play tribute to. Which is weird!

Just enjoy music and don't do that

Pigpen, Jerry, Phil

Keith, Brent, Vince

Hunter, Barlow

and the honor roll is much longer than that

Mike wrote:

^^^ I spend time on Reddit, and there's some folks there who pretty much insist that D&C are equivalent to the GD, and even superior to them in some ways.^^^

Ha! I guess nothing should surprise me anymore.   For starters even the ENERGY level and anticipation of a Grateful Dead concert w/ Jerry Garcia was off the hook compared to the mild enthusiasm shown today. (to see what i mean roll the youtube video below) If you like SLOW as SHIT and boring then this is for you.  Tell me I'm wrong.

I would take Jerry at his worst over the best DeadCo show.  I've basically been to every Dead and Company bay area show they've played since it began in 2015.

Went to one Sphere show and the highlight was Drums just bc of the Haptics, for me.

Not going to the GGP shows this time since I shelled out a tiny bit less for the 'last shows ever' at Oracle not even two years ago.

If you go have a good time but this amount of $$ charging for subpar AT BEST music and the associated demand is pretty baffling.  

Anyone on here think this is better than ANY GD show? Probably the lowlight of DeadCo for me, what a way to sleep into the new years.  

https://youtu.be/hppwqfKcNR4?si=ZuYH9Hg_vhto6tti&t=489

I think I left shortly thereafter.  All this makes my 1988 $17.50 Hampton show among others seems like an absolute steal! So glad i got what i could get starting at 16 (1986) - to this day the best moments of my life were Grateful Dead concerts, why we are all here I assume to be true.  Jerry Garcia lives on forever in my heart ears and soul!

> "How could anyone else's experience with something else be more real than my own?"

I was pretty much the opposite of that for the longest time, Lager. I saw most of my shows in the 80s, and could never shake a sense of loss or regret for not having been able to see the band before my first show in 78, while at the same time knowing that what I was seeing was pretty spectacular at more shows than not.

That did change for me though in the wee hours of February 19, 2001, as I stumbled out of Maritime Hall absolutely in awe of the show I had just seen. I remember telling my buddy at the time that I no longer had regret for not having seen the early GD because the Quintet had just played a show that seemed to comprise something like the entire history of the GD in three sets. Must have been the doses? Maybe, but the February 18th show at the Maritime has stood up over the years as one of the most exhilarating nights of GD music since Jerry passed.

Hi All,

A few thoughts 

1. Why would you go to Dead and Co shows since 2015 if you don't enjoy them.  

2. We know what we know and our experiences in the Grateful Dead universe are all individual.   My first show was in 83 at 15.   My understanding of the music and culture around GD has shifted, matured, changed over the years.    What I loved about the Dead @ 15 is very different from what I love about them now.   But it's all love.  

3. Every evolution of the Dead has had it's own following and it a lot has to do with the music you were able to see at the time.   I remember in 83 having conversations with guys who were seeing them in the late 60's and 70's and being dismissive about the "new dead heads", then the Touch Heads and being told we weren't true deadheads simply because we were born too late.  

4. The Dead from the very beginning always attracted a " white affluent " audience, you think that is something new?  Nothing has changed except their ability to share the experience  on social media.   And yes some are douche bags but there has always been this subset of  deadheads.  This is nothing new and dates back to the very beginning in the 60s.   Being affluent doesn't make you less of a deadhead just as being broke wouldn't either .  

5. In the end, for all of us it shouldn't be about the era, the band on stage, the few douches in the crowd , it's about the songs.  I love it all.   Our opinion on who does it the best is really meaningless, the only important thing is the music makes people happy, the words make us think . And you as an individual can choose to  listen or not listen to what ever you want to.  My 19 loves Dead and Co and I love seeing them with him  but no need to criticize those who love what they love. Dead and Co, DSO, JRAD, etc they are all preaching from the same gospel even if the delivery differs a bit. 

Listen to the music play. 

Todays presale sold out in ten minutes 

YO - VtHead - eloquent and poignant and yeah...same hymnals, different congregations singing along...thank you

IF single day tix aren't too pricey I might check out the Friday show.  I haven't seen Billy Strings yet and it would fun to be back in the park with a bunch of heads. 

That being said, that will likely be my last deadco show as I just don't dig Mayer's vocals and jamming style.  

I am curious to see (hear) if Oteil sounds better on a big outdoor system than he did at the Sphere shows I saw.  

Those were the only time I've seen D&C and I don't know if they just didn't have him turned up there what.  

Of course there's no bassist like Phil, so I know volume alone won't come close to satisfy what I'm craving, but it would be nice to have a bigger bass presence.

^ I'm no fan of this band but Ill be there for Fri and Sunday. My second and third Deadco shows.

I met my wife because of a Phil show at the Warfield in the last century and these shows fall on our 20th wedding anniversary. 

She wants to go.... I"m there . I promised not to rag on the band (at least during the shows).

I' m considering it my anniversary party and they are the cover band I hired.  I'll have fun there and at Jerry Day with old friends. 

Hope to randomly run into a couple Zoners. 

Not losing any sleep over this. I'll go Friday for the Billy set and hopefully a special set for JG Bday. 

>but it would be nice to have a bigger bass presence.<

Totally agree. Oteil plays too "smooth" or "nice," for lack of a better description. On the rare occasions when I hear DeadCo on the radio, I have a hard time focusing on him.

Phil often played with a certain amount of "arrogance" or swagger combined with innate orchestral sensibilities, that make him integral to the GD sound. He was a lead player in the most interwoven of moments. He continuously vibrated your molecules even when he wasn't dropping bombs. I can always focus on him.

Oteil, bless is heart, is a gifted sideman in this band.

What's become of Billy? Not a peep?

I recently got an email regarding a nugs.net rebroadcast of his Mahalo shows, but that's it.

I'm guessing he can afford one of those ultra-VIP booths if he chooses to honor us with his 60 year presence. I'd actually like to see him MC the event, but he probably will be manning his "Official Grateful Dead Billy Bud" booth.

Langerado is my mouthpiece here

but also, oteil is a WEAKLINK

when he was at the Cap for Phil's bday, his weakness and lack of presence was palpable, in an empty sort of way. you could taste what was not there.

then on the Q day with Grahame on BigBrown, it was Mighty. The Power and the Glory

oh, yea. so, this dandc band. first it's apt that they are named after a horrible #ladyprocedure

bobby may have ever been good on his own, i wouldn't know.

his SLOCO pace is undanceable and that's why i go. to be moved

and, maybe most importantly mayer is a pedophile, I believe Women.

will always stick with:

if weir was playing in my backyard he'd be arrested for trespassing

except now he'd only show up for a cool milly

also:

the last thing Alan said

we are collectively moleculedforever by Phil and are better for it

i'd see sturgil and split.

I'm not interested, but just tried to get tix for a friend... sold out.

In fairness to Oteil he's usually buried in the mix and Bobby's guitar is way too loud. When they're jamming it's the opposite, Weir's cat-torture tone gets turned down and you can hear Oteil playing some killer stuff. He's the low man on the totem pole. Same when he played with the Allmans. But it's a great gig for him so he's not gonna bitch about it.

Still holding out hope that Billy announces a Bay Area show around that time. If he doesn't, then I'll be at the Park on Friday. Assuming Billy will be sitting in Dead Co, and would certainly elevate the music and the vocals. 

Got 3 x Sunday.  Can't wait to hang put with all my zoner friends.  Smiles 

Hey Mike. Re 2/18/2001. ABSOFUCKINLUTELY!!

What the hell, it's my 60th anniversary year too.  I'm in for all three.  

Now just have to work out lodging and travel.

....

When the Super VIPers find some really young heads to flaunt their Deadsume to on Golden Gate Park lot

.

I hate to break it to you folks, but lots and lots of Gen X and Boomers are really into DeadCo, and lots saw Jerry, a lot.

When I see pics from Sphere and the Mexico thing It's mostly olds. Who the hell else can afford those prices?

Don't ruin their perceptions Brian.

I like Dead & Co a lot, the band scratches an itch for me and John Mayer pays the music the respect it deserves. I have been to 25 Sphere shows, LOVE THE SPHERE! and seen them around 50 times.I do not regret it at all and the band continues to get tighter and add songs I want to hear to their catalog. I do not give a shit that it is all a money grab not to much isn't these days. Would I rater see The Q? Yes! Did I see the Grateful Dead? Yes over 200 times along with JGB (with Jerry) like 50-70 times and Bob Weir Band , Bobby & The Midnights, ect. I will be at the Golden Gate Park shows Sat & Sun and am looking forward to the party. It cracks me up how many slam this band who have never seen the band.

It's funny to see Deadheads using the "cash grab" accusation.

What do you think was shaking on Shakedown Street?  Selling blotter for 5-10 times what you paid for it?

Nowadays, I can go to the local dispensary and buy well-trimmed ounces of quality buds for $50-$80.  Seems like it was hard to get good weed for under $300 an ounce or $50 an eighth on lot or pretty much anywhere back in the day.  

comparing a bunch of aging millionaires overcharging people for stupid trinkets being compared to compensating average working/middle class people trying to make themselves enough money for a fun and stable life, who are taking a pretty extreme legal risk, might be one of the stupidest things i have ever read on the zone. 

It's definitely one of the stupidest things I've read on the zone

Agreed, and it made me wonder how much Dave marks up his merchandise.

Most people like our pricing, Mike.  How else do you suppose we've stayed in business all these almost 20 years.

But that's not really the point, and I don't get why you think it's cool to go there.  Basic douche behavior.

You guys sure got sensitive when I just pointed out that there is all types of hustling.  I'd suggest if you live in glass houses, you shouldn't throw stones.

never been accused of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I've noticed in my 60 yrs that the process of evolution seems to gives no fucks if anyone is pleased with the outcome.

For me the whole thing just feels tone deaf. Let's a throw a three day party while the country becomes a dictatorship to celebrate a band that was always a counter point to authoritarians, and yeah I get the original dead got the same criticism. I just think I would throw up in my mouth listening to people sing along to Throwing Stones while they book their Waymo to take them back to their hotel. 

That said no hate for the people who want to go - have fun I wish I could, no hate for charging what they are charging - I mean a free show would be a wook fest shit show. 

Not particularly a big fan of the current incarnation of the GD, but I had to remind myself that many heads left "the scene" when Pigpen / Keith / Brent / Jerry passed on.  Each time, new fans replaced those who left, and the show kept going. Thankfully.

Some heads from the 70's blamed new fans from the 80's as to what was wrong with the scene. Some fans from the 80's blamed fans from the 90's as to what was wrong with the scene,  and on it goes.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

it's bad

it's ok to say it out loud

Oteill at 3/4 Phil's Street Naming/Bday weekend, wherever he was in the mix, he moved me in no way. no bombs were dropped and the loss of Phil was starkly palpable and left me feeling sad and empty.

when Grahame stepped up on the 15th the Power and Glory were had. 

so that is my take on him, even tho i surely said that up there 

 Re 2/18/2001. ABSOFUCKINLUTELY!!

^iwt

and 100% all that being said go if you wanna i genuinely hope you have the best time possible

it's like nicotine

i can love users of it even if i don't love what they do

2/18/01 is the best post Jerry show I have seen. What a 4 night run that was. 

Phil Lesh and Friends Live at Maritime Hall, San Francisco in February 2001.

That run of shows were over-the-top great up there with the very best of the Grateful Dead.

SO GLAD that I went to those.

The Q!

Band:
Rob Barraco (keyboard, vocals)
Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals)
Jimmy Herring (guitar)
Phil Lesh (bass, vocals)
John Molo (drums)

2/15/01    
Phil Lesh And Friends
Maritime Hall
San Francisco, CA
(total time: ~3:00)

Set 1: Jam> Acadian Driftwood (RB/WH)> FOTD> Uncle John's Band> Jam> Blue Sky> Sunshine of Your Love (WH)
Set 2: Soulshine (WH)> Unbroken Chain> Jam> Golden Road (WH-all), Shakedown (WH)> Foolish> Lovelight (WH)> Just A Little Light (WH)> Lovelight
E: Into The Mystic (WH)    

2/16/01    
Phil Lesh And Friends
Maritime Hall
San Francisco, CA
(total time: ~3:00)

Set 1: Passenger (RB/WH-all)> Jam> Tennessee Jed (RB), Cumberland (all), Smokestack (WH)> Jam> Smokestack (WH)> Casey Jones (RB-all)
Set 2: Jam> Low Spark (WH)> Jam> Watchtower (WH)> Sugaree(WH)> Help RB)> Slip> Jam> I Am The Walrus (RB)> Slipknot> Franklin's Tower (all)
E: Cosmic Charlie    

2/17/01    
Phil Lesh And Friends
Maritime Hall
San Francisco, CA
(total time: ~3:00)

Set 1: Jam> Here Comes Sunshine (RB)> Mirror of Thalassa> Here Comes Coda> St. Stephen> Jam> The Eleven> St. Stephen> Keep On Growin'
Set 2: Jam> Taste Like Wine (WH)> Jam> Brown Eyed Women (RB), She Said (WH)> Jam> Cryptical> Other 1 (v1)> The Wheel> Jam> Other 1 (v2)> Cryptical> I Know You Rider
E: Patchwork Quilt (WH)> Box of Rain    

2/18/01    
Phil Lesh And Friends
Maritime Hall
San Francisco, CA
(total time: ~3:00)

Set 1: Dancin' (RB)> Jam> Scarlet> Dancin'> Playin' Coda> Jam> Milestones> Dupree's (WH), Bertha (RB)
Set 2: Caution Jam> Dear Mr. Fantasy (WH)> Dark Star (v1)> Tomorrow Never Knows> Dark Star (v2)> Wharf Rat (WH)> Rag Jam> Viola Lee Blues> In the Midnight Hour (WH)> Jam> Viola Lee Blues
E: Strawberry Fields (RB)> GDTRFB> Comes A Time (WH)> And We Bid You Goodnight

That was where i met #admin for the first time 

Made my place in the venue in the basement for some reason 

One of the nights my purse got stolen but they didn't get my drugs

Looking at those shows it's like choosing your favorite child which was best 

2001 was maybe the happiest year of my life

Shakedown area has been 'announced'. Admission $12.50. $10 if you saw them with Jerry.

>>>>>One of the nights my purse got stolen but they didn't get my drugs

As Mr. Natural used to say: "Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope." 

Wasn't it Freewheelin' Franklin who said that?

I believe it was Mike. One of the brothers anyway. 

It was indeed Freewheelin' Franklin.

Freewhellin' Franklin was from The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers by Gilbert Shelton.

Mr. Natural (and a host of others) was by R. Crumb.

Both great underground comics in their day.  

Yeah, I couldn't remember who said it so I googled it.

When you go chasing rabbits you know you're gonna fall.

Mr. Natural said, "At home, or at work, get the right tool for the job."

.

^^^ best comic I've seen in awhile, thanks for the laugh 

We have those telescoping chairs. Very convenient and easy to carry and use.

Looks like it doubles as a commode

Hey Woz:  Where did you buy them?  Thx

Amazon.....

Those stools look very convenient for an aging slug like me, but despite their stated weight-bearing maximums, as an "extraordinary" individual I would have no faith that those little plastic deals would support an (over)grown person like me.

I think ultimately, for folks like us, it would feel like sitting on a wobbly rock. Until it broke.

I'm all for it, I just need something more substantive than little folding plastic pieces.

As I used to say often in my old world... It looks good on paper and it sounds good in meetings, but in reality, not so much.

YMMV.

For me personally, I'm looking forward to when my ego allows me to accept the walker with the seat.

Until then, in general admission situations I'll just keep trying to get into the ADA sections, or just suck it up, lean on my cane and rest where I can.

Keep goin' to the show!?!

Until we fuckin' can't.

GTTS!!!!!!

The expected suck factor gradually increases.

Who's bright idea is it that humans should not be able to sit at a 6 hour event in a park unless they pay thousands of dollars for the privilege?

What? worried about some acid crazed wook bashing people with a camping chair with legs? I can't say I've ever witnessed chair-related violence at a show.

I think that dangerous ship has sailed --- in this day and age they should probably be more worried about armed drones.

Or perhaps they are worried about tequila filled chair legs.

Too bad a more creative event producer didn't pencil in a section of the field for no chairs and another for chairs allowed.  I miss Bill Graham.

They could just make a bigger ADA section.  I've got a bum knee and know I'm not the only one who will be there who will need to sit for parts of this.  

Shakedown Street is back for Dead & Company’s SF shows. Here’s what you need to know

The city has imposed strict rules for the famous homegrown bazaar. But those seeking more bedlam have other options.

https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/15/grateful-dead-shows-shakedown-street-san-francisco-2025/

Interview with John and Helen Meyer of Meyer Sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j58bWTVRLnQ

What a difference 57 years makes. 

NR

August 3, 2025

Special Event, Concert Film

Experience the final show of Dead & Company’s weekend at San Francisco’s historic Golden Gate Park

for a one-night-only concert event celebrating 60 years of the Grateful Dead’s music—broadcast live in IMAX.

4 HR 0 MIN

https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/dead-company-live-in-imax-from-golden...

So are these shows being live streamed (aside from the Imax thing)?  I wouldn't mind paying to see them from home, especially if they included the opening acts.  

Ken, I've never heard that there are opening acts, have you?

They are using the term "special guest sets," which to me means that the guests join Dead&Co for a mini set.   

From Deadco on FB:
‌
Each night will begin with up to 75-minute special guest sets from Billy Strings on Friday, August 1, Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson on Saturday, August 2, and Trey Anastasio Band on Sunday, August 3.
‌

Openers at about 4:00, Deadco at about 6:00.

I suspect Billy, Sturgill, and Trey will each sit in with Deadco as well for at least a few songs.

Ken, I've never heard that there are opening acts, have you?

They have been advertised since day 1

Dead Co should open for Billy Strings...

Right!?!

((( your baggie is a wonderland )))

SS = the songs Sturgill did at Dead Ahead

And

Ok, I stand corrected ... their web page makes no mention of the openers... I'm no longer on Facebook.

This is the page I consulted first, naturally: https://deadandcompany.com/Dead & Company – Golden Gate

Your Deadco ticket is good for free rides all day on Muni, and they wrapped some buses!

https://www.sfmta.com/blog/groovy-rides-and-tie-dye-tees-join-us-style-g...

Nuge announces live.stream of all 3 nights and openers:

https://www.jambase.com/article/dead-company-grateful-dead-60th-annivers...

They will live stream the shows.   $39.99 per night:

https://www.nugs.net/live-download-of-dead-and-company-golden-gate-park-...

Good thing muni is free, otherwise the transit system would be stalled for hours while DeadCo fans fish around in their wallets for real money.

"Sorry dude, do you take Venmo? Or bitcoin?"

ground scores!

out of curiosity, Checked TM tix still available, cash or trade has 50 sellers face or way below for 8/1. dayamm Have fun freaks , 

Yes, StubHub has cracked below $200. I'm waiting to get some at half face. Should be an alright time. The openers are all good bonuses.

j

https://www.youtube.com/live/VFqKKMVGhRo?si=BnH9insXlHmDozdY

Bleeeech....Personally, I preferred it when I belonged to the counter-culture.

Mayor: "Let me be clear, this is not just about the music"

Yeah dude -- that's the problem.

> this is not just about the music

There we go

don't tell me this town don't got no apple pay

oops, wrong thread for my recent Heart of Town post, my bad

If you had told me back in May of 79 at my first show that I would be going to the 60th anniversary in Golden Gate park with a free ticket because I know someone who works for the company selling legal weed at the show I would not have pictured the world we are living in today. 

Anyway see you on Saturday at least. 

The San Francisco Standard

News

‘Jerry is rolling in his grave’: The Deadheads boycotting SF’s anniversary shows 

“I can’t do it; it’s a straight-up mockery of the original magic to me,” said one fan.

By Carly Schwartz

Published Jul. 28, 2025 • 6:00am

I was 12,000th in the Dead & Company Ticketmaster queue when I texted my father to see if he wanted to fly to San Francisco from the East Coast for the 60th anniversary shows Aug. 1-3 in Golden Gate Park.  

My dad is one of the biggest Deadheads I’ve ever known. In the earliest days of the internet, envelopes stuffed with cassette tapes of Dead shows would arrive on our doorstep, sent from fans all over the country whom my dad had met online. The music was the soundtrack to my childhood, and father-daughter jam-band outings became one of our favorite ways to spend time together. What better way to continue our cherished family tradition than in the city where it all began?

That’s why I was shocked when he replied, “No, I’m good. I really have no interest.”

It was a moot point: By the time I’d advanced to the front of the Ticketmaster queue, three-day passes had sold out. I asked my dad to elaborate on his stance. 

“This whole thing is just a big money grab, a real ‘fuck you’ to the fans,” he said. “It totally goes against what the Grateful Dead was all about. Jerry is rolling over in his grave.” 
San Francisco is turning into Deadhead Disneyland. Muni buses are shrouded in neon Summer of Love regalia, City Hall will light up in Technicolor tie-dye, and dozens of parties and tribute bands will hold court all over town. Officials expect up to 60,000 fans to make the pilgrimage to Golden Gate Park each day, with thousands more swarming the venue’s outskirts. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, named for the Grateful Dead’s original concert promoter, will (fittingly) transform into a pop-up merch store. 
​Tickets cost $635 for three-day general admission; VIP options range from $1,800 to a staggering $6,300 “Golden Road” pass, with which the Champagne crowd can enjoy unlimited dining, expedited entry, and a private viewing deck. All for concerts in a field featuring two out of the six original Grateful Dead members.

Is my father a curmudgeon, or does he have a point? 

It turns out, many die-hard Deadheads agree with him. “I’ve seen Dead & Co a few times and mostly enjoyed their interpretation of the music,” said John Zirinsky, 41. “But the high ticket prices, John Mayer stans, and integration into the Ticketmaster monopoly ecosystem have really changed what type of person attends their concerts and, in my opinion, killed the vibe.”

Zirinsky still plans to drive to the city from his Mammoth Lakes home for Dead festivities during the shows. But he’s skipping the main event, opting to attend The Heart of Town at Pier 48, a smaller festival hosted by Grahame Lesh, son of the band’s beloved founding bassist, Phil Lesh, who died last fall.

Others are sidestepping San Francisco entirely. “There’s no more Grateful Dead family — this is a business, through and through,” said Aaron Suttschenko, 47, who’s based in Cincinnati and runs a popular Instagram account that curates his favorite Dead concert moments and sells T-shirts. “Capitalism has no moral base, so why not make as much money as you can if there’s enough rich people to support this thing? But I can’t do it; it’s a straight-up mockery of the original magic to me.”
​Gavin Kelty, 63, said that while he appreciates Dead & Company, the cost outweighs the benefit. “The prices are too high to listen for three hours in a sea of people,” he said. “It’s obviously for a percentage of people who can afford it.”

Kelty saw the Grateful Dead’s original incarnation dozens of times in the 1980s and ’90s and has made multi-hour trips to see Dead & Company in recent years. He fondly recalls the days when the original band organized a mail-order lottery ticket system, encouraging fans to decorate their self-addressed, stamped envelopes in colorful, creative ways. 

“Tickets were 25 or 30 bucks, and their shows always sold out,” he said. “My friends and I figured out that SFO had the first mail pickup in the area, so we collected our envelopes and drove to the airport to make sure we had the best chance.”

Other Deadheads also called out the band’s history of affordable shows, including several free events in Golden Gate Park in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Before Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, the Grateful Dead never charged more than $35 for a concert ticket, or around $63 when adjusted for inflation. (This does not take into account what fans would pay secondhand for tickets from scalpers, which cost much more.) 

Brenna, 29, a Michigan-based fan who declined to give a last name, said she dropped out of high school to follow Grateful Dead spinoff bands in the 2010s. She described the 60th anniversary shows as a “hype gimmick” and pointed to the fact that Dead & Company advertised their 2023 concerts as a “final tour,” then booked a several-week run at the Las Vegas Sphereless than a year later.

“Now you have to let the money talk and dictate whether or not you make it into a show,” she said. “It’s not necessarily fair for a culture and crowd that’s not supposed to be known for possessions or money. Who gets to go to these shows? How much is enough?”

A self-described “broke Midwestern girl,” Brenna said she was fortunate to score “Miracle” tickets when following the Dead. (A Miracle is when a fan gifts another a ticket right before a show begins; folks usually hold up a single finger when praying for a Miracle outside the venue.)

Representatives of Golden Gate Park Concerts, the branch of Another Planet Entertainment that organized this week’s Dead & Company shows, did not respond to questions about ticket prices or the estimated cost to produce the event. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office has touted the potential financial boon for the city, noting that hotel demand July 31 to Aug. 3 is high and that the 2023 Dead & Company concerts in Oracle Park generated an estimated $31 million for San Francisco’s economy.

Despite the soaring costs, some Deadheads are biting the bullet and making the trek to Golden Gate Park — but not without mixed feelings. 

“It’s an anniversary thing — they should have made it accessible,” said Michelle Rajotte, 58, who’s been following the Dead since the early ’80s. “There were rumors among the fanbase that it would be free, but it’s a cash grab again.”

Rajotte plans to attend the shows because of her personal connection to the band. Her father was the program director for a major radio station during the Summer of Love and helped organize one of the first modern music festivals, Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain in 1967 at Mount Tamalpais. She says the Grateful Dead was a huge part of her childhood and has remained equally important throughout her life.

“I’ve spent my retirement fund following around this band,” she joked. “I can’t not go. Life is short, and it’s one of the things that makes me the happiest.”

Others are taking out Ticketmaster or Klarna payment plans to cover the cost of tickets. Eric, a San Francisco resident who has followed the Dead for 25 years, said he wouldn’t consider missing the shows but couldn’t afford to pay the full price all at once.

“It would be one thing if the band was giving all that money to charity,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s what’s happening.”

As for me, I decided to say yes to the anniversary shows because I genuinely love Dead & Company frontman Mayer and multi-instrumentalist Oteil Burbridge, and I can’t imagine sitting at home three miles away while Bobby Weir plays “New Speedway Boogie” in the holiest of settings. I was also lucky enough to find a friend with an extra ticket.

But I don’t think I’ll be able to convince my dad to join me. That, as the Deadheads say, would take a Miracle.

the Grateful Dead never charged more than $35 for a concert ticket<<<<

Not true.  New Year's tickets cost more than that.

>>> Brenna, 29, a Michigan-based fan who declined to give a last name, said she dropped out of high school to follow Grateful Dead spinoff bands in the 2010s.

That's hilarious.

And I get a kick out of the "WHAT WOULD JERRY THINK?" stuff. Something tells me he'd love the extra tens of millions in his bank account these days. He said on more than one occasion the Dead tried to sell out but was never able to.

>>>WHAT WOULD JERRY THINK<<<

I'll play.

I think he would be fine with all of it; the music, the money, all the new generations of fans. I think he'd say, "Whatever man, go for it. People are digging it? Far out. Some people aren't? Same as it ever was."

I bet a quarter that of everything that's happening this weekend, Jerry Day would be his least favorite event.

It's not the Grateful Dead

It's the 30th anniversary of GD Tribute Bands...

>>>WHAT WOULD JERRY THINK<<<

How the fuck are the drummers two of the last three standing.  

It's the cardio from drumming and the healing power of throwing drum sticks at people.  

> How the fuck are the drummers two of the last three standing

My theory is that Billy and Mickey sacrificed keyboard players to ensure their own longevity.

don't forget to hit up the GrassLands...

https://goldengateparkconcerts.com/grass-lands/

Went down to the GGP today and slipped into the venue. OMG the transformation of the Polo Fields is intense. The stage is huge and flanked by 50 ft big screens. The VIP on the north side is two levels like a block of condos. The south side vip are tented gazebos completed kitted out with furniture. I was hoping some of the grassy elevated area  closest to the  stage would be available but its taken up by the VIP and vendors.

I was also down at the Giants game and checked out the Pier 48 venue. basically a warehouse, not sure the sound will be great but its an awesome view of the waterfront and the ballpark.

don't forget your gore-tex...

>>>was hoping some of the grassy elevated area  closest to the  stage would be available<<<

What areas would that be? It's a flat field. Unless you're talking about the berms on the far sides, which are where the VIP boxes & concessions and ADA are set up, and those are way off to the sides. Anyway, who wants to stand on a sloped hill?

And remember, this is all the setup for Outside Lands, which is next week and a whole different deal, so let's keep the "They're not respecting the cool original Grateful Dead vibe" self-involved foolishness to a minimum.

But then I guess it's too late for that.

>>>Pier 48 venue... its an awesome view of the waterfront and the ballpark<<<

Is the stage and venue area outside of the pier??? If so, it'll be an excellent view but DAMNED cold at 1:00am+. But if it's inside the pier the "view" will be of the metal walls, high ceiling and cement floor of a huge indoor parking lot.

IMO, the best places to be in S.F. this weekend as a dead head will be on the field in Golden Gate Park with all the history and the energy and the people of all ages and the good music playing over the colored lights shining on the ring of trees and on the natural ceiling of fog, which will be WAY cooler than the fake videos at the Sphere, and then also at the small old-school movie theaters near the park that are doing aftershows.

Either way, the entire city will be lit up for our favorite band; it's ALL a celebration of the Grateful Dead, and after 30 years gone what kind of dead head has a problem with that?

LLTGD!!!!!!!

Yes,  i don't mind, no

Giants Are Playing  in the  Bland...

Is the stage and venue area outside of the pier???

No, the concert i taking place indoors in the big Warehouse on the pier.

McCovey Park/Cove is a great pregame spot...

good morn to all 

curious to know: How do audio engineers address / improve sound in venues with metal walls?

all this time i thought I'd be able to be outside looking at the skyline and stars, ha!

Here's a Google map link to the photo gallery for the venue: https://maps.app.goo.gl/uo5p4ZtaLtNaKiSt6?g_st=ic

oops

all this time i thought I'd be able to be outside looking at the skyline and stars, ha!

you can, just during breaks!

or create your own

see ya tonite...

Hope everyone had and will continue to have a fine time.

It's a celebration, and it's just getting started.

One of the many fun aspects of all this is that those in S.F. who hate the Grateful Dead will have to eat their liver all weekend, as it's going to be all Grateful Dead all the time.

You'll get nothing and like it!!!

Long live the Grateful fucking Dead.

Amen Tom! We're getting ready to roll into the park. Happy Jerry Day!

sirius sched

https://www.siriusxm.com/blog/dead-company-golden-gate-park

are the shows at 4?

Hi Turtle! Yes, guest artist acts begin at 4.

Bobby pretty rough

Stranger was so slow it almost came to a stop.

Still can't believe Billy K isn't there. 

Across the Lazy Wizard

>>>Across the Lazy Wizard

No shit.  Bob in his black robes waiving his arms around using his magick to slow things down.

Bobby MF Weir pert near 80 still out there doin what he loves to do. Gotta respect that. Jussayin.

Lmao Ken, You get it !

It was nice that they included Grahame (on Box) 

Yes, Bob definitely rough but keepin'' it together mostly. Grahame and Big Brown brought the emotions. Nugs stream sounds mighty fine!

Here we go.  This is when it will get good.

here are a few pro tips for the Dead & Co. concerts, this weekend, from someone who grew up just a couple of blocks from the Polo Fields ...

DEAD & CO WEEKEND SURVIVAL GUIDE:

(All this has been verified.)

1. Wear tee-shirts and shorts to the show only. You won't need a jacket. And they won't let you bring one in anyway. (Rules are rules.)

2. Park your car anywhere you want inside the park. Or just ignore the "No Parking" signs they put up on Fulton Street. (Fuck the rules!)

3. Bring tarps to save space inside for you and 30 friends. Really big ones. In fact, bring two.

4. Feel free to pee in the bushes in front of houses in the Richmond and Sunset Districts. The neighbors don't mind. They also love to wake up and see your empty beer cans on their driveways.

5. Pitching a tent in the Panhandle is perfectly fine for overnight stays. And it's safe to leave it when you go to the show, nobody will touch your stuff.

6. You'll be okay if you eat the brown acid. Especially if you buy it from a stranger in the Tenderloin.

7. If you see someone walking around outside the event with their finger in the air, it just means they're testing the wind to see if it's calm enough to light a joint.

8. The entire VIP section is actually open to anyone with a ticket. Because that's what Phil would have wanted. So just push your way past those pesky ushers!

9. The "Grass Lands" expo in the show is really all about lawn sod and mowing techniques, not at all about pot. Ignore those rumors. (But be sure to buy some Kentucky Bluegrass seed to bring home with you, you won't regret it! And of course, John Mayer gets a cut.)

10. A holographic Jerry WILL be making a surprise appearance. But only during Trey's set on Sunday.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

tips from another former  Richmond district resident

Weir=Cowboy Gandalf...

Zero corpse humping

Bob sounded better last night.

Weir did sound better, and the tempos weren't as sludgy as Day 1.  It was warmer and that may have helped his voice.

It's been a fun and action packed weekend here.  I got into town Thursday evening, and made it to Pier 48 for Night 1 of Heart Of Town with Llollo.  We just missed Stephen Stills, but had a real good time anyway. It was great getting to meet Peak.

On Friday, I successfully navigated my way to Parnassus Hospital to visit my brother who is recuperating from back surgery he had Thursday.  We had a good visit.  He got me to get a special order grilled cheese sandwich from the cafeteria.   A TXR special!

I walked down into the park, where eventually I connected with Roshambo and her crew who had procured a great spot on the rail behind the friends and family section to the right side of the soundboard.

The best parts of Day 1 for me were Billy's trad-focused set and Graham's sit-in.  Graham sounded fantastic on bass.  Oteil also is nice and clear in the mix, which is a big improvement since I last saw Dead & Co.  Getting back across town after the show was a long strange trip, with Uber prices surging far north of $100, and not many available drivers.  I jumped a Muni bus to the Civic Center, and eventually got a cab back to North Beach when I realized the 30 route stops running at midnight.

Llollo and I zipped down to catch the first hour or so of the JGB Band's set at Jerry Day.   It was a groovy scene, and it was fun seeing Kate's friends Jolie, Nina, Tiffany and Jim again.  Then it was back to GG Park where Kate had snagged the same perch as Friday.  Graham stole the show again on St. Stephen, showing he is perfectly comfortable hanging with the big boys.

It's a beautiful sunny day in S.F.  Looking forward to high times with friends and family today!

Big thanks to Llollo and Ro for being such fun and helpful trip guides!

Did I miss something Friday night?

No mention from the stage of the anniversary  or even stage theatrics/props. They did display some images of Jerry AFTER the show but only Jerry ( a bday nod?) I found the lack of celebration of the reason we were possibly  assembled odd and in no way an oversight. Weak Sauce

Maybe Woz is correct, hard to have a corpse humping if you don't  acknowledge the corpse...

More humping NOW!

Give the fans what they want!

Love in the afternoon

That's what Sundays are for

Have phun at the polo fields

Tally Ho...

There was a nice group of video interviews with Jerry, Phil, Billy and Mickey they showed at the setbreak last night.

Kids these days.

Fuck Wit Trey Day

Yeah, hell yeah, know what I'm sayin'?

big red on sunday 

hear we go

They didn't hump Jerry's corpse on Friday?

Totally lame.

A little birdie over the merch side of things, indicates these three shows may do over $7+ mil in sales. It would be the highest grossing weekend in the company's history.

The custies are out in full force. Be safe!

nah, Tom 

just warming up to disappoint people

in the ba, that could be there

> They didn't hump Jerry's corpse on Friday?

I'm pretty sure someone dips their dick in the Ganges every day.

^ dick checker

kinda weird flex

but, it's 2025

so....

Which makes you the dick checker checker, I guess.

But seriously, TOD, do you pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?

yes, I do, whatever you mean

dead and company 

60th in the ba...

weird you're not there

but hey, we always got the interwebz 

I would like to report that I had a wonderful Saturday attending Jerry Day in McLaren Park. The music was great from start to end. The vibe was incredible, as it is every year. The price was right. I saw lots of Zoners in the crowd.

Zero regrets to miss Dead and Co. at the Polo Field. The bits I have seen online were okay, and was happy that Uncle Bob Weir had has nephew Grahame come out to play Big Brown and sing Box of Rain. I will take Stu (and JK and Mark Karan) over John Mayer ANYTIME. Have never got Mayer since I first encountered him opening for Phil and Friends at that New Year's run and playing far too long, and then not sitting in with Phil. Seemed like an unnecessary waste of time.

Your mileage may vary, and probably does, and that's cool.

TAB: Mission in the Rain

https://www.reddit.com/r/phish/comments/1mgzg4n/tab_mission_in_the_rain/

Mountain Girl is from Poughkeepsie

She went to school with my parents 

Carolyn Adams Garcia, aka Mountain Girl, boasts of another nickname that reflects her long-forgotten New York roots. “Just call me the gypsy from Poughkeepsie,” Adams Garcia said in an interview from her Oregon home, where she now lives in an old farmhouse surrounded by black sheep.

https://www.nydailynews.com/1997/01/12/the-gypsy-from-poughkeepsie/

Carolyn Adams was born in Poughkeepsie, NY, before the movie The French Connection was made, and she swears that she never picked her feet while living there. 

https://jimadamsauthordotcom.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/mountain-girl/

>>>She went to school with my parents

which one?

Roosevelt High?

Nitrous busts

https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/sf-police-seize-drug-grateful-...