re: Grateful Dead + Hornsby and Anastasio in Chicago & Santa Clara

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Before the Grateful Dead reunite for their three-night farewell stand in Chicago this July, its four surviving members — Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh — and a number of special guests will pay tribute to Jerry Garcia at a special gig at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on May 14th.

Dubbed "Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music of Jerry Garcia," the show will feature performances from Lesh's outfit Communion, Kreutzmann's Billy and the Kids, Bruce Hornsby, Eric Church, Buddy Miller, David Grisman, Greensky Bluegrass, Moe., Los Lobos, O.A.R., Railroad Earth, Widespread Panic, the Disco Biscuits, Yonder Mountain String Band, Trampled By Turtles, Jimmy Cliff, Jorma Kaukonen, Stu Allen, Grahame Lesh, Ross James, Alex Koford and Jason Crosby. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Famed musician Don Was will serve as the show's music director and lead the official backing band. The "Dear Jerry" concert will also be filmed, with plans to release a movie digitally and through traditional outlets in the future.

"Jerry gave his heart, soul, and music to his band mates, fellow musicians, and to millions of fans around the world," Keith Wortman, the show's creator and executive producer, said in a statement. "Whether playing in the Grateful Dead, his acoustic and bluegrass bands or his beloved Jerry Garcia Band, his songs made us happy just to be alive."

Tickets go on sale Monday, March 9th at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketfly. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Merriweather Post Pavilion box office or at the 9:30 Club box office in Washington D.C.

A few months after "Dear Jerry," the Dead will celebrate their 50th anniversary by playing their final three shows together at Chicago's Soldier Field from July 3rd to 5th. For these "Fare Thee Well" shows, Lesh, Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart will be joined by Hornsby on piano, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

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The Dead will add two more dates in a city other than Chicago to the three they currently have scheduled in the Windy City. The five total dates will compose the entirety of their performances as a band in 2015.


The line-up for the two additional dates will remain the same as it will be in Chicago: the "Core Four" of Billy, Mickey, Bobby and Phil, joined by Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti.


The location and dates of these two additional shows are unknown to me. From a fan's perspective, the two dates being bandied about between June 25 and 28, as well as the location being speculated on - Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, in Santa Clara, CA - all seem logical to me. It is also unknown to me if the ticketing process will involve GDTS-TOO, Ticketmaster, both, or neither.


Here is what I do know, and have additionally learned. Since the process of reuniting the Dead began in earnest as far back as 2013, or more than two long years ago, the decision to pursue Trey Anastasio was made by Peter Shapiro and his camp. The idea was then presented to Phil, who approached Trey in early January, 2015. Why Anastasio ? According to my sources, the Shapiro people view him as the same type of spiritual conduit as Garcia. They also believe Trey earned the honor as the leading purveyor of psychedelic, improvisational jamband music over the past three-plus decades with Phish and his various side projects. The only other guitarist even remotely considered for the role by Shapiro's team was Carlos Santana, who was never asked or approached, but was discussed because of his spiritual sensibilities as a person and player.


With Trey on board, the band then agreed the only shows they would appear billed as "the Dead" would be those promoted by Mr. Shapiro. As it has been reported, Bonnaroo offered the Dead more than $3 million to headline the festival with incentives and enticements that rivaled the recruiting practices of any big-time SEC football program. The band, steadfast in their commitment to Shapiro, said, "No, thank you."


The Dead then issued two non-negotiable edicts to Shapiro as a condition of their reunion: There would be no tour, and, reversing an earlier position, no festival performances.


The Dead will not all appear together as separate acts at any festival other than those promoted by Mr. Shapiro. Meaning, the four members will not play separately on the same bill at the Bonnaroo, Gathering of the Vibes and Phases of the Moon style gatherings. This does not apply to any one-day, non-festival type concert, such as the one being staged in Merriweather in May.


Why was it previously reported here that other guitarists, and other venues, had been looked at ? I believe those discussions were specific to the Merriweather event, and any other Merriweather-style events that may follow. The names I discussed, in addition to Trey, were John Kadlecik, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Kimock and Stu Allen, and the sites I had discussed were the Garden, Shoreline, Merriweather, Red Rocks, and the Oakland Coliseum. It is my hope that more of the "Dear Jerry" styled events will take place across the summer and at the afore-mentioned venues, and with the afore-mentioned guitarists.

Why Peter Shapiro ? The same reason the Grateful Dead went with Bill Graham in 1966 - both are visionaries who have/ had the band's best interests at heart, both see/ saw the presentation of live music as an art form, and both cherish/ cherished the Deadhead and music fan.


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Finally, my sources have confirmed to me that the Dead will not be appearing as a band at Lockn'.


I apologize sincerely, and apologize as honestly and heart-felt as I can, to any person or persons who feel I misled them, who bought tickets based on my information, who trusted me, and feel I let them down.


While all of the individual members of the Dead will likely be at Lockn' - Phil Lesh and Friends, and Billy & the Kids with special guest Bob Weir - the Dead will not.


I apologize again.


Sincerely,


Scott W. Allen
March 20, 2015

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what if it's Kimock and John Mayer. and no Phil. I read that somewhere.

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