Home

At The Festival
2009 Archive

Links

Tour info: Dead.net | GDTSTOO | Live Nation | MusicToday | PollStar | TicketMaster
Official websites: The Dead | Phil Lesh | RatDog | Mickey Hart | Bill Kreutzmann | Robert Hunter | Bruce Hornsby | Warren Haynes
Fan websites: RatDog.org | Philzone.com | Bruuuce.com | OtherOnes.net | DaveClarkLive.net photos | Rabhan.com photos | GD Resources Galore
Audio/Video: Furthur.net flash 1 | 2 | 3 | Videos from The Dead | YouTube.com | Live Music Archive | bt.eTree.org | Philzone.com mp3 samples | SugarMegs

Updates and Articles

12/25/09 - Furthur.net has announced intimate Furthur "Live Rehearsal Sessions" to take place 12/27->28/09 and 01/03->05/10 in Mill Valley, CA.

12/20/09 - A setlist for Philharmonia is up at PhilZone.com.

12/11/09 - From PhilLesh.net:

Sun, December 20, 2009
San Francisco, CA

Unbroken Chain Foundation Invites you to
PHILHARMONIA
2009
An Acoustic Holiday Event with
Phil Lesh, Bob Weir,
Jackie Greene & Special Friends
11/20/09 - Furthur Winter Tour dates are up.

11/20/09 - Jambands.com: Bob Weir, Phil Lesh & Furthur To Perform Tonight at 19 Broadway

11/16/09 - Relix.com: John Kadlecik Departs Dark Star Orchestra

11/03/09 - From Hidden Track:

HIDDEN TRACK: I’d love to hear about your experiences playing with Furthur this year, and how that band’s lineup came together. Can you share?

JOHN KADLECIK: I really can’t say anything. That’s the nature of their focus: about letting their music grow. I can’t really talk about it.

HT: Nothing?

JK: I can’t. Everyone is on board with the plan for now.

HT: ‘Everyone’ as in everyone in Furthur or everyone in Dark Star Orchestra?

JK: Everyone as in both.
10/22/09 - Jambands.com: Bob Weir and Phil Lesh Reunite in New York

10/22/09 - RisMedia.com: Real Estate Leaders Jam with Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Phil Lesh at Benefit for Band’s Archive Exhibition at New York Historical Society

10/22/09 - From RollingStone.com:

“Who knew we would ever be historic?” Lesh said with a wry smile before introducing “his brother and best friend” Weir, who came to the stage with guitar in hand.
10/22/09 - A setlist for Phil & Bobby In NYC 10/21/09 is up at PhilZone.com.

10/16/09 - Furthur will play December 30 & 31 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA.

10/01/09 - From Relix:

Zen Tricksters founder and Donna Jean Godchaux Band guitarist Jeff Mattson will perform with Dark Star Orchestra this November. Mattson will sub for DSO guitarist John Kadlecik while he is on the road with Phil Lesh and Bob Weir’s new band Furthur.
09/25/09 - Some new Furthur show dates are up.
December 8 & 9 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, NY
December 11 Chevrolet Theater @ Oakdale, Wallingford, CT
December 12 & 13 Asbury Park Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
09/24/09 - From the Portland Tribune:
The remaining Dead band has never asked Kadlecik to play with it, but he is delighted to play with Weir and Lesh in Further.

“Yes, it is a big deal,” he says.
09/23/09 - Furthur shows are now being hosted at Live Music Archive.

09/22/09 - Streaming audio of Furthur is up at SugarMegs.

09/21/09 - Dead.net: Night Three: Furthur Finale at the Fox

09/21/09 - Setlists for the Fox Theater 9/20/09 Furthur show are up at PhilZone.com and OtherOnes.net.

09/20/09 - Dead.net: Furthur at the Fox, Night Two

09/20/09 - Setlists for the Fox Theater 9/19/09 Furthur show are up at PhilZone.com and OtherOnes.net.

09/19/09 - Some videos from the Fox Theater 9/18/09 Furthur show are up at YouTube.com.

09/19/09 - Dead.net: Furthur Rocks the Fox, Night One

09/19/09 - Setlists for the Fox Theater 9/18/09 Furthur show are up at PhilZone.com and RatDog.org.

09/14/09 - Two new pictures (1, 2) of Furthur are up at Twitter.com/BobWeirRatDog.

08/14/09 - John Kadlecik posted on the DSO Forums:

The [Furthur] rehearsals were. . . incredible!!!. . . the first song we played was Playin in the Band... probably played 35 songs over 4 days... King Solomon's Marbles, Unbroken Chain, Sailor/Saint, Born Cross-eyed, Help/Slip/Franklins... 5 more days of rehearsal ahead before the September shows... more shows are in the works, but looks like all west coast until next year....
08/13/09 - A picture of Furthur is up at Twitter.com/BobWeirRatDog.

08/13/09 - Furthur, featuring Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Jeff Chimenti, John Kadlecik, Jay Lane, and Joe Russo will play the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA on September 18, 19, and 20.

08/07/09 - From JamBase:

JamBase: So with Rothbury in the past and no dates scheduled for The Dead, what are the conversations like regarding the future of The Dead?

Kreutzmann: That's a good question but we haven't been having any conversations about the future. There are no plans.

JamBase: Do you think you'll be hearing from Bobby or Mickey Hart in the near future?

Kreutzmann: No, no. I think we'll get offers and stuff but they probably won't want to do it. After you've been together for 40 years it feels real good to get out there and play with different musicians.

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

JamBase: So any plans for a 2012 Obama re-election gig?

Kreutzmann: I'd love it. I don't know if it will be a Dead show, but I hope he gets re-elected.
08/03/09 - The last picture up at Twitter.com/BobWeirRatDog shows Bobby jamming with Phil in a studio, apparently yesterday. For what it's worth, a recent rumor is that there are plans for a Weir/Lesh band to tour.

07/17/09 - From Billboard.com:

Thanks to tours with The Dead and the Allman Brothers Band, a new Gov't Mule album and tour and a planned solo album, Warren Haynes is having his busiest year ever -- and is enjoying it immensely.

"I think it's a matter of having opportunities that are available," Haynes tells Billboard.com. "Gov't Mule is a laboratory I need to keep going all the time. The Allman Brothers...has been amazing, but I know at some point it's going to slow down, and the same with The Dead. I don't expect to always be this busy, but I don't want to look back a few years from now and go, 'Yeah, they asked me to do a Dead tour but I was too busy.' "

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

Haynes says he's confident the Dead is "going to do some more," especially with the group's 45th anniversary in 2010.
07/10/09 - Download The Dead 7/4/09 Rothbury audio (from Live Music Archive)

07/05/09 - From Billboard.com:

The Dead finished its marathon with Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," something the 30,000-plus tye-died fans in front of the Odeum stage Saturday certainly hope won't happen to the group's renewed association. Bassist Phil Lesh previously told Billboard.com that he has no plans to tour again this year with any of his groups, while drummer Bill Kreutzmann said Friday that the four principal members hadn't spoken about future plans yet. But as Lesh brought the band back for its encore on Saturday (technically early Sunday morning), he offered some hope by telling the crowd "We hope you're having as much fun as we are...We hope to come back again."
07/05/09 - From Oceana's Herald-Journal:
After the [2nd Rothbury] set ended, the Dead's bass player, Phil Lesh, a liver transplant recipient, came on stage to make a heartfelt plea to the crowd to register as organ donors. He then said the band would be right back to play more music, and that they would love to come back next year.
06/30/09 - There will be at least two live video broadcasts from the Rothbury Festival: The Couch Tour from iClips.net and The ROTHBURY live stream from Rumbum.com.

06/23/09 - From Life Thru Music:

The Dead are playing July 4 as part of the Rothbury Music Festival in Rothbury, MI. It is their only show of the summer and the last one [of] 2009. Or is it the last one?

"I am not avoiding the question," [Kreutzmann] said, "Honestly there has been no conversations about touring or not. We did have a lot of fun. Mickey (Hart) and I are as close as were ever been and I think we sounded really good."
06/22/09 - Videos of Hart, Weir, Chimenti and Sylvester on 6/20/09 playing Ripple and Imagine are up at YouTube.com.

06/22/09 - BeatlesNews.com: Original Grateful Dead bandmembers perform Imagine and Blackbird

06/21/09 - Hart, Weir, Chimenti, Sylvester and Lane 6/20/09 setlist from RatDog.org

06/15/09 - From Dead.net:

On Saturday, June 20th, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir and Jeff Chimenti will perform at a fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer in California.
06/08/09 - From Dead.net:
If you’re kicking yourself because you didn’t get to see The Dead on their red-hot spring tour, you have one last chance to see them—at the Rothbury Festival in beautiful rural Michigan, on July 4. After that, it’s highly unlikely the group will perform together again in 2009. . .

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

Contrary to any rumor you might have heard, this really is going to be the only Dead appearance for the foreseeable future. . .

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

With The Dead back on the shelf following Rothbury, Bob Weir and Jeff Chimenti will be going back to their mates in RatDog for what’s shaping up to be a really strong tour.
06/08/09 - Dead.net: Everybody’s Dancin’! Some Reflections of The Dead’s Spring Tour

06/08/09 - Dead.net: Jay Blakesberg Creates Magic With Dead Tour Photo Books

06/01/09 - From the Catskill Daily Mail:

Bill Kreutzmann: I really haven't had any conversation after The Dead tour because I've been so busy doing what I'm doing with the other bands, that we haven't really talked about future, but I know there's another one out there.
05/22/09 - From Crawdaddy:
Crawdaddy!: What about the Rhythm Devils? Any future plans there?

Kreutzmann: That's another one I came up with. I'd like to use the Rhythm Devils with my trio—Mickey on percussion and drums, and Jen Durkin, who sang with the Rhythm Devils—and make that the new Rhythm Devils with my trio as the basis. I thought people would be interested in seeing me and Mickey with different players. I think it would do pretty good. I haven't even talked to Mickey about it yet, because Mickey's such an excitable young man that if I do talk to him about it, it will be started.
05/20/09 - JamBase: The Dead Tour Recap

05/20/09 - From Cincy Groove Magazine:

Bill Kreutzmann: Obama is just a really warm human being, he's real. Before we were done meeting with him he said be sure to play China Cat Sunflower because that's my favorite Grateful Dead song.
May 2009 - BassPlayer.com: The Golden Road: Phil Lesh And The Dead Come Together For A Few More Saturday Nights

05/17/09 - Between 1:20 and 2:00 in the "Nassau" video, Weir makes some interesting comments about the idea of The Dead touring more often:

Bob Weir: The book that we're traveling with, the repertoire, is about fifty percent more than the Dead did at any given time. And it's a lot of stuff to keep in your head, and a lot of stuff to stay fresh on. So I think what we're going to have to do is, basically if you want to get this stuff down we're just going to have to tour more, you know, and not go to sleep between tours. We're going to have to get back at it before this stuff gets away from us again. That's my current thought.
05/13/09 - Some video clips from the 5/11/09 performance by Weir, Lesh and Haynes are up at KFOG.com

05/11/09 - From the Marin Independent-Journal:

"Since Garcia died, everyone was unsettled musically and personally," said Hart's wife, Caryl. "It took a long time to find a new balance, and that's what you're seeing now."
05/09/09 - Kitsap Sun: ON STAGE | GORGE AMPHITHEATRE: The Dead More Than Ready for a Get-Together

05/08/09 - The official Videos from The Dead page now has a total of 17 videos.

05/06/09 - From the Colorado Daily:

"We've had a blast on this tour and we've become friends," Hart said an interview with the Colorado Daily earlier this week. "Will we do this again? We kind of made a deal not to talk about it on tour.

"When the smoke clears it will be discussed."

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

"I can't comment on what's going to happen after Rothbury," Hart said. "But the future looks good.

"I think I'd like to do this again."
05/05/09 - From KFOG.com:
Tune in to KFOG on Monday May 11 for a very special, private concert with Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Warren Haynes. We'll be broadcasting this historic performance live, so be sure to listen just after 4pm.
05/05/09 - From Pioneer Press Online (Kreutzmann talks latest tour):
Q: Is there any chance of doing original material again?

A: Oh, yeah, there will be. As far as I can see, this tour is going so well we'll probably plan another one. That would be my hope.
05/05/09 - Market Wire: The Dead Tour 2009 Live at Apple App Store

05/05/09 - Phil and Bob talked to Billboard about what happens after Rothbury 7/4/09:

"We kind of feel like we should take it one step at a time," Lesh says. "We haven't talked about (more dates). Maybe it'll be some time later in the year. Maybe next year. I don't know." Weir, meanwhile, notes that, "we've got a fairly ambitious schedule now. My expectation is by the time we get the tour done, assuming it goes well -- and it's starting to pretty much look that way -- my guess is that we're probably going to want to get back to it before it gets away from us again."
05/03/09 - In Rolling Stone Issue 1078 (with Bob Dylan on the cover), p.31 shows a great picture of The Dead's 4/13/09 meeting with Obama at the White House.

05/02/09 - Denver Post: The Dead say they're grateful Obama inspired their reunion

04/30/09 - From Spin Magazine Online (Q&A: The Dead's Mickey Hart):

Did you ever think that you would be doing this 40 years later?
I did. When I heard Grateful Dead music, I knew that it was the most powerful force on the planet. I had a dream once where everybody was wearing a Grateful Dead shirt, and that was a big tip-off. Dreams sometimes foretell the future. The band was so powerful and so positive that I knew it was only for good. Only an act of God could stop it, and we still haven't been stopped. We're kind of like cockroaches. In the end it will be the cockroaches and us.
04/30/09 - Tomorrow night the Donna Jean Godchaux Band is playing a free midnight after-Dead show at McFadden's across the street from the Spectrum.

04/28/09 - Jambands.com: Bill Kreutzmann Finds His Marbles

04/24/09 - Philzone.com has a few Dead '09 mp3 samples from the limited At Show Soundboards.

04/24/09 - JamBase: The Dead | 04.23 | Letterman Pics from Jay Blakesberg!

04/24/09 - A video of Sugar Magnolia from The Late Show with David Letterman is up at YouTube.com.

04/23/09 - Dead.net: The Dead on Letterman Tonight (Thursday)

04/23/09 - Lots of recent streaming audio, including the complete Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball, is up at SugarMegs.

04/23/09 - Star-Ledger - NJ.com: The remaining Dead still going for that communal ecstasy

04/22/09 - Hartford Courant: Fond Memories Of The Grateful Dead In Connecticut

04/22/09 - From the Hartford Advocate (Interview with Mickey Hart):

Any plans for a summer or fall tour?

No. We'll take it nice and slow with 23 dates. We'll be smiling and healthy on the way out.
04/21/09 - Hartford Advocate: The Rhythm Devil

04/19/09 - From the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader:

And what does Hart himself want to take away?

“I want to come off the road elated and feeling really great—and maybe even wanting to do it again. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.”
04/17/09 - Newsday: The Grateful Dead will come alive at the Coliseum

04/17/09 - San Francisco Chronicle: Hart talks about visiting Obama

04/17/09 - Dead.net: DEAD '09 tour In The Press

04/17/09 - From the Associated Press:

“We all miss [Jerry Garcia] every day,” said Lesh. “At the same time, we’re still here on Earth and we’re still making music. And by God we’ll continue to make music until we drop.”
04/17/09 - From the Boston Globe:
"A basic level of love and trust that's absolutely unchanging" is how Lesh describes the Dead's musical chemistry, although he says that the members are so divided when it comes to business matters they won't attend meetings together, for fear of total system failure. So the Dead farms out the pesky parts to a team of handlers and hones in on the happy bits - what Lesh likes to call the stream.
04/16/09 - From the Schenectady Daily Gazette:
Kreutzmann’s son Justin is filming shows for a documentary, they’ll record all the shows, and they may feature some guest players. “I heard Branford Marsalis might be joining us for a couple of East Coast shows,” said Kreutzmann. “I’d love to play with him again.”
04/15/09 - Jambands.com: Tipper Gore Joins The Dead Onstage

04/14/09 - Washington Post: Obama Meets Privately With the Dead

04/14/09 - Jambands.com: John Patrick Gatta Reviews Opening Night of Dead Tour

04/13/09 - Jambands.com: Dead Tour Opens In Greensboro

04/12/09 - From Billboard.com:

The spring U.S. tour by The Dead may well be the first step towards turning the band into a recording entity again -- or at least that's what the surviving members of the Grateful Dead hope.

"I would think that if we stay on this path that's inevitable," percussionist Mickey Hart tells Billboard.com. "I think this could be a serious attempt at new Grateful Dead music."
04/12/09 - Dead.net: DEAD '09 TOURING THE UNIVERSE OF SOUND

04/10/09 - Downloads of shows from The Dead's Spring 2009 Tour can now be pre-ordered at the Dead.net Store. Also, RatDog Live will be recording and selling CD sets of these Dead performances which can be picked up "right after the show." There will be a limited quantity of 500 copies a night for each CD set, available to order at the T-shirt stand. Finally, "as of April 10, 2009, AUDIENCE recordings of shows billed as 'The Dead', from 2003 - present are OK for Live Music Archive."

04/10/09 - News & Observer: The Grateful Dead's been raised: Drummer Bill Kreutzmann says the band's ready to jam

04/10/09 - A new video The Last Rehearsal is up at the official Videos from The Dead page.

04/09/09 - PR Newswire: The DEAD Partner With Blurb(R) to Create Collectors' Edition Concert Books From Each Stop on the Band's 2009 Tour

04/08/09 - USA Today: The Dead remain grateful to their fans as they hit the road

04/08/09 - A new video New York Taxi Tour is up at Dead.net.

04/06/09 - Jambands.com: The Dead to Broadcast Shows on SIRIUS XM

04/06/09 - From Dead.net (Blair Jackson Talks to Phil Lesh):

Do you plan on playing acoustic music with some regularity on this tour?
We’re going to see what we can do. We set up yesterday to rehearse with the gear and the physical setup. It’s not going to be every show certainly…

More hit or miss, like it was with your band…

Right, it will be selected shows, I suppose.

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

Are there any plans to go on the road after the July 4th Rothbury Festival show, which is being billed as the only Dead show of the summer?
I can say without fear of contradiction that we have not made any plans.

Have you made any plans for your own band?
No, I haven’t. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing for the rest of the year.

03/31/09 - Some 3/30/09 video clips are up at YouTube.com: Lazy River Road, Althea, Eyes of the World, Sugar Magnolia, and Not Fade Away. Also, there are some audio downloads of the 3/30/09 gigs (plus the complete Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball and many other shows) up at bt.eTree.org.

03/31/09 - Dead.net: The Dead Perform 3 Free Club Shows in NYC

03/31/09 - Rolling Stone: Rolling With The Dead: Legends Rock Three Back-to-Back Shows in New York

03/31/09 - New York Times Blogs: Free Dead, the Roseland Set

03/31/09 - New York Times Blogs: Free Dead, the Acoustic Set

03/31/09 - JamBase: The Dead: 3 Shows 1 Day

03/31/09 - Village Voice: Live: The Grateful Dead's Free Gramercy/Orensanz/Roseland Trifecta

03/31/09 - Jambands.com: Bound to Cover Just a Little More Ground: The Dead Tour New York

03/30/09 - Jambands.com: Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Warren Haynes Focus on Garcia Material at Angel Orensanz

03/30/09 - Jambands.com: Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Warren Haynes Share "Friend" On The View

03/30/09 - A video of Friend of the Devil from ABC's The View is up at YouTube.com.

03/30/09 - Gibson.com: Allman Brothers Wrap ’09 Beacon Run with Kid Rock, Weir, Lesh and a Few Old Friends

03/30/09 - Jambands.com: Kid Rock, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh Help ABB Close out Beacon Run

03/27/09 - From Dead.net:

The Dead today confirmed they'll perform three shows on Mon., March 30 in NYC at 3 different venues: an acoustic set (Bob Weir/Phil Lesh/Warren Haynes) at Angel Orensanz, an electric full-band (incl. Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Jeff Chimenti) set at The Gramercy Theatre and the electric finale at Roseland. As a special thanks to our email and text alert subscribers, soon we'll be sending out a link to an online form where you can enter for a chance to win tickets.
03/27/09 - From Gibson.com:
And with only two shows left – tonight and Saturday night – the [Allman Brothers Band’s] 2009 Beacon shows are surely to end in spectacular fashion. While the band has not announced a formal list of expected guests, it has been widely reported that Grateful Dead alums Bob Weir and Phil Lesh will join the band to close out its 2009 run. But, as has been the case so far this year, expect the unexpected.
03/27/09 - Billboard: The Dead Trip Up Scalpers, Prep 150 Songs For Tour

03/26/09 - Jambands.com: The Dead to Perform on The Late Show with David Letterman

03/25/09 - Jambands.com: Branford Marsalis to Sit In with The Dead, Weir, Lesh and Haynes to Appear on The View

03/19/09 - Jambands.com: Text The Dead

03/18/09 - According to Dead.net, The Dead will make "their ONLY summer appearance" headlining the Rothbury Festival July 2-5, 2009. Also, from the Detroit Free Press: "The Dead is likely to play multiple nights, concert industry sources have told the Free Press."

03/15/09 - According to RollingStone.com, "The newest list of rumored cameos [for the Allman Brothers Band’s Beacon residency] counts Sheryl Crow, Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh among the possibilities." The rumored date for Weir and Lesh to appear is 3/28/09.

03/13/09 - Rehearsal Photos from Jay Blakesberg and a new video The Dead Rehearse (#3) are up at Dead.net.

03/06/09 - The official Videos from The Dead page now has 2 videos of The Dead rehearsing for the upcoming tour.

03/06/09 - There are some interesting comments, implying the possibility of an indefinitely-continuing Long Strange Trip, starting at 1:29 into the Frosting on the Cake video:

Bill Kreutzmann: I can guarantee you it's going to be new music. I guarantee you that. . .

Mickey Hart: You know, this music was built on that. So, it was kind of made to be played perhaps forever, you know, by whomever wanted to play this kind of music.

Phil Lesh: Yeah. We want to go out and bring as many musicians into this music as I possibly can.

Bill Kreutzmann: Yeah.
03/02/09 - A new video of The Dead at the Inaugural Ball is up at the official Videos from The Dead page, along with four earlier videos. Also, a video of The Dead Spring 2009 First Week of Rehearsal can be seen at YouTube.com.

02/19/09 - From the Rocky Mountain News:

Bill Kreutzmann: Bobby (Weir) called me and said, "We've got a chance to do a gig for Obama." ... I said: "Well, gee, Bobby, I'll agree to it and if we're getting together why don't we stay together and get out on the road? If we're going to put it together for Obama, why not put it together for everybody?"
02/19/09 - Jambands.com: Bob Weir and Phil Lesh Join Jackie Greene

02/17/09 - RollingStone.com: Ron Wood, The Dead Rumored To Join the Allmans

02/13/09 - From the Marin Independent-Journal:

In two weeks, [The Dead are] going into Bob Weir's San Rafael studio to begin a heavy rehearsal schedule, some 20 days, an unusually intense regimen for this band.

"We're going to rehearse like crazy before we go out," Kreutzmann said. "I want us to be really, really good."
02/13/09 - 3 additional Spring Tour Dates are up.
5/4 Chicago, IL All State Arena
5/14 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheater
5/16 Quincy, CA The Gorge
02/11/09 - From JamBase:
Phil: We do have a download series, that's coming out from Rhino [Records], of older shows. So in the future I'm sure that we're going to be offering some of these tour shows for download depending on how good they are.
02/10/09 - From Good Times Santa Cruz:
With the Dead archives nestled under the redwoods of UC Santa Cruz, and a stepdaughter attending Cabrillo College, Kreutzmann has some deep ties to Santa Cruz and agrees that it may be the best place to live if the potential of more tours with The Dead draws him back to the mainland. “I couldn’t find the happiness in Marin that I find here in Hawaii. Next time, maybe, Santa Cruz.”
02/08/09 - From Variety:
As for the reunion of the Dead for a tour this summer, [Mickey Hart] said it all owes to President Obama. They gathered to perform at a fund-raiser in Pennsylvania "and it felt good. We missed each other and realized there's not another feeling" like the Dead when it is together.
02/05/09 - From Dead.net:
[Bill Kreutzmann] has great optimism for the future — a feeling that was bolstered by his recent experience at the Presidential Inaugural festivities in Washington, where he and his colleagues in The Dead performed (at the Mid-Atlantic States Inaugural Ball) and met the new President and First Lady. “I gave him a big Hawaiian hug,” he says with a laugh, “and complimented him on his surfing style. It was great to meet him and Michelle. They are just the way you see them — good, real people. I wake up now in the morning with a lot more hope for my country.”
02/05/09 - From RollingStone.com:
Phil Lesh: We were honored to be able to shake the president’s hand after the show. My son [Brian, an Obama volunteer] got to come along too. Obama shook Mickey [Hart]’s hand and said, “Hi, thanks for being here.” Shook my hand and said, “Thanks for being here.” And I’m thinking about saying, “And you remember my son Brian…” and he just walked over to Brian and said, “And here’s Brian, the guy who started it all,” and gave him a hug. My 19-year-old son. I gotta tell ya, I think that’s the high point of my life.
01/29/09 - From Genetic Strands:
Bill Kreutzmann: I met with Bobby and said, “Well if we’re going to all this trouble to get together for Penn State, let’s get together and do a tour.” And everybody said yes to it. It was kinda my idea, I guess. . . We’re going to practice for 20 days before we hit the road.
01/28/09 - All About Jazz: Signed Guitar by the Dead from Obama Inauguration

01/23/09 - Relix.com: Dead Nights in DC

01/23/09 - A few videos from the Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball are up at YouTube.com :

Uncle John's Band
Sugar Magnolia
Eyes of the World
The Wheel
Touch of Grey
At Last
01/21/09 - RollingStone.com: The Inaugural Balls: Beyonce, The Dead, Fall Out Boy and More Rock Barack Obama's Celebrations

01/21/09 - Jambands.com: The Dead Welcome President Obama and Vice President Biden

01/20/09 - Jambands.com: Inauguration Coverage: The Dead Attend Swearing-In Ceremony, Warren Haynes Plays Inaugural Weekend Kickoff

01/20/09 - Jambands.com: Inauguration Coverage: Lesh, Chimenti Join Jackie Greene at the Red Goes Blue Inaugural Bash

01/20/09 - Jambands.com: Inauguration Coverage: Weir and Hart Play for Franken

01/18/09 - From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

"It's an amazing honor to be there. A rare moment in American history where people from both sides of the fence see how important this president is," said Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. The rebel band has been invited to headline one of 10 inaugural balls.

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

"I'm really looking forward to the trip. And to see my brothers in black ties will be worth it. I've never seen us all in black ties," said the Occidental drummer, who is more given to jeans and T-shirts.
01/15/09 - From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“Can you imagine? The Grateful Dead in Washington? They used to try to put me in jail and now we’re playing for the president,” [Mickey Hart] marveled on Thursday.

“I’ve never played in a tux. I really don’t like suits. It’s not exactly like playing in a T-shirt. But we’ll do fine.”

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

Although their roots were rebellious, Hart said a lot of people who will now be running the country were fans.

“This is meaningful on a lot of levels. It’s not just a rock and roll band. The social implications are deep,” he said. “The Dead stands for freedom.”
01/15/09 - From RollingStone.com:
Just a week after confirming their first tour in five years, the reunited Dead are booked to rock the Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. on January 20th. “A DJ will open up — it’s a long, strange trip!,” Mickey Hart jokes to Rolling Stone (the DJ in question is celeb spinner DJ Cassidy). “[Barack Obama] picked us specifically,” he adds, “so it was quite an honor. There was a short list and we made the cut.”

As for the most important question — can the band jam at the ball? — Hart is dubious: “It’s pretty tight, about an hour set. When you play these kinds of things you say, ‘How can I be of service?’ The entertainment committee makes it so that it fits into their huge schedule.”

Another pitfall of political rocking: a background check. “It gave me pause when I had to get a security clearance to play a gig!” Hart says. So did they get past the security scan? “Oh, yeah, we don’t look so bad on paper. It’s not as bad as you might think.”
01/15/09 - From Billboard.com:
"The Dead are honored to have helped out on the campaign and are looking forward to the inauguration show," the band tells Billboard.com.
01/15/09 - According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee Blog, The Dead will play at the Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball (Event begins 8:00 PM and concludes approximately 12:30 AM).

01/14/09 - From the Hamptons Independent:

Following the [swearing-in ceremony] the new President will host no fewer than 10 official balls being held in his honor, with luminaries from all walks of life attending and/or performing. In a sign that life as we know it has dramatically been altered forever, the Grateful Dead have been asked to play at one of the events by Obama's team – Tie-dye tuxedos are optional.
01/14/09 - More Spring Tour ticket information is up at MusicToday and TicketMaster.

01/13/09 - From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Franken, meanwhile, is scheduled to head to Washington a few days early for the inauguration of Barack Obama so he can host a $1,000-a-plate Sunday brunch at the Willard Hotel in Washington. The event, a fundraiser for the Franken Recount Fund, promises special appearances by Grateful Dead legends Bob Weir and Mickey Hart.
01/11/09 - Spring Tour ticket information is up at GDTSTOO and Live Nation.

01/09/09 - From DigMusic.com:

Jackie Greene will perform two very special shows on Wednesday, February 18th AND Thursday, February 19th at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Jackie will perform two sets each night with his band and both evenings will include a special "middle set" featuring Jackie and his friends Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.
01/07/09 - From Relix.com (Keller Williams Talks to Bob Weir):
Do you ever get to Europe anymore?

RatDog was over in Europe, I think, about four or five years ago. And we may go again. It’s actually starting to look kind of attractive, given the exchange rate. It hasn’t come up with regard to The Dead. If this tour works well, it’s not unthinkable. We might try to do a summer tour maybe—not this coming year but the next one or something of that nature.
01/06/09 - CNN.com: Dead's Lesh: 'We've got some unfinished music'

01/05/09 - According to FOXNews.com, "Inauguration night should also see the Grateful Dead get back together for a major 'official' party."

01/02/09 - From Jambands.com:

The reunited Dead are featured on the cover of the February/March issue of Relix. The comprehensive issue boasts interviews with Lesh by Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools, Weir by former Relix cover subject Keller Williams and The Dead’s longtime drummers by percussionist Billy Martin. Please click here to see the latest in a series of videos from the group.
01/01/09 - From USA Today:
"We've all been evolving with our own bands for the past few years; everyone wanted to see what we could do together," Lesh told USA TODAY. "We got together a couple of times this past year and we really enjoyed playing."

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

"We're planning to focus on the Grateful Dead classics," Lesh says. "We figure the fans would want to hear us play that music."
01/01/09 - The Dead Spring Tour Dates are up.
April 12 Greensboro NC Greensboro Coliseum
April 14 Washington DC Verizon Center
April 15 Charlottesville VA John Paul Jones Arena
April 17 Albany NY Times Union Center
April 18 Worcester MA DCU Center
April 19 Worcester MA DCU Center
April 21 Buffalo NY HSBC Arena
April 22 Wilkes-Barre PA Wachovia Arena @ Casey Plaza
April 24 Uniondale NY Nassau Coliseum
April 25 New York NY Madison Square Garden
April 26 Hartford CT XL Center
April 28 E. Rutherford NJ IZOD Center
April 29 E. Rutherford NJ IZOD Center
May 1 Philadelphia PA Wachovia Spectrum
May 2 Philadelphia PA Wachovia Spectrum
May 5 Chicago IL All State Arena
May 7 Denver CO Pepsi Center
May 9 Los Angeles CA The Forum
May 10 Mountain View CA Shoreline Amphitheater

Home