• https://www.dead.net/features/bill-kreutzmann/grateful-dead-original-members-perform-together-again-one-last-time
    Grateful Dead Original Members To Perform Together Again One Last Time

    Grateful Dead Original Members Reunite to Celebrate 50th Anniversary

    “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead" at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2015

    Marks the Grateful Dead Members' Final Performance Together

    Event information available at Dead50.net

    To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Grateful Dead, the four original members — Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir — will reunite at Chicago's Soldier Field, nearly 20 years to the day of the last Grateful Dead concert, which took place at the same venue. “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead" will occur over three nights on July 3, 4, and 5, 2015, marking the original members' last-ever performance together. The band will be joined by Trey Anastasio (guitar), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards), and Bruce Hornsby (piano). The group will perform two sets of music each night.

    Jerry Garcia's daughter Trixie Garcia announced the shows in an exclusive interview. You can check out her announcement here.

    Joining the original members of Grateful Dead are three musicians who have embodied the band’s spirit of musical innovation throughout their eclectic careers. Guitarist Trey Anastasio is best known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist for touring juggernaut Phish, but he has also found time to score and arrange music for orchestras and Broadway productions such as “Best Musical” TONY nominee ‘Hands on a Hardbody.’ Pianist Bruce Hornsby had already won the first of his three Grammy Awards when he first guested with Grateful Dead in 1988. Following the death of the band’s keyboard player Brent Mydland in 1990, Hornsby toured with the group into 1992, and he has maintained a collaborative relationship with its members ever since. Bay Area native and jazz keyboardist Jeff Chimenti joined Bob Weir’s Rat Dog in 1997, and has since worked on projects such as Phil Lesh & Friends, The Other Ones, The Dead, and Furthur.

    In the tradition of the original Grateful Dead Ticketing Mail Order, tickets will first be made available via a first-come, first-served mail order system. All additional ticketing information is available at Dead50.net.

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    76JGBReflectio…
    9 years 4 months ago
    Thoughts on GD 50
    Reflections JGB tour was my first show. It was in the glorious Auditorium theater, a hall that is acoustically perfect. I saw the Dead there the next year. Then we got kicked out for putting out joints on the hardwood floors and other stupid shit that people did. I got to see Further there maybe 4-5 years ago (I don't remember the year, chromosome damage maybe?). Deja Vu. The sound is still as amazing in that hall. It's a sacred place for me. I love the Dead. The music, the people, the scene. I saw the band all over the country. From small halls like the Uptown to Alpine Valley to the Rosemont,the Greek, Worcestor, Providence, Foxboro Dylan/Dead, Borreal Ridge, Ranch Rocks at Pyramid Lake when Jerry was sick, RFK, Jerry on Broadway at the Ritz and the Stones, Edwardsville in the pouring rain (A killer looks like Rain), Frost, and even Soldier Field. I've seen Phil and Friends, Ratdog, Further,and loved it. Soldier Field. I was there in 95 and every other year they played there. Even when Sting was the backup, although I sat that out partying in the lot. James Cotton, who I used to see for $1 in clubs all the time and hung out with many times sat in. I guess I should've called him that week. Thanks to the band for coming back for last run. Ok, here I go. Sorry to be a downer with all of the positive energy, but this is how I feel from the heart. But Soldier Field? The acoustics suck. It's a football stadium. I went to all the shows there and never once enjoyed the sound. You can't even see the band. There is an outdoor stadium with great sound and sight lines 1/4 mile away that the boys have played. If they played 3-5 cities with 3 or more shows each, they could do that. The other brother who said that they should have done a run of shows on each coast was right. The Rosemont wasn't any better. Would that really be that hard since they are rehearsing anyway? Split it up over a few weeks or months if you have to. Having only 3 shows in one place makes it hard for many of the real fans to come if they don't have cash. And July 4th? The biggest summer weekend of the year when people will pay a fortune to stay here. I'm going to try to help people with that in my next post. And where is John K? He brought the Jerry energy back and made Jerry's tunes work. It was the best I'd felt since 95. When the Stones come back, they play club dates before the stadium shows and get their groove on. That is a hell of a thank you to the fans. 3 shows at a shitty sounding giant place is fucked up. If that is all the energy they have together now, ok. I'd rather see a webcast where the sound is good. You see my history above. I'm a fan, I live 20 minutes away, and I'm probably not going to bother going. This is a sad end to a great ride. It'll be a great party and the band will jam no doubt. You'll be lucky if you can hear it the way it should be, or at all. I'll hope to catch Phil at TX sometime. Maybe if I'm lucky, Bobby, Mickey, or Bill will drop in and jam.
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    basementdweller
    9 years 4 months ago
    Might as well!
    I was surprised it was Chicago, too, but it makes sense if what they are looking for is a gathering of the whole tribe. It's the most accessible city in the country by road, air and rail so people from far and wide can get there. Chicago has a long tradition of throwing good parties. I saw shows there in 91 and again in 93 loved how the city and the lake were right there as part of the show. The whole sky turned deep red during second set. I'm also counting on all the millennial s scratching their heads and sayin' "a hashtag ten what?" so the rest of us can score tickets the old fashioned way :)
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    miketraynor
    9 years 4 months ago
    make that ...uptight not update
    some of the most update jackasses on the planet! ..that is what I wanted to say...some people will never be satisfied and get off on complaining.. This was never meant to be a private party..all are welcome
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Grateful Dead Original Members Reunite to Celebrate 50th Anniversary

“Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead" at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2015

Marks the Grateful Dead Members' Final Performance Together

Event information available at Dead50.net

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Grateful Dead, the four original members — Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir — will reunite at Chicago's Soldier Field, nearly 20 years to the day of the last Grateful Dead concert, which took place at the same venue. “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead" will occur over three nights on July 3, 4, and 5, 2015, marking the original members' last-ever performance together. The band will be joined by Trey Anastasio (guitar), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards), and Bruce Hornsby (piano). The group will perform two sets of music each night.

Jerry Garcia's daughter Trixie Garcia announced the shows in an exclusive interview. You can check out her announcement here.

Joining the original members of Grateful Dead are three musicians who have embodied the band’s spirit of musical innovation throughout their eclectic careers. Guitarist Trey Anastasio is best known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist for touring juggernaut Phish, but he has also found time to score and arrange music for orchestras and Broadway productions such as “Best Musical” TONY nominee ‘Hands on a Hardbody.’ Pianist Bruce Hornsby had already won the first of his three Grammy Awards when he first guested with Grateful Dead in 1988. Following the death of the band’s keyboard player Brent Mydland in 1990, Hornsby toured with the group into 1992, and he has maintained a collaborative relationship with its members ever since. Bay Area native and jazz keyboardist Jeff Chimenti joined Bob Weir’s Rat Dog in 1997, and has since worked on projects such as Phil Lesh & Friends, The Other Ones, The Dead, and Furthur.

In the tradition of the original Grateful Dead Ticketing Mail Order, tickets will first be made available via a first-come, first-served mail order system. All additional ticketing information is available at Dead50.net.

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TALKIN' ABOUT "FARE THEE WELL: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF GRATEFUL DEAD"

“I have a feeling this will come out just right. Can’t wait to find out…HERE WE GO!” - Mickey Hart

"The Grateful Dead lived an incredible musical story and now we get to write a whole new chapter. By celebrating our 50th, we get to cheer our past, but this isn't just about history. The Grateful Dead always played improvisational music that was born in the moment and we plan on doing the same this round." - Bill Kreutzmann

“It is with respect and gratitude that we reconvene the Dead one last time to celebrate - not merely the band's legacy, but also the community that we’ve been playing to, and with, for fifty years,” - Phil Lesh "Wave that flag, wave it wide and high…"

"Lookin' forward to this one, oh boy, you bet. Let's see just how much fun we can have this 4th of July." - Bob Weir<

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I always feel so alone at these things. Those "meet-up" things. Plus, I always end up talking to some nutcase when I DO finally find a kindred spirit. Being high is one thing, but these guys are friggin' nuts. Ahhhh....it happens. If any of you guys are going to a north Texas theater and don't mind an old guy (REALLY old guy....first show Filmore....maybe '72 or so) hanging with you, please let me know. I don't know if I can leave an address here, but I'll try. It's MJ@MJmagician.com. Or, just go to MJmagician.com and go through the contact stuff. Cheers! -MJ
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Your note hit me even though I have no clue who you are talking about. A few days ago I got a note from the daughter of an old girlfriend. Apparently, the woman I nearly loved passed on exactly ten years prior to the note from her daughter. I had no idea. I see a lot of anger and fightin' words on this site. No need for that. Life is pretty fragile. Let's rise above that, my friends.
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That's great! I love the fact that you're going with your wife and friends. I dunno.....I guess I'm glad that we grew up and HAVE people like a wife and friends. Have fun at the shows. I'll be watching in a movie theater, but if you wave, I'll wave back. Cheers!!
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For a brief moment time seemed to stop and flow backwards. A life altering experience. GOD bless the Grateful Dead !!!
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wow, that Friday show was too much, and that Sunday show was out of this world, Trey really stepped up and showed all the negatives that he was the MAN. We want more, how about this Fare thee well, this year. Next year, weir back from the dead to blow your minds.
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Hey man, hope you worked through this. I struggled with the same deal for the Dead and Co fall tour and found that things like Vivid Seats, stub hub, etc., all worked out fine. Geez, the aftermarket tix were sure expensive though. I wish folks would just sell their extra's at cost rather than get all greedy with the mark up. I'm definitely going to try to get the retail prices by planning ahead with this next go round.