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It was great while it lasted: Dead and Company has concluded final tour in California

The Grateful Dead's offshoot band, Dead and Company, concluded its final tour in California on Sunday. For fans and vendors who have been following the bands for decades, it's the end of an era.

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Dead & Company Announce Final Tour: See the Full List of Dates

The 2023 tour kicks off on May 19 at Los Angeles' Kia Forum.

By Rania Aniftos

Rania Aniftos

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Dead & Company ‘s upcoming summer tour will be their final run.

John Mayer , who has been part of the the modern incarnation of the  Grateful Dead  since it was created in 2015, shared the band statement to his Instagram on Friday (Sept. 23). “As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” he wrote alongside the rose-adorned promotional tour poster for the upcoming summer stint. “Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows.”

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The band revealed the full list of tour dates on Thursday (Oct. 6), beginning on May 19, 2023, in Los Angeles at the Kia Forum and stretching through July 15, when the tour ends in San Francisco at Oracle Park.

See below, and check out ticket and pre-sale information here.

05/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum 05/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum 05/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion 05/26 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion 05/28 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre 05/30 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion 06/01 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek 06/03 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live 06/05 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake 06/07 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater 06/09 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field 06/10 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field 06/13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center 06/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizen’s Bank Park 06/17 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center 06/18 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center 06/21 – New York, NY @ Citi Field 06/22 – New York, NY @ Citi Field 06/25 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park 06/27 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center 07/01 – Boulder, CO @ Folsom Field 07/02 – Boulder, CO @ Folsom Field 07/03 – Boulder, CO @ Folsom Field 07/07 – George, WA @ The Gorge 07/08 – George, WA @ The Gorge 07/14 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park 07/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park

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Dead & Company - The Final Tour

Tickets On Sale Starting Friday, October 14th at 10AM Local.

DEAD & COMPANY is launching its 2023 summer tour on Friday, May 19th and Saturday, May 20th in Los Angeles at the Kia Forum with dates running through Friday, July 14th and Saturday, July 15th when the tour ends in San Francisco at Oracle Park.  The band - Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, and Bob Weir, with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti – will perform two sets of music drawing from the Grateful Dead’s historic catalog of songs. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, October 14th @ 10 AM local venue time through deadandcompany.com . 

The highly-anticipated 2023 summer tour, produced by Live Nation, will be the band’s final tour since forming in 2015. Highlights include the tour-opening back-to-back concerts at the KIA FORUM in Los Angeles (Friday, May 19th & Saturday, May 20th), as well as doubleheaders at WRIGLEY FIELD in Chicago (Friday, June 9th & Saturday, June 10th); SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Saratoga Springs, NY (Saturday, June 17th & Sunday, June 18th); CITI FIELD in NYC (Wednesday, June 21st & Thursday, June 22nd); and THE GORGE in George, WA (Friday, July 7th & Saturday, July 8th); an epic return to FENWAY PARK in Boston, MA (Sunday, June 25th); the band’s first-ever three-night stand at FOLSOM FIELD in Boulder, CO (Saturday, July 1st, Sunday, July 2nd, & Monday, July 3rd); and the tour finale - a two-night debut at ORACLE PARK in San Francisco (Friday, July 14th & Saturday, July 15th). A full listing of the 2023 tour dates can be found below.

To ensure that tickets get directly into the hands of fans, advance presale registration is now available HERE powered by Seated. The Artist Presale begins Wednesday, October 12th at noon local venue time and runs through Thursday, October 13th at 10 PM local venue time. Advance registration does not guarantee tickets. Supplies are limited. 

Guests who prefer an enhanced experience for this memorable Dead & Company tour can purchase a variety of VIP and Travel Packages. Packages include seamless venue access, early GA entry, pre-show lounge with food and a cash bar, exclusive merchandise, or travel packages for multi-night runs in various cities. Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale October 12th at noon local venue time. For full details, click HERE .

Dead & Company and Activist will continue their work with longtime sustainability partner REVERB to reduce the summer tour’s environmental footprint and engage fans to take action for people and the planet. More details at REVERB.org .

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Dead & Company – The Final Tour

Launches Friday, May 19 th  & Saturday, May 20 th in Los Angeles at The Kia Forum

Through  friday, july 14 th  & saturday, july 15 th in san francisco at oracle park, seated presale fan registration open now  here, tickets on sale friday, october 14 th  @ 10 am local time.

DEAD & COMPANY  is launching its   2023 summer tour on Friday, May 19 th  and Saturday, May 20 th  in Los Angeles at the Kia Forum with dates running through Friday, July 14 th  and Saturday, July 15 th  when the tour ends in San Francisco at Oracle Park.  The band  – Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer,  and  Bob Weir,  with  Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti –  will perform two sets of music drawing from the Grateful Dead’s historic catalog of songs. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning  Friday, October 14 th   @  10 AM  local venue time through  deadandcompany.com . A full listing of tour dates can be found below.

The highly-anticipated 2023 summer tour, produced by Live Nation, will be the band’s final tour since forming in 2015. Highlights include the tour-opening back-to-back concerts at the  KIA FORUM  in Los Angeles (Friday, May 19 th  & Saturday, May 20 th ), as well as doubleheaders at  WRIGLEY FIELD  in Chicago (Friday, June 9 th  & Saturday, June 10 th );  SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER  in Saratoga Springs, NY (Saturday, June 17 th  & Sunday, June 18 th );  CITI FIELD  in NYC (Wednesday, June 21 st  & Thursday, June 22 nd ); and  THE GORGE  in George, WA (Friday, July 7 th  & Saturday, July 8 th ); an epic return to  FENWAY PARK  in Boston, MA (Sunday, June 25 th ); the band’s first-ever three-night stand at  FOLSOM FIELD  in Boulder, CO (Saturday, July 1 st , Sunday, July 2 nd , & Monday, July 3 rd ); and the tour finale – a two-night debut at  ORACLE PARK  in San Francisco (Friday, July 14 th  & Saturday, July 15 th ). A full listing of the 2023 tour dates can be found below.

To ensure that tickets get directly into the hands of fans, advance presale registration is now available  HERE powered by Seated. The Artist Presale begins Wednesday, October 12 th  at noon local venue time and runs through Thursday, October 13 th  at 10 PM local venue time. Advance registration does not guarantee tickets. Supplies are limited. 

Guests who prefer an enhanced experience for this memorable Dead & Company tour can purchase a variety of VIP and Travel Packages. Packages include seamless venue access, early GA entry, pre-show lounge with food and a cash bar, exclusive merchandise, or travel packages for multi-night runs in various cities. Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale October 12 th  at noon local venue time. For full details, click  HERE .

Dead & Company and Activist will continue their work with longtime sustainability partner REVERB to reduce the summer tour’s environmental footprint and engage fans to take action for people and the planet. More details at  REVERB.org .

Dead & Company  was formed in 2015 when the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir joined forces with artist and musician John Mayer, Allman Brothers’ bassist Oteil Burbridge, and Fare Thee Well and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and quickly became one of the most successful touring bands year over year. Since its formation, the band has completed seven tours and became a record-breaking stadium act when it set Wrigley Field’s all-time concert attendance for a single concert, which still holds to this day. Having toured consistently since its 2015 debut, the band has held 164 concerts, performed 143 unique songs and has played to nearly four million fans.

Dead & Company has headlined iconic stadiums across the country including Fenway Park, Citi Field, Gillette Stadium, Folsom Field, Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field, and Autzen Stadium, as well as multiple night-stands at Madison Square Garden, the Forum, Hollywood Bowl, and Shoreline Amphitheatre. Between tours, Dead & Company hosts its annual “Playing in the Sand,” an all-inclusive concert vacation that features multiple nights of Dead & Company on an intimate beach in Mexico.

Across all tours at the band’s legendary Participation Row, the Dead & Company community has taken more than 100,000 actions in support of various local non-profits and national social impact organizations and causes including voter registration with HeadCount and environmental actions with REVERB. Since 2015, efforts on tour have eliminated the use of 100,000 single-use plastic water bottles at shows and raised funds to support climate justice and carbon reduction projects which prevented 33,700 tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of 83.5 million miles driven by gas-powered cars. Throughout the seven tours the total raised directly from the band as well as fan auctions and other efforts is now over $3 million, providing direct support to HeadCount, REVERB and the Dead Family non-profit organizations, as well as the non-profit ocean conservation organization Oceana and MusiCares among others. 

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit  www.livenationentertainment.com

For a high-res band photo and tour artwork, click  Dead & Company 2023 Summer Tour .

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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Anna Loynes |  [email protected]

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Dead and Company Announce 2023 Final Tour Dates

Dead & Company have announced dates for their 2023 tour .

The band noted last month that the tour will be its  final one together. "Well, it looks like that's it for this outfit," guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead Bob Weir wrote on social media. "But don’t worry, we will all be out there in one form or another until we drop."

The 2023 tour will launch on May 19 with two back-to-back concerts in Los Angeles and then continue across the U.S. It will wrap with another pair of shows on July 14 and 15 in San Francisco.

"Let's make the most of it, shall we?!" guitarist John Mayer wrote on Twitter .

Back in April,  Rolling Stone  reported that Dead & Company would  stop touring after 2022 , though at the time, this claim was refuted by members of the band, including Weir. "News to me," he  tweeted . Now, however, it's been made official. In addition to Weir, original Grateful Dead members Bill Kreutzmann and  Mickey Hart  are also part of the group, which was formed in 2015. Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti round out the band.

Advanced presale ticket registration for the 2023 tour is now available, with artist presale beginning on Oct. 12. A full list of concert dates can be seen below.

Dead and Company, 2023 Tour May 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum May 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum May 23 - Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion May 26 - Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion May 28 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre May 30 - Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion June 1 - Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek June 3 - Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live June 5 - Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake June 7 - St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater June 9 - Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field June 10 - Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field June 13 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center June 15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Citizen's Bank Park June 17 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 18 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 21 - New York, NY @ Citi Field June 22 - New York, NY @ Citi Field June 25 - Boston, MA @ Fenway Park June 27 - Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center July 1 - Boulder, CO @ Folsom Field July 2 - Boulder, CO @ Folsom Field July 3 - Boulder, CO @ Folsom Field Juyl 7 - George, WA @ The Gorge Juyl 8 - George, WA @ The Gorge July 14 - San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park July 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park

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Dead and Company Announce Final Tour

By Ethan Millman

Ethan Millman

Dead and Company are officially gearing up for its final tour.

John Mayer posted a tour poster on his Instagram page that read “The Final Tour: Dead & Co. Summer 2023” and noted the group would have details on tour dates soon.

“As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” Mayer wrote. “Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows. With love and appreciation, Dead & Company.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by John Mayer (@johnmayer)

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Dead and Company started in 2015 with three of the band’s original members: Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann, along with Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti. The band has been one of the more prolific live acts since their formation, playing each summer (minus 2020 during the pandemic). More recently, though, there’s been some lineup shakeups over some health issues surrounding Kreutzmann. He had to pull out of the later-canceled Playing in the Sand shows in Mexico over concerns related to his heart. Then, during the summer 2022 shows a few months ago, as Variety noted , he missed several dates over a back issue, then a positive Covid test.

Mayer, for his part, had praised the Dead for years before Dead and Company started. As he told  Rolling Stone  in 2013: “This free expressive sort of spirit — I listen and I want to find a mix of that openness. I kind of want to go to [a show like a Dead] show, if it still existed,” Mayer said at the time. “But I wish that there were tunes that I was more familiar with. I wish that I could be the singer. I wish I could have harmonies.”

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Dead and Company Announce Dates and On-Sale Times for Final Tour Next Summer

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Shortly after announcing that next summer’s tour would be the last one for Dead and Company , the group has announced the full schedule of dates for that farewell outing, with tickets set to go on sale a week from Friday.

The tour will begin with a two-night stand at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum May 19-20 and end — perhaps not surprisingly — in San Francisco, at Oracle Park, where this offshoot of the Grateful Dead will call it a night after final gigs set to take place there July 14-15.

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The band had formally announced that the forthcoming tour would be its last in a Sept. 23 statement, with the members acknowledging that word was bound to get out as dates were in the last stages of booking. “As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” the September statement read. “Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows.

Early in 2022, there had been rumors that the band would be hanging it up after this past summer’s tour. It turns out the speculation was off by a year, with one more extended chance to see the band still ahead.

In response to an April 2022 report in Rolling Stone that the group would cease touring after this year, the band pumped the brakes on that news, saying then that “Dead & Company has made no official decision as to this being their final tour.”  Bob Weir  even posted on Twitter: “News to me.”

The group started in 2015 and includes several original members of the Grateful Dead as well as fresh reinforcements, with the lineup now featuring Mickey Hart, Kreutzmann, John Mayer , Weir, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti.

The full schedule for the swan song tour:

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Grateful Dead's Friend Of The Devils Out Friday: 8 Shows, 19 CDs & More From Rise of "Drums" & "Space"

Article contributed by shore fire media | published on tuesday, september 17, 2024.

This Friday, September 20th, a peak of the Grateful Dead's post-hiatus period will be immortalized with the release of Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 . Available exclusively from Dead.net , the 19CD boxed set features eight previously unreleased concerts from the start of an historic tour – when “Drums” and “Space” first became regular live segments, and forever redefined the Grateful Dead’s live experience. "These eight shows tell the story of a band that was engaged, inspired, and focused on bringing their A-game every single night,” says Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux. “If there was ever a tour on which the Dead deliver every single moment, it's this one."

Ahead of Friday, a previously unreleased performance of " Peggy-O " is available digitally today, recorded at Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium on April 12, 1978. “No one could have known that the X-factor would appear in such force at Duke ‘78,” adds Lemieux. “As the Dead barreled through their first set with ‘Beat It On Down The Line,’ and ‘Peggy-O,’ there was something magical happening on the campus in Durham, NC that night. The Dead, as everyone in the building that night could hear, were determined to play one of their best shows ever.”

Listen to "Peggy-O (Live at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC, 4/12/78)," as well as "U.S. Blues" and one of the most powerful live versions of "Truckin'" the Grateful Dead ever played

In addition to Duke '78 , which receives its own 3CD, 4LP and digital release via Rhino this Friday, September 20th, Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 includes complete shows from Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL (4/6/78); Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL (4/7/78); Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL (4/8/78); Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/10/78 and 4/11/78); Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA (4/14/78); and Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV (4/16/78).

Betty Cantor-Jackson originally recorded these shows, which audio engineer Jeffrey Norman has mastered using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. To preview the unearthed concerts, Dead.net will be hosting an early listening party of Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV (4/16/78) tomorrow, September 18th ( HERE ), as well as a watch party for the Duke ‘78 concert at 5pm PT / 8pm ET on Thursday, September 19th ( HERE ).  

Individually numbered to 10,000 copies, Friend Of The Devils: April 1978’s custom box was designed by Steve Vance, featuring a removable wave drum that invites listeners to unleash their inner Rhythm Devil. Christened Rhythm Devils by Mickey Hart, the "Drums" segments from the 1978 Spring Tour were unique affairs, where members of the band and road crew would join Hart and Billy Kreutzmann on stage for extended rhythmic explorations that frequently lasted over 15 minutes. Continuing as a permanent part of the concerts for the next 17 years, these intervals of free playing became so central to the Dead experience that it's hard to imagine shows unfolding any other way.

Acclaimed artist Matthew Brannon created the original artwork for Friend Of The Devils: 1978 and Duke ‘78 , and has been exhibited in prestigious institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf. The deluxe collection also includes a 48-page book with original liner notes by late author Steve Silberman, as well as photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.

Pre-Order Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 and Duke '78 , and watch the unboxing video: HERE

Celebrating its 10th season, the Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast is further exploring these eight shows and this era in depth, and inviting fans to contribute their memories at stories.dead.net. With more than five million downloads and counting, the official Grateful Dead podcast is a treasure trove of new interviews, rare archival audio, and surprising cultural history. Listen to previous episodes of the Good Ol' Grateful Deadcast, read transcripts, and subscribe here: https://www.dead.net/deadcast

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Meet the Stanford composer behind sold-out symphony shows of Grateful Dead songs

When Bob Weir approached Giancarlo Aquilanti to arrange the Grateful Dead’s songs , the composer’s first instinct was to say no.

The classically trained musician, who was raised in Jesi, Italy, barely knew the legendary Bay Area jam band beyond its name. But then Aquilanti pondered the offer and asked himself, “Why not?”

“I saw an opportunity for myself as well — an opportunity to expand my horizons,” said the 65-year-old senior lecturer and director of music theory at Stanford University.

What started as a project involving a handful of songs more than a decade ago became a long-term, post-pandemic collaboration that has led Weir and the four-piece Wolf Bros —  composed of Weir, bassist Don Was, drummer Jay Lane and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti — and the Wolfpack, a string and brass quintet, to perform with the nation’s top orchestras in sold-out symphony hall concerts. Now, while no local dates have been announced, they are set to perform five shows in Chicago, New Orleans and Cincinnati in November.

The Wolf Bros and Wolfpack first played Aquilanti’s orchestral arrangements with the Marin Symphony in a 2011 fundraiser. The project picked up in the 2020s and saw the band playing with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra — a homecoming for Weir, who grew up in Mountain View — for an audience of 5,600 last year before heading to four nights with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The collaboration marks many firsts for all the musicians involved. During a Kennedy Center performance, Weir and the band showed up in tuxedos, while the orchestra wore Grateful Dead T-shirts. Performing Aquilanti’s arrangement of “Days Between” was also one of the first times Weir had sung unaccompanied by the band.

“I could tell he was scared to death,” Aquilanti said.

Every concert begins with the orchestra playing an overture consisting of themes taken from the songs in the evening’s setlist. Aquilanti drew inspirations from operas, which typically begin with an overture that gives the audience a taste of the forthcoming scenes.

“It sets the audience to the right mood, that this is not a typical Grateful Dead concert, that there is one more sound — which, by the way, is an amazing sound,” Aquilanti said, lauding the orchestras’ playing.

Audience would sometimes go nuts during the concerts, he said. During the group’s four Kennedy Center performances, which drew a full house every night, they would sing along, cheer and get up to dance. Aquilanti, accustomed to classical performances where patrons hold their applause until the end of each piece, was shocked.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” he said. “I never got used to it.”

Musicians in the band were surprised by the audience’s reactions too, having rarely played with symphonies. During the overture of one of the first Kennedy Center performances, they heard some yelling from the audience as they waited nervously offstage.

“We rolled the curtains a bit to peek, and the front row was all Deadheads standing and smoking pot in the aisles, bare feet,” recalled Was, who co-founded the Wolf Bros in 2018 after Weir dreamed that his late friend and RatDog bandmate, bassist Rob Wasserman , told him Was should take his place as Weir’s collaborator. 

Ultimately, Was said the Deadheads “intermingled just fine with the classical audience and everybody loved it.” 

Band members found the symphonic collaborations “electrifying,” noted the 71-year-old.

“When you get those moments when the band and the orchestra turn into one thing, it’ll give you big chills,” said Was, who is president of famed jazz label Blue Note Records. “It blows the roof off the place.”

Arranging the band’s hits was no easy task, Aquilanti admitted. Working on a single song, especially a lengthier one like the 16-minute “Terrapin Part 1,” could take as long as four months. The orchestral score of the 25 arrangements he has done consists of more than 1,000 pages. 

Before arranging a song, Aquilanti would spend days studying its chord progressions, form and even the band’s improvisations in past performances. The Grateful Dead were famed for their lengthy improvisations, each one different from the previous iteration.

“If you played the part you played the previous time, that was the only guarantee that you were doing something wrong,” said Was. “It’s a musical conversation that requires everyone’s participation and agreement.”

But Aquilanti found common themes in them and planted the themes throughout the arrangements, sometimes mixing them with his own influences. The opening of “The Other One,” for example, is a four-minute fugue, a common classical music form, based on the song’s recurring theme. In others, he mixes in folk songs from Jesi, including a song his grandfather used to sing.

“It is almost like I take their soul and embed it into the orchestra,” Aquilanti said. “It’s their soul and mine as well.”

The more Aquilanti delved into the Grateful Dead’s music, the more he was fascinated by it. He even began to incorporate the band’s chord progressions into his own projects — which include piano sonatas composed for pianist Marta Tacconi — just as Was has found himself borrowing from Aquilanti’s arrangements. 

Aquilanti and the band plan to bring a few new songs to symphony halls in November, including “Black-Throated Winds,” “Truckin’” and “Black Peter.” 

Meanwhile, Was and his Pan-Detroit Ensemble plan to perform some Grateful Dead songs at SFJazz Center on Sept. 26 and 27.

“It’s not just rock and roll,” Aquilanti said of the Dead’s hits. “It’s blues. It’s jazz. It’s country music. It’s the best that American music has ever produced.”

Reach Linda Liu: [email protected]

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Dead Ahead Fest Reveals Lineup For 2025 Return: Bob Weir, Sturgill Simpson, Rick Mitarotonda, Brandi Carlile, More

Bob Weir will return to Mexico January 9th–13th, 2025 for the second-annual  Dead Ahead Fest . Headed for the  Moon Palace resort in Riviera Cancún, former home of Dead & Company ‘s  Playing in the Sand , the destination festival will see the  Grateful Dead guitarist lead an all-star band featuring  Sturgill Simpson ,  Rick Mitarotonda ,  Brandi Carlile , and more for three nights, plus a whole lot more.

The full lineup for Weir’s Dead Ahead band includes Simpson, Carlile, Goose guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, Bob’s Wolf Bros bassist Don Was , his Dead & Co bandmates Jeff Chimenti ,  Oteil Burbridge , and  Jay Lane , and guests singer-songwriter Brittney Spencer and guitarist Grace Browers . Interestingly, it does not include his longtime Grateful Dead bandmate Mickey Hart . In addition to three nights of Bob’s Dead Ahead band, the festival will feature performances by Sturgill, two sets of  Oteil & Friends including one dedicated to  Jerry Garcia Band ,  Trampled by Turtles performing  Old & In The Way , singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun , and R&B pianist  Neal Francis .

All-inclusive packages for Dead Ahead 2025 go on sale on Monday, September 23rd at 12 p.m. ET. Visit the event website for package information.

In January, Weir joined Hart, Was, Chimenti, Burbridge, and Lane along with special guests Derek Trucks  and  Susan Tedeschi , Mitarotonda, Margo Price , and Simpson for the inaugural Dead Ahead. The weekend also included performances by Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros  featuring  The Wolfpack ,  Mickey & The Miracles ,  who welcomed Derek Trucks and Jay Lane ,  Orebelo who played with Weir and Simpson , and a night of celebrations of the Jerry Garcia Band featuring sets by Oteil & Friends and  Lettuce . LP Giobbi ,  Sierra Hull ,  Brittney Spencer , and  Jaime Wyatt all performed additional sets.

Moon Palace Cancún will provide guests with a wide range of luxury accommodations just steps from Dead Ahead’s state-of-the-art concert venue. This oceanfront sanctuary offers magnificent rooms, gourmet all-inclusive food and drink, 24-hour room service, and activities like the luxurious AWE-Spa and a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

In addition to daytime pool parties, curated activities throughout the resort, and nightly concerts on the beach, guests will be encouraged to enrich their weekend with exploration of the Yucatan Peninsula’s natural beauty and rich Mayan culture through various off-site adventures including diving in underground cenotes, visiting the lost capital of Chichen Itza, sailing on luxury catamarans to Isla Mujeres, and more. Find full details here .

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Bobby Weir (@bobweir)

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