SAN FRANCISCO – US
Tens of thousands of fans descended on Golden Gate Park this weekend to mark the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. The three-day event, headlined by the tribute band Dead & Company, served as a powerful homecoming for the legendary group, which played many of its famous free concerts in the very same park decades ago.
Dead & Company, featuring original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, and Jay Lane, performed for an estimated 60,000 attendees each night on the Polo Field. The shows were the focal point of a citywide celebration that also included other tribute concerts, the naming of a street after the late Jerry Garcia, and a bustling “Shakedown Street” of vendors and fans.
The anniversary bash provided a significant boost to the local economy, with hotels reportedly booked solid as Deadheads from around the world traveled to the Bay Area. For many in attendance, the weekend was a heartfelt reminder of the unique community and counterculture the Grateful Dead helped cultivate. As one fan put it, returning to San Francisco felt like a “homecoming,” a chance to reconnect with the music and with people who “didn’t fit in anywhere else.”
While some longtime fans voiced criticism over the high ticket prices for the Dead & Company shows, arguing it went against the band’s original ethos of community, the overall sentiment of the weekend was one of celebration and gratitude for the Grateful Dead’s enduring legacy.
