Don't tell any of my fellow Phish bands, but when it comes to jam bands, it's hard indeed to beat the iconic Grateful Dead. Over the course of the past 50 years, this band has touched the hearts of countless fans across numerous generations. This past weekend marks what the band says shall be their final tour, ending a long fan culture based around following the band as they tour across the country.

1. The Grateful Dead’s
Final Tour?
By Jeremy Bednarsh

2. Don’t tell any of my fellow Phish
fans, but when it comes to jam
bands, it’s hard to beat the
Grateful Dead. While their music
has changed since Jerry Garcia
died, they’re still going strong,
although this marks what’s
supposed to be their very last tour.
The four surviving members of the
band, joined by a trio of
companions, launched their “Fare
Thee Well” mini-tour in Santa Clara
this past Saturday, where they got
their start some 50 years ago.

3. During a performance that featured over 3 ½ hours of music, the Dead’s “core four” -
bassist Phil Lesh, rhythm guitarist Bob Weir and percussionists Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey
Hart - let loose a set list filled with both crowd-pleasers and more obscure pieces from their
earlier years. With familiar renditions of such songs as “Truckin’” and “Uncle John’s Band”,
the band got the 80,000-person crowd into a good groove, followed by such songs as
“Cumberland Blues”, “Born Cross-Eyed” and a 20-minute-long rendition of “Viola Lee
Blues”. The latter song gave Phish’s own Trey Anastasio, who has been replacing the late
Jerry Garcia, his first great challenge on solo. As “Viola Lee” ended, a rainbow showed up
across the sky, serving as a symbolic sort of “smile from beyond”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaemGFgNLBo

4. The audience, ranging from millennials who were
mere babies when Garcia died to aging hippies,
were grateful to be there. The parking lot around
Levi’s Stadium didn’t look as much like the
traditional Grateful Dead parking lots, and was
littered with fewer vendors selling glass pipes, tie-
dyed T-shirts and jewelry than before, but the spirit
was still there. The second half of Saturday’s show
started off slow as the reunion band struggled to
find its footing. The energy started to rebuild after
they tackled the iconic “St. Stephen”, where
Anastasio hined. And per tradition, Hart and
Kreutzmann were able to re-engage the audience
with “Space”, an improvised percussive interplay
accompanied by rhythmic psychedelic graphics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFdJ-ghGaBA

5. The Grateful Dead played a
second show yesterday, and
are now on their way to
Chicago, where they’re
scheduled to play three
shows at Soldier Field on
July 3rd, 4th and 5th, the
same location where they
last played before Garcia’s
untimely death at the age of
53. Even though the original
band members say that July
5th will be the last time they
perform together, each
member has their own
musical project, and have
teamed up as pairs for
certain gigs. While this
might be the “end”, the
community around the
Grateful Dead is too strong
for the culture surrounding
this iconic band to simply
die.