‘Everyone's family': Deadheads flock to S.F. for Grahame Lesh's tribute concert

San Francisco Chronicle​

3 days ago

Thousands of Deadheads from across the country descended on San Francisco's Pier 48 in a sea of colorful tie dye to kick off the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary weekend with rock legacy act Grahame Lesh.
The waterfront warehouse was transformed into what looked like the inside of a lava lamp for Lesh's first of three back-to-back the Heart of Town shows, adorned with huge psychedelic tapestries lining the walls and colorful lights flooding the space.
'It's all about dancing, the music and a culture of kindness and generosity,' 27-year-old New Jersey resident Desta Cantave told the Chronicle during the show.
Her friend, 51-year-old Cincinnati resident Matthew Dayler, agreed, noting that 'the music brings us all together.'
'It doesn't matter what you do or who you are,' Dayler said. 'When we're here it's all about dancing and vibing and just enjoying the company.'
From the moment Lesh and his band took the stage, the sold-out crowd was grooving. Fans of all ages threw their arms in the air and danced like no one was watching, while Lesh and his band breezed through the Bay Area jam band's hits like 'Alligator,' 'Althea' and 'Fire on the Mountain.'
In the style of his late father's group Phil Lesh & Friends, the guitarist welcomed a lineup of special guests onstage throughout the performance, from Dallas musician Stephen Stills to folk rock group Dawes.
There were only a few phones in the air throughout the show, which lasted nearly four hours, including a brief 30-minute intermission.
Throughout the experience, fans wove through a small marketplace set up at the back of the venue, featuring local artisans selling everything from denim jumpsuits emblazoned with a bejeweled Dead logo to stickers and acid paper.
Among the vendors was 35-year-old David Carr, a self-taught designer who makes coats, kimonos and other outerwear pieces using deadstock vintage fabrics for his company, Kimono Dave.
'This is one of my best sales days I've ever had in the city,' he said. 'Everyone else here is very deliberately Grateful Dead. I've never even seen the Grateful Dead once in my life.'
The vendor said he usually sells at electronic dance music events and his retail space on Haight Street, but he was pleasantly surprised by the embrace of the Deadhead community.
'They clearly are very chill, intelligent, just very caring, cool people,' he said.
Fans also celebrated the life of Phil Lesh, who died in October, during the event. Though Grahame didn't chat much between songs, he took a moment to speak about his father near the end of his concert.
'My dad used to tell all of you that his life was saved in 1998 because he had a liver transplant. A young man named Cody said to someone that he loved, 'If anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor,'' Lesh said, urging audience members to consider becoming organ donors. 'I got an extra 25 years with my dad because of Cody.'
Despite Lesh's loss lingering in the air, the festivities raged on in his memory and a strong commitment to the weekend's full lineup reverberated through the crowd, with some fans planning to attend one if not all of the upcoming Dead & Company shows, which run Friday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 3.
'This is just a warmup,' Dayler said of the Heart of Town series, which is continuing through Friday and Saturday but starting at 11 p.m. to give fans at the Dead & Company shows time to travel from Golden Gate Park back to Pier 48.
Even those who weren't able to score tickets to the Heart of Town were still eager to get in on the festivities. Dozens congregated outside the venue, with their fingers in the air to signify that they were looking for one, soaking up the atmosphere and making new friends.
Noah Davidopoulos traveled from Boston to San Francisco for the Dead's anniversary weekend with no tickets and a loose plan. He didn't seem too concerned.
'The older people in the community that have been seeing the music for a while are so giving and just really want to see the younger generation chase the music,' the 18-year-old said. 'They usually help us out and get us into shows. It's really cool.'
Similarly, 25-year-old Jacob Fiallos flew in from Florida without tickets to any events.
'It's just going to be a good time no matter what,' he said while standing among the throngs of fans lingering outside Pier 48 before the show.
He traveled to the city with his friend Tripp Berch, 26, who said that their direct flight to SFO on Thursday morning was packed with Deadheads proudly flaunting their tie dye gear.
'I like how everyone is so open and it's so easy to talk to literally anyone,' Berch said. 'Everyone's family at first glance.'