Photos: Dead & Company's second night in S.F. unites generations of Deadheads
What became unmistakably clear on Saturday, Aug. 2, was how deeply intergenerational the Grateful Dead 's following has become. Some 60,000 fans once again packed the Polo Field for the second of three concerts marking the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary.
Teenagers danced beside their parents. Grandparents clapped along with toddlers. Some attendees had seen guitarist Jerry Garcia perform live with the band in the 1960s. Others were born years after he died in 1995.
'My parents are a total big influence for all the good music I listen to,' said Siren Talbot, 19, of Grass Valley, who attended the show with her parents. 'It's definitely a reflection of just spending time together and listening and hanging out in the backyard.'
Long before the band took the stage, the field buzzed with activity. Veteran Deadheads roamed the edges of the crowd handing out homemade stickers and swapping stories. Others stretched out on picnic blankets under the evening sky.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie took the stage to introduce the first set shortly after 6:15 p.m. — and to acknowledge the moment's emotional weight.
'Listen, what you all have brought to our city over the last week and here tonight — you've brought joy, you've brought energy, you've brought love,' Lurie, clad in a tie-dye T-shirt, told the crowd. 'It's just what San Francisco needed.'
Then, with his hand over his heart and the crowd roaring, he added: 'I am the mayor of the greatest city in the world, and it is my privilege to welcome Dead & Company.'
Up front, the energy was high — swirling, packed and kinetic — as fans rushed to grab refreshments just as the music began.
The band — featuring Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir and drummer Mickey Hart, alongside guitarist and vocalist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, and drummer Jay Lane — was more vibrant and cohesive than it had been on opening night.
They kicked off with a tight, groove-heavy take on 'In the Midnight Hour,' setting a festive tone before launching into a rollicking 'Bertha' and a twangy 'Jack Straw' featuring a sunny tease of the Allman Brothers' 'Blue Sky.'
A soulful 'Dear Mr. Fantasy' melted into the coda of 'Hey Jude,' followed by a punchy 'Passenger' and the crowd-pleasing 'Brown-Eyed Women.'
The first set closed on a high, emotional note with a powerful rendition of 'Morning Dew,' featuring a guest appearance by country singer and opening act Sturgill Simpson.
The second set leaned fully into the Dead's psychedelic roots. 'Uncle John's Band' opened with an unexpected jam on 'The Other One,' leading into the classic 'Help > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower' suite, complete with playful teases of 'Ghostbusters' and 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.'
Grahame Lesh retuned to join the band for 'St. Stephen,' which nodded to 'The Eleven' before giving way to a hypnotic 'Drums' and 'Space' sequence, laced with a tease of Pink Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond.'
Momentum continued to build with 'Spanish Jam' and a stirring 'Days Between,' before the band launched into a late-set 'Truckin',' featuring a jazzy nod to Miles Davis' 'All Blues.' The evening wrapped with a raucous 'Cold Rain and Snow' and a tender, harmony-laced 'Brokedown Palace.'
Between sets, the stage screens lit up with archival interviews from Grateful Dead members, grounding the present-day crowd in the band's original spirit.
Late bassist Phil Lesh described Dead shows as places to 'test your limits' and 'experience a little danger' in a warm, welcoming space.
'The Grateful Dead show is a perfect place to do that,' he said.
Reflecting on the venue, Weir added simply: 'It just feels right to go back to the park there and play for folks and just have a musical ball.'
That spirit — of gathering, improvising, and sharing — was alive and well among the thousands who came not just for the music, but for the sense of belonging it brings.
'My dad and my mom have been taking me to Dead & Company shows since I was 3,' said Coral Mines, 16, from Trinity County. 'It's so life-changing to have that experience when you grow up. The music is peaceful. It's just such a vibe.'
Eric Dugoni, 28, of Napa, said he's been to nearly 20 shows with his father.
'Last night was actually the first one without him,' Dugoni said. 'He would've been here, but he's hiking in Canada with his siblings. Still, I wore his old shirt. We've always connected through the music.'
Some, like Ever Epshaw, now bring their own children.
'Last night I was with my daughter. She's 22, and he's 14,' said Epshaw, in his 50s. 'There were grandparents dancing everywhere — people with their kids, little kids, everyone just having fun.'
Dead & Company may have concluded its so-called 'final tour' in 2023, but if this weekend is any indication, the music — and the culture built around it — shows no signs of fading.
'I wish more of my friends would come with me,' Mines said.
Chronicle staff writer Anna Connors contributed to this report.
Dead & Company – Golden Gate Park Setlist
Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary Show – Friday, Aug. 2, 2025
Set 1
'In the Midnight Hour' (Wilson Pickett cover)
'Bertha' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Jack Straw' (Grateful Dead cover) (with 'Blue Sky' tease)
'Dear Mr. Fantasy' (Traffic cover)
'Hey Jude' (The Beatles cover) (coda only)
'Passenger' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Brown-Eyed Women' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Morning Dew' (Bonnie Dobson cover) (with Sturgill Simpson)
Set 2
'Uncle John's Band' (Grateful Dead cover) (with 'The Other One' jam)
'Help on the Way' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Slipknot!' (Grateful Dead cover) (with 'Ghostbusters' teases)
'Franklin's Tower' (Grateful Dead cover) (with 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' tease)
'St. Stephen' (Grateful Dead cover) (with Grahame Lesh and 'The Eleven' tease)
'Drums' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Space' (Grateful Dead cover) (with 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' tease)
'Spanish Jam' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Days Between' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Truckin'' (Grateful Dead cover) (with 'All Blues' tease)
'Cold Rain and Snow' (traditional cover)
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Grateful Dead photographed in NYC, June, 1967. Publicity photo from the exhibition and coffee table book: An American beauty - Grateful Dead 1965-1995. © Ron Rakow / Retro Photo Archive Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery What is it about the Grateful Dead that had tens of thousands of fans heading to Golden Gate Park last weekend for the three-day celebration of their sixty years of music? And tens of thousands more streaming the shows on or seeing the final show in Imax theaters or listening to the performances on Sirius XM. 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Publicity photo from the exhibition and coffee table book: An American beauty - Grateful Dead 1965-1995 Alvan Meyerowtiz/ © Retro Photo Archive, Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery The Dead's fans span several generations and have outlived many of the original members including Ron McKernan (Pigpen), Jerry Garcia, and Phil Lesh, From the original line up only Bob Weir (who was the youngest member) and Mickey Hart will perform at this weekend's celebration. Bill Kreutzmann, one of the original drummers now lives in Hawaii where he performs with Mahalo Dead, and Grateful Mahalo. In Golden Gate Park, Weir and Hart will be joined by their Dead & Co, confreres John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane. Opening acts for each night are Billy Strings, Sturgill Stimpson, and Trey Attanasio. I saw the Dead many times in high school, several times later while Garcia was still alive and have, more recently, been to several Dead & Co, and Wolf Brothers Shows. If I try to think back to what made the band compelling in its original incarnation, surely part of it was the stamina of the band. The New Riders of the Purple Sage often opened the evening with Jerry Garcia sitting in on pedal steel. They would play for two hours or so, and then the Dead would come on and play for anywhere between three to five hours. What grabbed the audience, then and now, was the feeling of being taken on a voyage, or in many cases a trip, where the evening was one long performance, and it became a game or a matter of insider cred to guess what song they were playing and admire how it morphed into what they would play next. They played a lot of cover songs but when they did, it was always as if it was their song to begin with, and their interpretations could add a layer of emotion be it wistful, joyous, or boastful. Grateful Dead, Mary Poppins Umbrella Festival and Be-In, El Camino Park, Palo Alto, CA, July 2, 1967. Publicity photo for An American Beauty: Grateful Dead 1965-1995, David Kordansky Gallery © Ron Rakow/ Retro Photo Archive, Courtesy of the artist and David Kordanasky Gallery In those early days, when Pigpen was on the keyboards and was one of their main vocalists, Good Morning Little School Girl , could be a drawn-out blues jam heavy with lascivious intent. And when they played St. Stephen was an almost reverent incantation into the darker reaches of the universe. Garcia was like some great artisanal weaver, threading the notes and sweet tones of his guitar into the band's rhythms, playing his electric guitar in ways inspired by his bluegrass and blues background. When the Dead ended the night playing Not Fade Away and Johnny B. Goode you were satisfied but wanted to come back for more. No two performances were alike, and the shows were not all equally good in quality, but attending allowed you to discuss various set lists, songs, etc.… They drew one further into the Dead's world. At times, there was a feeling one had at those shows, an experience, that I can only compare to what golfers, surfers, and skiers are chasing – that moment when you leave the specific and become part of the whole. Dead fans have been chasing those moments since the 1960s. Deadhead dancing at Grateful Dead concert in Lewiston, ME on September 6, 1980. Publicity photo from the exhibition and coffee table book An American beauty - Grateful Dead 1965-1995 © Jay Blakesberg, courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery The Grateful Dead were pioneers in allowing audience members to tape their performances and take as many photos as they liked. Many articles and even a Harvard Business School case study have been written about how while other bands focused on record sales, the Grateful Dead gave priority to touring. The Dead focused on audience engagement. The bootleg recordings, photos and merchandise offered at what came to be known as Shakedown Street outside the concerts, built a database of fans, first as a mailing list, and later through email, allowing for direct ticket sales and bypassing ticket agencies and brokers, allowing them to control their revenue streams. Today we would look on the trading of recordings, which they encouraged by having 'taper' areas at concerts to insure better recordings, would be described today as content marketing. To return to the An American Beauty exhibition at Kordansky Gallery and the lavish book they produced. The text by Stuart Krimko is a thoughtful account of Grateful Dead history along with his own musings on their songs, the experience of seeing them in concert, the various band members over time, and their impact on their fans and society at large. The photos are curated by Jay Blakesberg and his daughter Ricki Blakesberg and grow out of an exhibition they mounted in Haight Ashbury that was expanded to a show at the Sphere in Las Vegas when Dead & Co., did their residencies there, and became this exhibition and catalogue. Among the photographers included beyond Blakesberg's own work are images by Rosie McGee, Ron Rakow, Paul Kagan, Elizabeth Sunflower, Herb Greene, Alvan Meyerowitz, Ben Haller, Jeffrey Price, Marianne Mayer, Bruce Polonsky, Adrian Boot, among others. Many of those photographers were present for a panel conversation at Kordansky Gallery for the opening of the exhibition moderated by Stuart Krimko, and Journalist Shirley Halperin. Ron Rakow and Rosie McGee told great stories about the early days of the band. There were stories about 'Bear' Owsley, and his important contributions, chemical and soundwise. And Ron Rakow told a great anecdote about his job interview with Jerry Garcia. Are these the greatest photos or the best photos ever shot of The Grateful Dead? Or the ultimate collection for a fan? Maybe not. But what I found particularly compelling is that they give you a sense of the band, as young and not so young, and the overwhelming feeling that the people taking the photographs were there, not as tourists, not purely on assignment, but as an extension of the band, as part of the experience. There is a section of photographs just on the crowds attending, which is great because like the bootlegs and photos, they extend what the Grateful Dead have come to mean. When I looked at the photos at Kordansky Gallery and in the book/ catalogue, I had the feeling of being there myself. That feeling is what makes these photographs so worth seeing, and is the same feeling all those attending, streaming or listening to Dead & Co, were chasing last weekend and will keep chasing.
