The surviving members of the Grateful Dead were among a number of cultural figures honoured by outgoing president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris last night.
The Kennedy Center Honors are an annual occasion which honour figures that have made significant contributions to American culture. This year it was the Dead’s turn, alongside Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt and Arturo Sandoval.
President Biden said of the band: “In the San Francisco Bay at an inflexion point in history, the Grateful Dead have long since transcended 1960s counterculture. Technical virtuosos fiercely dedicated to their craft, they fused decades and dozens of musical styles to create a whole new American sound. Experimental, innovative and brave.
“Their lyrics tell the story of dreamers and rebels, by iconic jams or just a performance, they’re not just that they’re an ongoing conversation with generations of ‘Doo-Dah’ fans with hundreds and hundreds of songs. Record of 59 top 40 albums, 59. 23,000 concerts from Woodstock to Egypt’s great pyramids. One of the most popular bands ever to be watched live in concert.”
Biden went on to say: “Look, there’s still a lot of Deadheads around,” before pointing at himself, and adding: “No two performances even the same, but their spirit and joy is enduring. Tonight we honour Bobby, Bill and Mickey.”
Indeed Mssrs Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart were in attendance to receive their awards. Bassist Phil Lesh, who died in October aged 84, was represented by his son Grahame, and Jerry Garcia, who departed this earth in 1995, by his daughter Trixie Garcia.
The evening was concluded by a tribute to the band by Dave Matthews, Leon Bridges and Maggie Rogers, who sang a selection of Dead numbers including Friend Of The Devil, Ripple and Sugaree.
Weir and Hart are of course still playing in John Mayer’s spin off/ tribute band Dead And Company. The group were supposed to have wrapped things up with a ‘final’ tour which culminated in a show at San Francisco’s Oracle Park in July 2023. But they were then persuaded to play a residency at the Las Vegas venue The Sphere earlier this year.
That was such a success that Dead And Company last week confirmed that they would play another residency at the Sphere next Spring, with 18 shows confirmed between March and May 2025. Ticket details for those shows can be found here.
