SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) The Grateful Dead, or at least its surviving members, will return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this summer to commemorate the iconic band’s 60th anniversary.
On Monday, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced plans for Dead & Company to play three ticketed shows at the Golden Gate Park Polo Fields on Aug. 1, 2 and 3.
The proposal for this summer’s concerts will go before the Recreation and Parks Commission on Thursday. If approved, the concert series will be presented by Another Planet Entertainment and co-produced with Live Nation in partnership with San Francisco Rec and Parks.
Grateful Dead created fans called ‘Dead Heads’
Formed in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in the mid-60s, the Grateful Dead became synonymous with the city’s psychedelic “Summer of Love” era. While many of the band’s contemporaries, such as Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service, faded away by the early-70s, the Dead persisted.
Touring into the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, the Grateful Dead spawned legions of “Dead Heads” who would follow the band from gig to gig, creating a kind of hippie carnival festival around the group.
Grateful Dead founding drummer left group, original bassist died
Following the death of founding guitarist Jerry Garcia, the band toured as The Other Ones and later The Dead. The current incarnation, Dead & Company, got underway in 2015 and is led by original singer/guitarist Bob Weir and long-time drummer Mickey Hart.
Guitarist John Mayer is also a regular member of the band’s lineup.
Founding drummer Bill Kreutzmann left the group in 2023. Original bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.
“From Haight-Ashbury and the Grateful Dead house to Ingleside, where Jerry Garcia grew up, the Grateful Dead is embedded in San Francisco’s history,” said Lurie. “Sixty years later, we’re still enjoying their music—and this summer, we get to enjoy the music of Dead & Company once again. The weekend will celebrate our city’s creative spirit, boost our local economy, and bring generations of fans together. This is more than just a concert—it’s a San Francisco homecoming.”
“Golden Gate Park and the Grateful Dead share a rich, intertwined history that helped shape a cultural era,” said San Francisco Recs and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “Celebrating their 60th anniversary with a Dead & Company performance in the very place where the Summer of Love took root is a powerful tribute to their legacy. These concerts not only honor their cultural impact but also shine a light on the park’s surrounding neighborhood—its restaurants, local businesses, and vibrant community.”
The concerts, according to Lurie’s office, are expected to draw up to 60,000 people a day. A three-day concert event featuring Dead & Company in 2023 generated $31 million in local economic activity, according to the mayor’s office.
