I Once Punched a Guy at a Grateful Dead Concert...
- Jul 12
- 5 min read
Yes, I'll admit it...I once decked a guy during a Grateful Dead concert at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. In my defense, I was young and probably not very smart because he was bigger and drunk or something and hanging all over the back of my floor seat. I told him a few times to give me space, but he was doing his version of the Dead Dance and oblivious to everyone around him. When he landed on top of me, I turned around and gave him a shove and hit him. Not my proudest moment, especially when you're surrounded by so much love. He shuffled off to some other area of the arena and that's the last time I saw him. So, if it was you and you're reading this, my apologies.
This post is a labor of love for me. I've been a Deadhead my entire life. It was one of the first concerts I ever attended as a teenager and still love to listen to their music today.
If you're into the Dead, you already KNOW. If you're not, it's sort of a hard thing to explain. The Grateful Dead came together in Palo Alto, California in 1965 and was part of the '60s counterculture. They were one of the first bands to fuse rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, gospel, reggae and world music with elements of psychodelia. They epitomized the "jam" band sound common today with long jam sessions during live performances. There was no such thing as a short three-minute radio hit with the Dead.
Think you can categorize their music into a single genre? Think again. During their 2,298 live shows, the Grateful Dead performed a total of 485 songs including a variety of original songs and covers spanning from May 5th, 1965 (Originally called the Warlocks) until their final concert on July 9th, 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.
Want Rock and Roll? Listen to Truckin'
Want Disco? Listen to Shakedown Street
Want Country/Western? Listen to Cumberland Blues
Want Psychedelic? Listen to Drums and Space
Want Blues? Listen to The Stranger
Want Folk? Listen to Ripple
Want Reggae? Listen to Estimated Prophet or Iko Iko
The list goes on and on. In addition to the cover songs they played or recorded, the Dead wrote and released 151 original songs over their thirty-year career. They recorded 13 studio albums and 9 contemporary live albums during their time together and was one of the only bands at the time that would allow fans to patch directly into their sound boards to record shows. As a result, there are recordings of just about every show that the Dead performed out somewhere on the Internet for your listening pleasure.
Later additions to the band included Keith and Donna Godchaux and Mickey Hart as an additional drummer/percussionist
Band members include:
Jerry Garcia
Active: 1965–1995
Instruments: Lead and Rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals
Other projects: Jerry Garcia Band, Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, Legion of Mary, Reconstruction, Old & In the Way, New Riders of the Purple Sage
Bob Weir
Active: 1965–1995
Instruments: Rhythm and Lead guitar, lead and backing vocals
Other projects: RatDog, Kingfish, Bobby and the Midnites, The Other Ones, The Dead, Furthur, Dead & Company
Phil Lesh
Active: 1965–1995
Instruments: Bass guitar, backing and lead vocals
Other projects: Phil Lesh and Friends, The Other Ones, The Dead, Furthur
Bill Kreutzmann
Active: 1965–1995
Instruments: Drums, percussion
Other projects: SerialPod, Rhythm Devils, The Other Ones, The Dead, BK3, 7 Walkers, Billy & the Kids, Dead & Company
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
Active: 1965 – June 1972 (sick leave September–November 1971)
Instruments: Keyboards, harmonica, percussion, lead and backing vocals
Mickey Hart
Active: September 1967 – February 1971; October 1974 – 1995
Instruments: Drums, percussion
Other projects: Rhythm Devils, The Other Ones, The Dead, Mickey Hart Band, Dead & Company
Tom Constanten
Active: November1968 – January 1970
Instruments: Keyboards
Keith Godchaux
Active: September 1971 – February 17, 1979
Instruments: Keyboards, backing vocals
Other projects: Jerry Garcia Band, Heart of Gold Band
Donna Jean Godchaux
Active: December 1971 – February 1979 (maternity leave November–December 1973)
Instruments: Backing and lead vocals
Other projects: Jerry Garcia Band, Heart of Gold Band, Donna Jean Godchaux Band, Dark Star Orchestra
Brent Mydland
Active: April 1979 – July 1990
Instruments: Keyboards, backing and lead vocals
Other projects: Bobby and the Midnites, Go Ahead
Vince Welnick
Active: September 1990 – 1995
Instruments: Keyboards, backing and lead vocals
Other projects: The Tubes, Missing Man Formation
Touring members
Ned Lagin
Active: June – October 1974
Instruments: keyboards, electronics
Other projects: Seastones
Bruce Hornsby
Active: September 1990 – March 1992
Instruments: keyboards, vocals
Other projects: Bruce Hornsby and the Range, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, The Other Ones, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, The Bruce Hornsby Trio
There has always been a bit of intrigue and mystery surrounding the Grateful Dead. Perhaps one of the strangest stories revolved around the keyboard players. Over the thirty-year period, four out of five of their keyboard players died prematurely. It became the "cursed" position in the band.
When Jerry Garcia passed on August 9, 1995, from a heart attack, the remaining members disbanded. But the music lives on with over 500 tribute bands in the U.S. alone and these groups are continuing to entertain up to four generations of fans. Check out bands like:
Dark Star Orchestra – Known for meticulously replicating Grateful Dead setlists from the band’s history, with a focus on authenticity and improvisation.
Phil Lesh & Friends – Led by original bassist Phil Lesh, this group blends classic Dead material with new influences, offering a fresh yet familiar sound.
Dead and Company – Features Bob Weir and other former Dead members, combining classic and contemporary styles while keeping the Dead’s spirit.
Ratdog – A long-running tribute act led by Bob Weir, known for its eclectic mix of Dead songs and other genres.
Playing Dead – A well-known tribute band with a strong following, especially in the U.S.
I've seen the Grateful Dead live several times during their tenure and still enjoy Dark Star Orchestra and a few of the better Dead tribute bands since their passing.
I happened to be in Egypt a few weeks before the Dead played at the Great Pyramid in 1978 and unfortunately missed that show, but it was reported to be epic:
I'll leave you with a recording from that show from September 16, 1978. Enjoy!
Long time reader, first time to comment. Long time fan of the Dead.
Most Memorable show: Englishtown 1977 because I decided on the way home that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with the girl who came with me to the show (3 months later I proposed and we’ve been together ever since).
Least Memorable show: The one where the guy in front of us sucker punched me and knocked me out because my girlfriend kept bumping his chair while she was dancing (sorry Bob, I couldn’t resist).
Loved Iko Iko at the end. I was unaware that 4 of 5 keyboard players died early and that Vince Welnick from The Tubes was one of them.