• The Grateful Dead were one of the most popular bands of the psychedelic era and were known for their folksy musical style, live improvisations and extensive touring schedule. Over their 25+ year career, the band amassed a loyal and devoted fan base, often known as "Deadheads." They broke up in 1995 after the death of lead guitarist and songwriter Jerry Garcia.

  On April 23, 2009, the Dead, the surviving members of the band who reunited in 2008, performed on The Late Show with David Letterman.Inquistr: The Grateful Dead on David Letterman (April 23, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Original Name: The Warlocks
  2. Origin: San Francisco, California
  3. Formed: 1965
  4. Albums: 22
  5. Fans known as Deadheads

• Band Members

  • Jerry Garcia - Guitar/Vocals
  • Bob Weir - Guitar/Vocals
  • Phil Lesh - Bass
  • Bill Kreutzmann - Drums
  • Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - Keyboard/Vocals
  • Mickey Hart - Drums
  • Tom Constanten - Keyboard
  • Keith Godchaux - Piano
  • Donna Godchaux - Vocals
  • Brent Mydland - Keyboard
  • Vince Welnick - Keyboard

• The Dead and The White House

  The Dead met with President Barack Obama in the oval office on the evening of April 13, 2009, the day before their concert at D.C.'s Verizon Center.Washington Post: Obama Meets Privately With the Dead (April 14, 2009) The President and the Dead reportedly discussed the history of the oval office itself during their meeting, before the band headed off to visit the administration's confirmed Deadheads: deputy chief of staff Jim Messina and senior advisers David Axelrod and Pete Rouse.Washington Post: Obama Meets Privately With the Dead (April 14, 2009)

• 2009 Tour

  On January 1, 2009, the renamed band The Dead made up of former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, announced a new tour starting April 1, 2009.New York Times: The Dead Come Back, and So Do the Allmans (January 1, 2009) Dates that have been announced include the following.

  • Greensboro NC, April 12
  • Washington DC, April 14
  • Charlottesville VA, April 15
  • Albany NY, April 17
  • Worcester MA, April 18 and 19
  • Buffalo NY, April 21
  • Wilkes-Barre PA, April 22
  • Uniondale NY, april 24
  • New York NY, April 25
  • Hartford CT, April 26
  • East Rutherford NJ, April 28 and 29
  • Philadelphia PA, May 1 and 2
  • Chicago IL, May 5
  • Denver CO, May 7
  • Los Angeles CA, May 9
  • Mountain View CA, May 10Dead.net: 2009 Tour dates and venues

• Dead Heads

  While the band released a number of successful albums, they were primarily known as a "Live" band, often logging over 200 shows a year. In order to keep things fresh, and to encourage fans to attend multiple shows, the band changed set lists each night and would often throw in extended periods of improvisation that could differ greatly night to night. Fans of the band began to attend multiple shows on each tour, even going so far as to follow the band from stop to stop so that they could be at each show. The culture that developed around the band and the fans that followed the group eventually became known as Deadheads.

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  The Late Show with David Letterman | Jerry Garcia | Jerry Garcia Biopic | The Allman Brothers Band | Leftover Salmon | Phish | Woodstock Music Festival | The Lovin' Spoonful | Jefferson Airplane | Janis Joplin | Bob Dylan | San Francisco | Ratdog | Ken Kesey | Rusted Root | Hacky Sacks | Moby Grape

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