Am I really gonna have to book a flight out to San Francisco later this summer? To be transparent before we really get into this story, I’m a bit of a Dead Head. There’s just something about the Grateful Dead’s music that just seems right as you are a) mowing the yard or b) having a beer. It’s like forces of the universe align, and it’s somewhat hard to explain. You get it if you’ve ever cued up “Cold Rain and Snow” on a brisk winter morning. Recently, the only place to see Dead and Company – the surviving members of the Grateful Dead (Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart) with John Mayer – was at the Las Vegas Sphere. The band just finished up their second run there, and didn’t take long to announce that the show would go on… only this time in San Francisco, California at Golden Gate Park. It’ll be a celebration of 60 years of the Grateful Dead’s music. Though the official Grateful Dead band broke up shortly after frontman Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, other versions of the band have kept the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive (confusing, I know). For reference, it’s the equivalent of if the surviving members of The Beatles were still touring together. And the only two artists that the surviving members have trusted to step into long-term roles that honor Garcia – not replace – is John Mayer and Sturgill Simpson. Mayer has historically played with the version of the band called Dead and Company, but Simpson has also subbed in a time or two. Sturgill even played with the Dead Ahead rendition of the group at their “Dead Ahead Festival,” which took place in Riviera Cancun, Mexico in early January. And at this upcoming three-day event later this year, before Dead and Company actually take the stage, they’ll have openers of Billy Strings (Friday), Sturgill Simpson/Johnny Blue Skies (Saturday) and the Trey Anastasio Band (Sunday). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dead & Company (@deadandcompany) How is it possible to have that much musical, jamming talent all in one place? With all due respect to the Trey, the Phish frontman is a jamband legend, I’ve got my eyes set on those Friday and Saturday shows. You’ve got to think that Dead & Co – with John Mayer – will bring out Billy Strings and Sturgill Simpson to help out with a couple of the songs in the setlist. And I’m not sure the world is ready to experience that kind of musical mind-bending. Well, if anyone is, it’s the Dead Heads. Billy Strings has crossed paths with the Grateful Dead brand many times, as has Sturgill Simpson. The underrated guitarist in John Mayer is obviously a mainstay of Dead & Co now… and somehow Strings, Sturgill, and Mayer haven’t had all that much overlap. At least when it comes to playing Grateful Dead music together. They’ve all respectively got what it takes (you can reference the videos I’ve linked below), but it’ll be awesome to see them all potentially working together to celebrate 60 years of the Grateful Dead’s music in August when the Dead Heads descend upon Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. “Brown Eyed Woman” by Dead Ahead (with Sturgill Simpson) “China Rider” by Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros (with Billy Strings) “Althea” by Dead and Company (with John Mayer) The post Dead & Company Announce 60th Anniversary San Francisco Show With Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson & More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.