Cover Rock Festival debuts on June 25-26 and has confirmed that former Grateful Dead member and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tom Constanten (TC) will be performing with Colorado's own Shakedown Street along with Dave Herbert, lead guitar & vocals in JGB, in celebration of their 30th anniversary at The Avon Performance Pavilion at Lake Nottingham (1 Lake Street Avon, CO 81620).
The pairing of this legend with the Dead tribute band seems kismet in creating one psychedelic "Summer of Love" weekend. Constanten joined the Grateful Dead tour back in November 1968 as advisor and keyboardist until early 1970, when he amicably departed from the band feeling he was under-amplified. He didn't know it then, but in doing so, he expertly avoided the curse of the Dead keyboard set and instead, went on to appear on upwards of 40 albums and was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Adding to his impressive involvement in music history, Constanten also performed with the Dead at the 1969 Woodstock Art & Music Festival to over half a million people.
Formed in 1987, The Original Shakedown Street is one of the longest running Grateful Dead tribute bands in the world and embodies the Dead's spirit of improvisation and discovery while maintaining an intimacy and open harmony with their audience. The band has shared the stage with Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, Jerry Jeff Walker and Melvin Seals of the Jerry Garcia Band.
Also joining the festival are 4x20 (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), THE BAND Band, The Who Show, Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix), Back to The Garden 1969 (Who have recorded Live From Daryl's House), Creedence Revived (CCR) and Caravanserai - The Santana Tribute. A surprise guest will also be kicking off Sunday's festival line-up.
Two-day General Admission and VIP tickets are available on the festival website. All festival goers will also have access to four food trucks, "The Wandering Mad Man" human karaoke machine, outdoor games and special photo booth opportunities with VW buses to commemorate their experience at the festival. Parents will also be happy to find a kid's lunar landing zone to entertain little ones at the festival.
The 21+ VIP passes includes twice-a-day happy hour, free beer and world class appetizers, a remarkable backstage deck with brilliant views of the Vail Valley and Beaver Creek Mountain, keepsake VIP backstage stickers, special kim cut guitar pick laminate and shaded retreat with fire pits and seating.
Cover Rock will also be hosting a free Poster Art Exhibit featuring artists from around North America. The exhibition will run throughout the duration of the festival and is free to attendees.
