On August 13, 1975, The Grateful Dead played a show at the ridiculously small and distinctively decorous Great American Music Hall (GAMH) in San Francisco. This was one of only four concerts the band played that year, all of them in San Francisco. The setlist was mostly comprised of songs from the album Blues for Allah, which had not yet been released. Many Deadheads revere the GAMH performance as an all-time favorite.
It's been 49 years since that famous show. In celebration, the Grateful Guitars Foundation hosted a benefit concert at the GAMH on August 13 this year, with a stellar lineup featuring luminaries from Dead-adjacent bands in the Bay Area and beyond. Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band) and John Kadlecik (Dark Star Orchestra, Furthur) ostensibly anchored the lineup on the poster, and they were accompanied by members of Los Lobos, Moonalice, ALO, and others. (The full lineup is listed below.)
For bonus points, Grateful Dead roadie and confidante Steve Parish played the role of emcee, regaling the audience with some fond and funny remembrances of Jerry Garcia’s experiences playing at – and being kicked out of – the venerable music hall.
Grateful Guitars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that obtains world-class musical instruments for talented players who seek to carry on the tradition of jam band music into the 21st century and beyond. In other words, they provide an opportunity for wicked musicians in kick-ass jam bands to play some fabulous vintage and bespoke guitars. Pickers including Stu Allen (Mars Hotel), Rick Mitarotonda (Goose), and Garrett Deloian (Jerry's Middle Finger) are among those who have been selected to play iconic axes.
Among the benefactors is founder and board president Andy Logan, who has a collection of several Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir guitars, and other six-stringed beauties from the psychedelic and rock pantheon. Perhaps the most famous of his collection (I admit, that’s an uber-debatable claim) is Garcia's "Alligator," which Logan has frequently made available to many performers over the past several years. Indeed, Alligator gets around! Last year, I saw both David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Susan Tedeschi of Tedeschi Trucks Band play Alligator at the same show in Berkeley. (Side note: Alligator, a 1955 Fender Strat, was a gift from Graham Nash to Garcia; Nash bought it in a pawn shop in Arizona – no doubt for considerably less than what Logan paid for it at auction a few years ago!)
Grateful Guitars also funds instrument purchases for budding talents. Tuesday night’s benefit included a moment to present San Francisco’s venerable Blue Bear School of Music with a check for $5,000 to assist with purchases for students. The lineup also gave a nod to the next generation by inviting 17-year-old NorCal guitar whiz Bella Rayne to join the cavalcade of superstars for the evening’s performance.
We'll get back to the show in a moment, but first I encourage y'all to check out https://gratefulguitars.org/. Donations help fund the program and support music instruction in schools to seed the next generations of talented players in the Bay Area and beyond. There’s also a small gift shop on the site.
At the GAMH on Tuesday night, Grateful Guitars continued their legacy of handing out magnificent instruments to magnificent musicians. John Kadlecik was the honored beneficiary for the night. After introducing several members of the Grateful Guitars board of directors, Andy Logan called Kadlecik up to the stage and handed him a beautifully crafted Alembic guitar. Aficionados will note that both Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh are among the many electric string players who have performed with Alembic instruments, including Garcia’s first Doug Irwin guitar, Wolf.
Of course, the highlight and main event was the music. For two long electric sets, a rotating cast of musicians paid homage to the songs – and instruments – of the Grateful Dead. Ezra Lipp (ALO) was the MVP, staying on the skins all night long. The rest of the players took turns on stage, frequently coming and going in various combinations. The multi-talented Alex Jordan (who has played alongside Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Peter Rowan, among many others) served dutifully and admirably as musical director. He also took turns on bass and keys.
Naturally, Alligator made an appearance. David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), no stranger to playing the legendary axe, rocked the house on Alligator with his solos on “Bertha” and “Evangeline,” staples of the Los Lobos live show repertoire.
Among other highlights were a smoking “Ship of Fools” sung by Elliott Peck (Midnight North, Phil & Friends), and a mega-jam version of “Eyes of the World” complete with the 1975 GAMH coda and a “Stairway to Heaven” tease. The latter featured Lebo (ALO) and Nate LaPointe (Cubensis) on dueling guitars, and Jackie Greene taking a turn on the organ.
Shortly before the night ended with a “U.S. Blues” encore, Hidalgo closed the second set with a segue from “Good Lovin’” into the Los Lobos cover hit “La Bamba.” Unlike the crowd at any Los Lobos show, the majority of Deadheads present were hard-pressed to comply with Hidalgo’s request to sing along with the Spanish lyrics. But the kids, they danced, they shook their bones. Hidalgo just laughed it off.
Earlier, the house was treated to a too-short acoustic set by Jackie Greene and Sam Grisman. Grisman is certainly no stranger to the Grateful Dead songbook – on the website for his band, Sam Grisman Project, he posted this note:
The music that my father David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, made in the early 90s (in the house that I grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers my oldest and fondest musical memories.
The same can be said (except for the “in the house that I grew up in” part, I suppose) by many members of the audience, ranging from the guy who told me he was at the 1975 GAMH Dead show to the born-after-Jerry-died twirlers on the back of the floor. The magic continues today, not only in the hands of musicians like Grisman, Greene, Kadlecik, and Hidalgo, but also in the fine grains and polished strings of the instruments themselves.
It’s fitting, then, to close with the words of Andy Logan on stage Tuesday night. After thanking the musicians, stagehands, sound and lighting crews, and especially the luthiers, Logan spoke to the heart of the matter:
When you see these instruments, you know they’re not just going to bring joy to us here today, but for generations to come.
MUSICIAN LINEUP
Alex Jordan (Bob Weir, Phil & Friends) – bass, keyboards, vocals
Barry Sless (Moonalice, Wolf Brothers) – guitar
Bella Rayne (rising star!) – guitar
Dan "Lebo" Lebowitz (ALO) – guitar, vocals
David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) – guitar, vocals
Elliott Peck (Midnight North, Phil & Friends) – guitar, vocals
Ezra Lipp (ALO) – drums
Jackie Greene (solo artist, Black Crowes) – guitar, vocals
Jill Simmons (theCAUSE, Brown Eyed Women) – vocals
John Kadlecik (Dark Star Orchestra, Furthur) – guitar, vocals
Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band) – organ, vocals
Nate LaPointe (Cubensis) – guitar, vocals
Pete Sears (Moonalice, Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship) – bass
Sam Grisman (Sam Grisman Project) – bass, vocals
Steve Adams (ALO) – bass, vocals
Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) – saxophone, keyboards
(Note: Roger McNamee of Moonalice was also on the bill but was unable to attend.)
Many of these folks have played with WAY too many bands to list here, obviously!
SET LISTS
Greene and Grisman (Acoustic)
Big Boss Man
Friend of the Devil
Loser
So Many Roads
Electric Set 1
Might as Well
Hell in a Bucket
Rubin and Cherise
Jackstraw
Ship of Fools
Bertha
Evangeline
They Love Each Other
Tore Up Over You
Electric Set 2
Deal
Sugaree
Cats Down Under the Stars
Lucky Old Sun
Eyes of the World
Greatest Story Ever Told
The Wheel >
Good Lovin’ >
La Bamba
Encore
U.S. Blues
