Grateful Dead Get Its Due at MusiCares Gala With All-Star Salute

“Longevity was never a major concern of ours,” said Bob Weir, getting a big and somewhat chuckle out of the audience, even though he didn’t deliver it as a laugh line. Weir was accepting an award, along with other members of the Grateful Dead or their family members, as one of MusiCares‘ Persons of the Year at the charity’s annual gala Friday night. And there was attention paid during the speeches both to the improbable fact that an offshoot of the group, Dead & Company, is still out there playing, 60 years after the original group’s formation, even as Weir acknowledged absences at the dais.

“The road is a rough existence, as plainly evidenced by the simple fact that there aren’t all that many of my old bandmates here tonight to receive this recognition,” Weir said, standing alongside fellow founding Dead member Mickey Hart, who also still performs with him in Dead & Company. “But thank you, Grahame Lesh and Trixie Garcia and Justin Kreutzmann for representing your dads here,” he added, acknowledging the recent passing of Phil Lesh — who died shortly after the MusiCares honor was announced — as well as the long-gone Jerry Garcia, plus the recently retired Bill Kreutzmann, who was absent from the ceremony, presumably for health reasons, but did send along a video speech.

After making his remark about legacies and longevity having been far from their minds most of the way, Weir added, “Lighting folks up and spreading joy through the music was all we really had in mind, and we got plenty of that done. And being able to bring that joy while at the same time providing material assistance to those in need was always more than just icing on the cake.”

The Persons of the Year award honored the Dead members for their philanthropic work, and the gala did its part to raise funds for musicians and others in need, bringing in $9 million for MusiCares’ overall work and an additional $5 million for relief for the L.A. wildfires’ victims, MusicCares’ Laura Segura announced near the end of the night at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The thousands of attendees — who came mostly in the suggested black tie, along with some in not-nearly-so-black tie-dye — were there for the charity but also to charitably treat themselves to what almost invariably turns out to be one of the finest all-star concerts of the year. As expected, the night ended with a short set by Dead & Company, which has John Mayer standing alongside Weir as a frontman, after contributions from artists including Noah Kahan, Billy Strings, Vampire Weekend, the War on Drugs and Maren Morris, in front of a house band assembled by Don Was. (Scroll down to see the full setlist.)

The affair felt looser on the floor than any other MusiCares gala in memory, and probably ever, with few attendees remaining in their seats for very long after the live music started in earnest. At first, pockets of dancers formed to the far left and right of the stage, where it became evident that some of the tonied attendees for the high-priced gathering really were veteran Deadheads disguised as members of polite Deadheads. If some of these folks had spent their youths — or even post-youths — following the Dead from city to city, should anyone have supposed they wouldn’t travel across half a gigantic ballroom to get closer to the music?

Soon, the aisles near both stages (MusiCares rotates between the main stage and a revolving B-stage in the middle of the floor) filled up as well, as even more moderate appreciators of the music moved to get closer to the performances. At next year’s MusiCares gala, whoever the honoree is, chances are the occasion will return to its more staid and mostly seated ways, but it felt right for a Dead salute to not stand so strictly on ceremony… even if this might have been the first Grateful Dead or Dead & Company-related performance ever where not a single person in attendance was there because they’d scored a miracle ticket.

Even with the acknowledgements of those Dead members missing from the stage, any solemnity was short-lived, and the tone veered more toward presenter Woody Harrelson’s introductory speech for the band’s kudos. If only there could have been a thought bubble above Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.’s head as he stood behind Harrelson, representing an organization that is charged with helping musicians in recovery, bearing a smile as he listened to the actor cheerfully tell stories of doing drugs with the Dead back in the ’90s.

Harrelson told a long anecdote about doing mushrooms with Garcia and company prior to an early ’90s show, and how the rest of the band went out on stage while Garcia stayed behind to engage the actor in a lengthy conversation about the nature of time and space. When the guitarist was literally forced on stage to join the others, Harrelson followed behind and sat sidestage, albeit in a particularly awkward seat. Seeing roadies enraged and running at him, Harrelson was told he was sitting on an active MIDI keyboard that was sending horrific sounds out to the audience — and he proudly added that this represented his first and last time jamming with the Dead.

Noted teen-Deadhead-made-good Andy Cohen emceed the evening, and although he did not attempt much comedy himself, he did indulge in repartee with attendees like Lainey Wilson when there was time to fill between musical setups. At one point he engaged with Mayer and they got on to the unlikely subject of whether there are any “horny” songs in the Dead’s not-exactly-ribald catalog. Answered Mayer, in the night’s most quotable quote: “I would say there are not a lot of horny Grateful Dead songs, unless you’re horny, I don’t know, for gambling or drinking out of an old bottle. But,” he added, “now that you mention it, there is ‘Looks Like Rain,’ where Bob sings about ‘street cats makin’ love’.” Cohen neary bounced up and down in gleeful appreciation: “Yes! He does!”

Mayer not only got off the evening’s best quip, but he also turned in the night’s most riveting performance — a nearly 12-minute version of “Terrapin Station,” performed in acoustic trio format on the B-stage, with a plethora of the kind of solos that further proved that Mayer was the best and really only pick to fill Garcia’s shoes in a long-running Dead offshoot.

But virtually every other choice on the menu was rewarding, starting with the husband-and-wife duo the War and Treaty starting off the night’s entertainment with “Samson and Delilah,” backed by two guest celebrity drummers, Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland — a highly effective implicit tribute to the Grateful Dead historically having two frontmen and two percussionists.

Although no one soloed quite as long as Mayer in his spotlight moment, instrumental virtuosity was found in guitarist Billy Strings’ “Wharf Rat” and pianist (and former Grateful Dead celebrity sideman) Bruce Hornsby’s “Standing on the Moon.” Full or partial versions of several rock ‘n’ roll bands made their way to the main stage (accompanied further by Was’ crew) — Vampire Weekend, the War on Drugs and My Morning Jacket — reflecting the Dead’s influence on modern bands that sit comfortably somewhere between mainstream rock and the jam-band periphery.

Country was well-represented, between Dwight Yoakam, Maren Morris, Zac Brown, Maggie Rose (who dueted with MMJ’s Jim James) and Wynonna Judd, the last of whom effusively thanked Weir for being there for her as a friend and supporter, to the point that he’d accepted her request to perform at her mother Naomi’s funeral. And the Dead’s impact on modern Americana sounds was brought to life via in-the-round appearances by Noah Kahan, joined by Bela Fleck on “Scarlet Begonias,” and Sierra Farrell and Lukas Nelson, doing “It Must Have Been the Roses” in gentle, lovely tandem.

Dead & Company’s three-song climax ended with the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey,” presumably chosen not because it was the band’s biggest commercial radio hit — or at least not only with that in mind — but because it touches more overtly than others on aging, albeit with a carefree feel… and an ironic one, given how most involved have more than just a touch of grey all these years on (Mayer not yet included). “I will survive,” the song’s key lyric, isn’t especially meaty as a manifesto, compared to some of the more eloquent lyrics Robert Hunter wrote for the band, but it works.

Just hearing the two original Dead mainstays speak — never mind sing — was a treat for some of the band’s fans on hand, since the group famously maintains a sphinxlike attitude on stage, never talking on stage, even in Dead & Company’s soon-to-be-revived Sphere legacy.

Weir acknowledged at the outset of his speech that he might not get far into it without a lapse, mentioning that he grew up dyslexic, although he came through just fine in a monolog that made up for some of the lost time of rarely or never speaking from the stage.

Addressing the night’s most topical concern, Weir said, “What we have here in SoCal these days is a rebuild that’s gonna take some time and effort — and an immense amount of teamwork. My guess is it’s gonna take a few years, but SoCal will be back, stronger and shinier.

“Anyway, if making music is what you’re gonna be doing, you’ll find that you can make considerably more thunder if you can find folks to play with, and learn to work with and play off of them, and let them play you. That’s what the Grateful Dead did over the years, and success eventually came to us. All along, my old pal Jerry used to say, ‘You get some, you give some back’ — and so we did. From early on it was more than apparent to us that we could be of substantial benefit to our broader community – and have big fun doing it. We also learned right away that it was an honor and a privilege to be in this position, something we never took lightly. That brings us back to MusiCares, a beacon of hope in the music industry that provides financial assistance, mental health resources, recovery programs, and other support to artists and music technicians facing challenges. Their work ensures that the people who make music – from behind-the-scene professionals to household names – will be able to carry on.”

Hart was equally eloquent. “Not too long ago, they wouldn’t let us into Disneyland,” he noted. “Our hair was too long. and the cops, they were chasing us around the country. Fortunately, they gave up and we are here tonight.

“For me, music’s always been more than just sound,” Hart continued. “It’s a force, a healer, but music doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Music needs a community to play to. And in turn, a community needs its music. We know the power of the community because we’ve lived it. And Deadheads have kept the dream alive for 60 years now and continue to take this music into the next century. I’m so grateful. The Dead has always been more than just music. It’s about the people who believed in it, supported it, and built something bigger than any one of us. Before the world even knew what to make of us, our community lifted us up and kept us going.

“Without support, there would be no Grateful Dead. Tonight, I want to thank my brothers Bobby, Billy, Phil, and of course dear, dear Jerry, and of course, let us not forget for a moment, not for a moment, the magic words of Robert Hunter. His words, are beyond description. Without Hunter, also, there would be no Grateful Dead…

“Music is power. Music is medicine. Music is survival. We talk about music in scientific terms, not its impact on neurologic function, mental health, emotional wellbeing. But what we’re really talking about is something primal, something sacred, because music has always been humanity’s greatest healer. It soothes the soul, raises our consciousness and gives us strength when we need it most. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: giving back to the very thing that’s given us so much.”

Setlist for MusiCares salute to the Grateful Dead, Jan. 31, 2025:

“Samson and Delilah” — The War and Treaty w/ Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland
“One More Saturday Night” — My Morning Jacket and Maggie Rose
“Ripple” — Norah Jones
“Bertha” — Zac Brown and Marcus King
“Ramble On Rose” — Wynonna Judd
“Friend of the Devil” — Noah Kahan and Bela Fleck
“Scarlet Begonias” — Vampire Weekend
“Truckin’” — Dwight Yoakam
“They Love Each Other” — Maren Morris
“It Must Have Been the Roses” —Sierra Farrell and Lukas Nelson
“Wharf Rat” — Billy Strings
“Loose Lucy” — Sammy Hagar
“Standing on the Moon” — Bruce Hornsby
“Box of Rain” — The War on Drugs
“Terrapin Station” — John Mayer
“Althea,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Touch of Grey” — Dead & Company