02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Deadhead lovefest: Shakedown Street rings in 60th anniversary at Golden Gate Park
Against San Francisco's gray summertime sky, thousands of Grateful Dead fans shuffled down a 200-foot stretch of JFK Promenade, brightening Golden Gate Park with their quirky psychedelic fashion.
The legendary Shakedown Street derives its name from the Grateful Dead's 1978 song of the same name, and refers to an informal fan-run marketplace that quickly became integral to Deadhead culture. It officially landed in San Francisco on Friday, Aug. 1, allowing Deadheads to shop everything from tie-dye apparel and vintage Grateful Dead merchandise to original artwork and collectible posters as part of the city's 60th anniversary celebration for the Bay Area jam band.
Elijah Lewerenz, 20, traveled to San Francisco from Iowa with his fiancé for the weekend, and said that they were hanging out at Shakedown Street to soak in the atmosphere and take advantage of their jetlag.
"A lot of people are here because they don't have family to belong to, and this is one where we accept pretty much anybody," he said. "As long as you're nice and you're kindhearted, you can find a home with the Grateful Dead community.'
The stretch of road was buzzing with excitement and a seemingly endless flow of fans by 1 p.m. on Friday. Some roamed the stalls which lined one side of the road while others lounged in the grass on the opposite side. Outfits ranged from casual jeans and T-shirts to neon paint-splattered labcoats, metallic astronaut costumes and '70s-inspired ensembles.
Strangers were striking up conversation left and right, swapping stories about old Dead shows they attended and complimenting their looks. The friendlier-than-normal Golden Gate Park crowd almost made it feel like you had escaped the digital age and landed in the '70s.
Many seemed to be stopping by the outdoor marketplace on their way to Dead & Company's concert, evidenced by their clear bags. Others were trying to score last minute tickets by holding one finger in the air.
There was a particularly large crowd around Naga, the giant Burning Man sea serpent that was installed in the pond at the base of Rainbow Falls last week.
'I was not expecting anywhere near this amount of people,' James Freeborn, 36, said. 'Everyone's so friendly and excited. The excitement in the city has been hard to ignore.'
The San Francisco resident has tickets for all three of Dead & Company's shows, but was also one of nearly 100 vendors on Shakedown Street, selling items from his men's fashion brand, Freeborn Designs.
'It's always been a dream of mine to vend in the park,' the longtime Deadhead said, adding that he also has a retail space in the Castro. 'Especially for an event like this, it's really monumental,' he said.
A few dozen stalls down, Atlanta resident Justin Roberts was just as astounded by the turnout.
'It's really packed,' he said. 'This has been nonstop since it opened at 10:30 this morning.'
Roberts, 47, was representing his wood art business, Om Grown Art, though he plans to attend Dead & Company's show on Saturday, Aug. 2.
'It's super communal,' he said of the Deadhead community. 'It's very peaceful, people look out for each other.'
Shakedown Street is situated about a mile from Polo Field. The effort was helmed by clothing designer Molly Henderson in partnership with Jay and Liora Soladay and Sunshine Powers, owner of Love on Haight.
'The whole scene (and) the cultural phenomenon is responsible for a lot of things,' Portland resident Travis Maurer, 50, declared while wearing rainbow tie-dye pants and a black T-shirt featuring the Dead's iconic rainbow dancing bears in a spiral pattern. 'You see it everywhere from Burning Man to the country fair in Portland, Oregon.'
The Dead's San Francisco takeover continues through the weekend, with Dead &Company shows scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Aug. 1-3.
Grahame Lesh, the son of the Grateful Dead's late founding bassist Phil Lesh, is hosting his own concert series at Pier 48. With his jam band, Grahame Lesh & Friends, he kicked off the Heart of Town series on Thursday, July 31. It is scheduled to continue through Saturday, Aug. 2. Though Thursday's show was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., the final two concerts are set for 11 p.m. to allow fans to travel from the Dead & Company shows.
'It's nostalgic,' Maurer said of the weekend's festivities. 'I feel like the Grateful Dead is one of those bands that kind of spans generations and culture.'
