7 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dead & Company ends Grateful Dead's 60th with sunshine and a soaring send-off
For the first time all weekend, the fog lifted.
Beneath bright blue skies, Dead & Company took the stage for the final night of their sold-out, three-day run at Golden Gate Park, closing out San Francisco's centerpiece celebration of the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary.
Tens of thousands of Deadheads once again packed the Polo Field on Sunday, Aug. 3, many believing this could be the band's final performance.
The concerts featured completely different setlists each night and a rotating cast of surprise guests, including Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson (performing as Johnny Blue Skies) and Trey Anastasio.
Sunday's first set opened with a buoyant cover of Sam Cooke's 'Good Times,' followed by a seamless 'China Cat Sunflower' into 'I Know You Rider.'
A funk-driven 'Shakedown Street' got the crowd moving, complete with teases of Phish's 'Ghost' and The Commodores' 'Brick House,' before closing on a high-energy 'Deal.'
The second set opened with 'Scarlet Begonias,' with Anastasio joining in and staying on for a blazing 'Fire on the Mountain.'
Grahame Lesh took the stage with his father's iconic bass, 'Big Brown,' during 'Broken Arrow,' and returned later for 'Cumberland Blues.'
The improvisational 'Drums' and 'Space' segment carried the crowd into deep sonic territory, with a jazz-tinged nod to 'My Funny Valentine.' From there, the mood turned reflective on 'Standing on the Moon,' before surging through Mayer-led versions of 'Sugaree' and 'Sugar Magnolia.'
'The band is hot and the vibe is right,' said Paul Codespoti of St. Louis, a longtime fan who's seen the Grateful Dead 165 times and Dead & Company 100.
All weekend, San Francisco leaned into the celebration.
The concert series served as the anchor for a larger tribute that will continue into the fall, with Dead-themed art exhibitions, tribute concerts, panel talks, and special events.
More than 400 Grateful Dead banners adorned city lampposts. Across San Francisco — particularly the Sunset, Richmond and Haight-Ashbury neighborhoods — Deadheads added color and commerce to the streets.
City officials reported a 50% spike in hotel bookings between July 31 and Aug. 3 — a surge they believe could top the $31 million in economic impact generated by the band's 2023 visit to Oracle Park.
Silvia Koros, who turns 60 next month — the same age as the band — attended all 21 Dead & Company shows this summer, beginning with their Las Vegas residency.
'If you miss one show, that will be the one where they play the song you've been waiting to hear,' she said.
For her, that song was 'Rubin and Cherise,' which hasn't been played live since 1991.
'I'd give my eyeteeth to hear that song,' she said.
Though it never came, Koros found joy in 'China Cat Sunflower,' which she dedicated to her late cat, Georges.
She had brought 3,000 custom-made stickers featuring Georges inside the Steal Your Face logo. By Sunday night, only 100 remained.
'I love this community,' she said.
'Every night is unique,' said Rachel Whitley, who first saw the band with friends from Rhinebeck High School in the early '90s. 'If you miss a night, it's not the full experience.'
She noted that the band had opened 'Playing in the Band' on Friday but never finished it — a signature move that keeps fans guessing. 'We might get the second part tonight.'
By day three, many attendees recognized one another.
Rudy Voit, who flew in from Chicago for all three shows, said he was there for as much the community as the music.
For some, that connection meant as much as the music.
'I knew the trip was worth it the first night when Grahame Lesh brought out his dad's bass for 'Box of Rain,'' Codespoti said. 'That's when I really connected to the music — and once I get there, I stay there.'
By the second set, the sun gave way to a glowing half moon.
As the final notes of 'Touch of Grey' echoed across the Polo Field, fans swayed together and took one last look at a stage that may never host this band again.
By then, whether it was truly the end didn't matter.
What mattered was that they were there. And this time, the sun was out
Dead & Company – Golden Gate Park Setlist (Aug. 3, 2025)
Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary Show – Sunday, Aug. 3
Set 1
'Good Times' (Sam Cooke cover)
'China Cat Sunflower' (Grateful Dead cover)
'I Know You Rider' (traditional cover)
'They Love Each Other' (Jerry Garcia cover)
'Shakedown Street' (Grateful Dead cover with teases of 'Ghost' and The Commodores' 'Brick House')
'Deal' (Jerry Garcia cover)
Set 2
'Scarlet Begonias' (Grateful Dead cover with Trey Anastasio and teases of 'Manteca' and 'Good Lovin'')
'Fire on the Mountain' (Grateful Dead cover with Trey Anastasio)
'Broken Arrow' (Robbie Robertson cover with Grahame Lesh playing Phil Lesh's bass 'Big Brown')
'Hell in a Bucket' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Cumberland Blues' (Grateful Dead cover with Grahame Lesh)
'Drums'
'Space' (with elements of 'My Funny Valentine')
'Standing on the Moon' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Sugaree' (Jerry Garcia cover)
'Sugar Magnolia' (Grateful Dead cover)
'Touch of Grey' (Grateful Dead cover)
