The String Cheese Incident and members of the Grateful Dead surprised the scene with the announcement of their inaugural destination event, Los Muertos Con Queso. Taking place from January 25-28, 2017 in Riviera Maya, Mexico, the festival will not only feature three nights of String Cheese and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, but will feature three nights of a debut project with Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Tom Hamilton, Jeff Chimenti, and Dave Schools.
Tickets for Los Muertos Con Queso are on sale today, and can be found here!
While this project is a brand new ensemble, there’s certainly plenty of history between its five members. Of course, Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann are both founding members of the Grateful Dead and current members of Dead & Company, but the two also shared the stage at Lockn’ Festival in 2015. Kreutzmann was featured with his band Billy & The Kids – which features Tom Hamilton – and they welcomed Bob Weir for a full set collaboration. Watch Billy & The Kids with Bob Weir, below.
Jeff Chimenti’s name is a familiar one to Dead fans, as the keyboardist has had the longest tenure playing with Grateful Dead members ever. Chimenti was a vital component of Weir’s band, RatDog, as well as the Bob Weir/Phil Lesh band Furthur. Chimenti was also featured on the lineup for Fare Thee Well, helping to celebrate the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary in style. Nowadays, Chimenti splits his time between the Golden Gate Wingmen and Dead & Company. In honor of his role at Los Muertos Con Queso, here he is playing with Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann in Dead & Co.
Dave Schools is the newcomer to the family, having spent his career performing with Widespread Panic. Schools & The Dead aren’t entirely foreign, however, as the WSP bassist got to play with Bob Weir when the Grateful guitarist sat in with Panic at Bonnaroo 2005. Watch Widespread Panic with Bob Weir, below.
The other major bands on the lineup, The String Cheese Incident and Chris Robinson Brotherhood, both have strong ties to the Dead. The Queso regularly include Grateful Dead covers in their setlists, including this memorable cover of “Terrapin Station” at Electric Forest in 2015.
Cheese has also collaborated with Bob Weir in the past, including a show at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA on 3/10/01. Weir and Vince Welnick would sit in with SCI at that show, joining for “Estimated Prophet” into a jam that ultimately wound into “In The Midnight Hour.” Listen to the full recording below, courtesy of Mike Peachey on Archive.org.
Chris Robinson Brotherhood has perhaps the most recent contribution to the Grateful Dead world, as the band joined Phil Lesh & Friends at Lockn’ 2016. Watch the full set video below.
While collaborations certainly aren’t a guarantee, they are something of a tradition in the Grateful Dead world. Considering all of the musicians on hand have been playing together in some capacity for many years, there’s no question that Los Muertos Con Queso will feel like a family vacation for the fans. You can head here to learn all about the all-inclusive event, purchase tickets, and more!