In May of 2015, a lineup that’s almost too incredible to recount took the stage at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in honor of the great Jerry Garcia. Billed as Dear Jerry, the show welcomed countless groups of artists to the stage to perform their own heartfelt takes on songs either written or played by Garcia over the course of his illustrious career with the Grateful Dead, the Jerry Garcia Band, and beyond. Though it was held on May and not August, the massive tribute served to mark the 20th anniversary of Garcia’s passing on August 9th, 1995 following a heart attack related to his longtime struggles with drug addiction.
The night started with Phil Lesh & Communion, and all of the “Core Four” surviving members of the Grateful Dead – aka Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart – would appear throughout the night. Other performers included Allen Toussaint, David Grisman, Peter Frampton, Buddy Miller, Jorma Kaukonen, Jimmy Cliff, The Disco Biscuits, moe., O.A.R., Los Lobos, Trampled By Turtles, Yonder Mountain String Band, Grace Potter, Eric Church, and Widespread Panic.
Watch Trampled By Turtles’ Bucolic “Brown Eyed Women” From Dear Jerry [Pro-Shot]
Audio of the entire event was released nearly a year later, immortalizing this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime tribute to a truly iconic figure in American music and culture. As we remember Jerry today on the anniversary of his death, feast your ears on the glorious Dear Jerry audio, and check out a full gallery from Erik Kabik that we ran at the time of the event in 2015.
Watch Bob Weir & Grace Potter Sing “Friend Of The Devil” In New Official Dear Jerry Video [Pro-Shot]
Rest In Peace, Jerry. We miss you.
