Bill Kreutzmann To Miss Playing In The Sand 2022 Per Doctor's Orders

[UPDATE 1/6/22, 5:30 p.m. ET]: Dead & Company and CID have announced that both weekends of Playing In The Sand 2022 have now been officially canceled. For more information on the last-minute cancellation, click here.

[1/3/22]: Bill Kreutzmann will miss both weekends of Playing in the Sand due to orders from his doctor. The two-weekend Dead & Company destination event is set to take place at Riviera Maya in Cancún, Mexico January 7th–10th and 13th–16th.

“Playing in the Sand has become my favorite tour stop in recent years and there’s so much about it that’s just so great,” Kreutzmann wrote on social media. “And thus, it is with a heavy and still recovering heart that I have to relay a note that I received from my doctor this morning, ordering me to sit this one out.”

The original Grateful Dead drummer was forced to miss several stops on Dead & Company’s recent fall tour, including two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, another pair of shows at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Denver, and the band’s tour-closing Halloween show at Hollywood Bowl. The drummer returned sporadically for stops in Phoenix, AZ; Chula Vista, CA; and the first two nights in Los Angeles. In his absence, Dead & Company called up Jay Lane to fill in on the kit beside Mickey Hart. The band has not yet officially announced a replacement for Kreutzmann for Playing In The Sand.

Kreutzmann continued,

As many of you know, I had some health issues this past fall. After a lifetime of playing special beats, it’s almost no wonder that my heart came up with its own idea of rhythm. All jokes aside, my doctor has ordered me to take it easy (and stay safe) through the end of January so that I can continue to drum and play for you for many tours to come. I have a lot of music left in me and there’s no stopping me from playing it.

I’ve never been one to obey orders or play by the rules, but in the interest of longevity, I hope you’ll understand.

I wish my brothers in the band the best these next two weeks and I look forward to meeting back up with them — and with you — before you know it. Please stay safe out there so that we can do it all again. And again.

Dead & Company recently announced a refund window for any fans wishing to exchange their tickets in light of the continued spread of COVID-19. A limited number of guest packages are now available. Visit the band’s website for more information.