With just a few weeks to go before Skull & Roses, organizers of the Ventura, CA festival have shared the lineups for the respective Phil Lesh and Oteil Burbridge sets. The Grateful Dead-centric gathering will return to the Ventura County Fairgrounds April 7th–10th.
This fourth installment of Skull & Roses will mark the first time a member of the Grateful Dead has performed at the festival. Phil Lesh will take the stage with a special group of Friends on April 10th including Stu Allen, Grahame Lesh, Jason Crosby, and John Molo. Torchbearer of Grateful Dead music and Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge will mount his own guest-filled set on the 9th with Friends Melvin Seals, Eric Krasno, Tom Guarna, Peter Lavezzoli.
Related: Riding The Great Sine Wave With Oteil Burbridge [Interview]
Also on tap for Skull & Roses is a special tribute set to the Grateful Dead’s 1981 double LP Reckoning. John Kadlecik (Melvin Seals & JGB) and Dark Star Orchestra’s Rob Barraco, Rob Eaton, and Skip Vangelas will all pay homage to the band’s acoustic live album with a set on Thursday. DSO will also perform a special tribute set to the Grateful Dead’s Europe ’72 album the following evening. The renowned tribute act recently announced a nine-show European tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dead’s jaunt through the continent.
Additional programming at Skull & Roses includes the Dusty Strings exhibit featuring ten stage-played Grateful Dead guitars. Among the instruments due to be displayed are Jerry Garcia‘s “Alligator” Fender Stratocaster, Phil Lesh’s custom “Mission Control” bass, Bob Weir‘s “No Fun” Modulus Blacknife, and more. These instruments will appear together for the very first time thanks to their owners Andy Logan, Jason Scheuner, Nate Bidner, David Meerman Scott, and the Grateful Guitars Foundation.
Related: A Brief History Of Jerry Garcia’s Most Well-Known Guitars
Beyond the stage, the festival will celebrate the Bay Area psychedelic forefathers’ holiday runs with daily themed parades. Thursday will commemorate the band’s legendary 1978 run at the Great Pyramid with an Egyptian Night theme, followed on Friday by Chinese New Year. Saturday will honor the Dead’s rich history of New Year’s Eve shows before the festival wraps on Sunday with a Mardi Gras theme.
Tickets for Skull & Roses are on sale now. Scroll down for the complete 2022 lineup.