Sturgill Simpson doesn’t open for too many people these days, but as the Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter said as he got offstage on a brisk afternoon in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, “It goes without saying, it’s an honor to be here.” After shelling out a hard-hitting 11-song, 75-minute set that blurred the lines between prog-psychedelia and classic country, Sturgill Simpson—who recently took up the moniker “Johnny Blue Skies”—returned to the stage to helm a set-closing run through “Morning Dew” with hosts Dead & Company.

Saturday’s sit-in marked the latest full-circle moment for Simpson and the wide world of the Grateful Dead. The surface-level connection goes back to a surprise 2023 appearance with Bob Weir at Farm Aid and performances at the inaugural Dead Ahead Festival in Mexico the following winter, Simpson’s first ticketed appearance in nearly three years, as well as the destination festival’s 2025 sequel. But the spiritual connections between Simpson and the Grateful Dead run far deeper.

Though the career contrarian will readily admit to a long-held apprehension toward the Dead, previously dismissing them as “unstructured noodling,” it was Jerry Garcia who inspired Simpson to pick up the guitar again following a debilitating vocal cord injury that indefinitely sidelined his career. In the wake of his injury and ensuing three-year hiatus from music, Simpson fell into a deep depression and was ultimately rescued by the Grateful Dead’s music, admitting (somewhat reluctantly) in a 2024 Uncut interview, “Jerry Garcia, I hate to say it, might have saved my life!”

Related: How Jerry Garcia Helped Inspire Sturgill Simpson To Return To The Stage

So Simpson, never one to say something he doesn’t mean, wasn’t blowing smoke when he said it was an honor to be opening for Dead & Company. After Billy Strings joined Dead & Co for a moving “Wharf Rat” the night prior, it was little surprise then when Bobby called out Sturg at the end of Saturday’s first set. What was a little more surprising, however, was hearing the cathartic, chaotic strums of Bonnie Dobson‘s “Morning Dew” come through the speakers and seeing Sturgill Simpson step to the mic. Simpson previously helmed “Morning Dew” at this year’s Dead Ahead Festival after originally remaining more confined to Bobby cowboy material like Merle Haggard‘s “Mama Tried”.

Given Simpson’s long road to hell and back just to be able to sing again, witnessing him roar one of the most emotively purgative songs in the Dead canon to 60,000-ish fans felt like the completion of his redemptive arc that has been building this entire decade. Simpson took center stage instrumentally as well as vocally, delivering a powerfully subdued guitar solo that took its strength between notes. John Mayer responded in kind with a solo of his own, but the moment belonged to Sturgill as even this celebration of the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary made sure to carve out nightly sconces for those carrying the Dead’s eternal flame onward.

Watch Sturgill Simpson join Dead & Company for “Morning Dew” in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Stay tuned for a full recap of Saturday’s concert from Live For Live Music. Tune in for tonight’s finale with a pay-per-view stream via nugs and get a complimentary 60-day All Access subscription. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Purchasing your Dead & Company Golden Gate Park livestreams via the links on this page helps support our work covering the Dead and the rest of the live music universe. Thank you for reading!]

Dead & Company, Sturgill Simpson — “Morning Dew” (Bonnie Dobson) — 8/2/25

[Video: MVP Presents]