Tens of thousands of Deadheads descended on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Friday night for the first of Dead & Company’s three weekend shows celebrating 60 years of the Grateful Dead. The shows were consequential not just for the anniversary they commemorated, but for fans of the group, which had not performed anywhere other than Las Vegas’ Sphere since July 2023, when it concluded its final tour.

After an opening set by jamgrass phenom Billy Strings, Dead & Company – comprised of Grateful Dead founders Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge,