During their final tour, Dead & Company, comprised of Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane, raised over $2 million for charity while hosting memorabilia auctions.
Videos by American Songwriter
The final tour kicked off on May 19 with a show at Kia Forum in Los Angeles and concluded on July 15 with a concert at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The auctions were held by Participation Row, a non-profit that accompanied Dead & Company on their final tour.
RELATED: The Grateful Dead Join TikTok on 4/20
Weir serves as a board member for HeadCount, a non-profit organization that supports voting rights. The band reportedly donated $2 dollars from every ticket purchased on their tour to HeadCount.
“The final auction results are in and we could not be more GRATEFUL,” HeadCount shared in an Instagram post, detailing the earnings raised. “Last night, Deadheads donated over $700,000 to HeadCount, @reverb_org, and the Dead Family non-profits. That included an incredible $275k for the official tour guitar, another $238k for the guitar commemorating the final shows in San Fran, and over $150,000 for pieces of @mickeyhart’s fine art.
“In all, this year’s auctions eclipsed $2 million in donations – more than all the previous Dead & Co Participation Row auctions combined,” HeadCount’s post continues. “The total since 2015 is $4,000,984. We want to thank the band, @dangelicony, @ajmasthay, and everyone who ever made a bid or just cheered us on.”
Weir announced Dead & Company’s final tour in September 2022. At the time, Weir posted a promotional image for the Final Tour on Twitter. “Well it looks like that’s it for this outfit; but don’t worry we will all be out there in one form or another until we drop…” The Final Tour ended up grossing a total amount of ticket sales that was 52 percent higher than the band’s 2019 tour.
Throughout the final tour, the band stopped in Dallas, New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and many other major cities. While the tour received many positive reviews and was a financial success, it marks the end of an era.
Photo by C Flanigan/FilmMagic
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.