Thirty years, one band.

Band forms

Jerry, Bob, Phil, Bill, Pigpen. The Warlocks become the Grateful Dead.

Trips Festival 1/21–23

Acid Tests peak, thousands attend Longshoremen's Hall.

Fillmore & Avalon

SF ballroom scene coalesces — clubs and ballrooms, crowd shouts audible.

710 Ashbury

Band moves to Haight-Ashbury; the commune years begin.

Human Be-In 1/14

Golden Gate Park, launches the Summer of Love.

The Grateful Dead

Debut album — short, fast arrangements of live staples.

Mickey Hart joins (late '67)

Two drummers begin. Polyrhythms transform the groove.

Dark Star debuts

Dec 13 1967 at Shrine Exposition Hall. Regular rotation 1968–74, rare 1975–88, revived 1989. Hearing it ≈ pre-1975 or post-1989.

Anthem of the Sun

Psychedelic studio experimentation peaks. Heavy tape-collage and overdubs — the album is a studio construct more than a live document.

Tom Constanten joins (Nov)

Avant-garde keys, short tenure alongside Pigpen.

Woodstock

Festival debut. Rough set — rain and gear problems. Set list: St. Stephen, Mama Tried, Dark Star, High Time, Lovelight.

Altamont 12/6

Infamous festival. Dead were on the bill but did not play.

Aoxomoxoa

Psychedelic studio peak. 16-track experimentation.

Live/Dead

First live album. "Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven" as primary evidence.

Tom Constanten leaves (Jan)

After New Orleans bust. Back to just Pigpen on keys.

Workingman's Dead

Acoustic turn. CSNY harmonies, concise songwriting.

American Beauty

Folk-rock masterpiece. Ripple, Truckin', Box of Rain, Attics of My Life.

Mickey leaves

Single-drummer era begins (1971–1975) — tighter, lighter, jazzier.

Keith Godchaux joins (late '71)

Jazz-piano era begins. Pigpen steps back due to illness.

Donna Jean joins

Female harmonies begin — wailing over Jerry on the jams. Listen to Playing In The Band from Veneta: that's the Donna sound.

Europe '72 tour

Legendary 22-show run across the UK and continent. Album distilled from the tapes.

Veneta, Oregon 8/27

Sunshine Daydream — Springfield Creamery benefit. 103°F, Dark Star that never ends.

Pigpen's last show

Hollywood Bowl 6/17. Health decline forces him out. Hear his signature lead-vocal growl on Mr. Charlie while you still can.

He's Gone debuts

May 23 1972 Lyceum London. Written for Lenny Hart; takes on new meaning after each band-member death.

Watkins Glen 7/28

Summer Jam — Allman Brothers, The Band, Dead. 600K attendees, largest audience in rock history at the time.

Pigpen passes

March 8, age 27. First of the band to die. The blues-and-organ grind he brought is gone from here on.

Wake of the Flood

First self-released album on Grateful Dead Records.

Wall of Sound tour

586 speakers, 26,400 watts — most ambitious PA ever built. Crystal separation on tape.

Winterland 10/20

Last show before the hiatus. "One From The Vault" run.

From the Mars Hotel

Tight, funky. US Blues, China Doll, Scarlet Begonias first recorded here.

Mickey returns (fall '75)

Two drummers resume. Polyrhythmic complexity back in the groove.

Blues for Allah

Jazz fusion, experimental. Help > Slipknot > Franklin's nerve center.

Return from hiatus

Touring resumes June 1976 at Paramount Theatre, Portland.

Estimated Prophet debuts

Feb 26 1977 at Swing Auditorium. Hearing Estimated ⇒ post-1976. Weir's 7/4 time.

Scarlet > Fire becomes a pair

March 18 1977 at Winterland — first time the transition glued them together. Hearing the segue ⇒ 1977 or later.

Cornell 5/8/77

Barton Hall. The famous show — Scarlet>Fire and Morning Dew are the two everyone talks about. Canonical soundboard.

Terrapin Station

Orchestra, produced sound (Keith Olsen). The title suite is the centerpiece.

Egypt 9/15–16

Three nights at the Great Pyramid, Giza. Bill Graham production. Lunar eclipse on 9/16.

Closing of Winterland

NYE 1978. Final show at the venue. Five-hour party — Dan Aykroyd did the midnight countdown, John Cipollina guested.

Shakedown Street

Disco-influenced, produced by Lowell George. Title track defines the era.

Keith & Donna leave; Brent Mydland joins

April 1979. Brent on Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes — brighter, more aggressive keys, male harmonies replace Donna. Here's an Alabama Getaway from Brent's first year.

Keith passes

Car accident, July 23. Former bandmate lost a year after leaving.

Radio City 10/22–31

Acoustic/electric sets begin. Reckoning / Dead Set recorded here.

Go to Heaven

Brent's first album. Alabama Getaway / Saint of Circumstance debut.

Greek Theatre, Berkeley

Becomes a near-annual tradition through 1989.

Throwing Stones debuts

Sept 17 1982 at Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland ME. Hearing Throwing Stones ⇒ 1982–1995.

Red Rocks 8/30–31

Colorado run peaks. Sunsets, altitude, sandstone acoustics.

Jerry's diabetic coma

July 10. Five days in a coma; had to relearn guitar. Recovery and comeback.

In the Dark

Touch of Grey. First top-10 album. Mainstream success reshapes the audience.

Warlocks 10/8–9

Hampton Coliseum. Booked under the old name. Dark Star revived after 5 years.

Built to Last

Final studio album. Brent gets three songs.

Spring Tour 3/14–29

Late-era peak. Without a Net compiled from these dates.

Brent passes, Vince joins

Brent dies July 26. Vince Welnick + Bruce Hornsby fill in. Synth era begins.

MSG September run

Madison Square Garden. Bruce Hornsby frequently guests on accordion and piano.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Inducted January 19. Band skips the ceremony; sends a cardboard cutout of Jerry.

Soldier Field 7/9/95

Final show. Chicago. Encore: Box of Rain.

Jerry passes

August 9, age 53. Band effectively ends.