Huge thanks to the Chicago Cubs and all of you who took part in our first-ever visit to historic Wrigley Field on August 27. Thanks also to Mr. Blotto, who played a great pregame concert.

On Sept. 23, to the delight of Bay Area live music lovers, Sweetwater Music Hall hosted the inaugural Sweetwater in the Sun festival in Marin County, California. Concertgoers nationwide are familiar with the legendary Sweetwater, an intimate venue that has hosted great acts over the decades ranging from Elvis Costello to New Riders of the Purple Sage. While the storied venue has a legacy for its high-profile acts in cozy confines, nothing could have prepared fans for the announcement of Sweetwater in the Sun.

It was splendor on the mountain on September 8, when local musician Bob Weir offered a set of his own and appeared for onstage musical cameos with Grace Potter as well as headliner Herbie Hancock at the fourth annual Sound Summit, atop Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California. The eight-hour affair at the 4,000-capacity Mountain Theatre included an unusually diverse set of acts, from an acoustic duo to contemporary R&B, alt-country, Grateful Dead music, rock, and open-ended jazz.

One of the largest audiences to ever attend Lockn’ poured into the festival grounds on Saturday, August 25th for a historic day of multi-generational jam band music. By mid-afternoon when the North Carolina band BIG Something took the main stage, five bands had already played, and a huge crowd filled the field and surrounding hills. The six-piece modern jam band fuses elements of jazz, funk, rock, and electronica into hypnotic dance trance music.

LONG STRANGE TRIP: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD will be available on November 9 as a double-DVD and single Blu-ray. The DELUXE EDITION will be available the same day exclusively from Dead.net on three DVDs and two Blu-rays.

The news of the GD memorabilia auction (September 8^th at 10 am central time) has brought more amazing items out of storage to be offered.  Do you want Jerry’s 1988 Bay Area Music Awards “Guitarist of the Year” statue?  A first printing of the very first “Skull and Roses” Avalon poster created by Kelley and Mouse (with thanks to Edmund Fitzgerald, who designed the artwork for an edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam)?  Fare Thee Well laminates?

East-coast jam masters, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead brought their inventive interpretation of Grateful Dead music to a sold-out, typically relaxed but receptive crowd at Eugene’s (Ore.) McDonald Theater, August 11. Many locals were getting their first look at the heavily hyped combo from New York.

“Steve Poltz is not normal.” Self-proclaimed “Post Stroke Deadhead” –you’ll hear that story and many more. A child at heart, Poltz falls in with the ‘hipsters’ and ‘oldsters’. His music is so captivating that it transcends generations. A mix of singing, storytelling, shredding, and spoken word taking the audience from laughter to tears and back again. He co-wrote "You Were Meant For Me" with platinum-selling songwriter Jewel. Poltz transcends the word "talented. He’s unforgettable in all the right ways.