It was another packed night at The Starry Plough and Live Dead defied all odds by playing three sets in a row, opening with an acoustic and then following with two electric sets. It felt like you really were at a Dead show as these guys didn’t give a hoot about time, they were just there to play music and have a fabulous time with their fans, which is of course what being a Dead Head is all about.

The demographics of a show that contains any member of The Grateful Dead is not as easily predicted as you may think. Wednesday night’s show at Innsbrook Pavilion, near Richmond was peppered with the usual suspects, to be sure.

On Friday, July 3rd, The Dead Guise, one of the Bay Area’s best Grateful Dead cover bands played a wonderful two-set concert at The Starry Plough that drew quite the crowd.

The wait is over! ROTHBURY has unveiled 2009’s complete Festival Schedule and Map, presented this year by the Michigan State Lottery. Visit www.rothburyfestival.com to view both.

The Grateful Web's Nancy Levine recently had an opportunity to speak to Billy Kreutzmann, drummer for the Grateful Dead about playing again as 'The Dead,' his love for ocean and sea mammal protection, and what profession Billy would like to attempt were he not playing music...

GW: How has the tour gone?

You might still think this was 1973.  I did for a second, as I watched the tie-dye clad Deadheads trekking through wheat-colored fields, on a pilgrimage to Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on Sunday evening to catch the band now known as The Dead.

ROTHBURY unveils the "2-Day Sat & Sun Ticket," a reduced rate ticket that allows access to the show on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5.  Also announced today, the lineup schedule for ROTHBURY 2009 headliners - The String Cheese Incident (their only 2009 performance) will top the bill on Friday, July 3; The Dead (their only summer appearance) will headline on Saturday, July 4; and Bob Dylan and His Band and Willie Nelson & Family will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, July 5.

The Dead (their ONLY summer appearance!), Bob Dylan, The String Cheese Incident, Willie Nelson & Family, and The Black Crowes will top the bill of over 60 diverse and stellar artists at the second annual ROTHBURY Festival at the Double JJ Ranch in Michigan on July 2-3-4-5, 2009.

Of all the members of the Grateful Dead, Billy Kreutzmann, really knew how to retire.  Hanging out in Hawaii, he showed none of the predilection for road-warrioring into the sunset like his bandmates.  Sure he'd play with the boys when they got back together for the full band gigs and after ten years on the island he started playing out more often with various old cronies, but he didn't have his name on the marquee with his band, his music, his beat.  He was always the one behind the scenes.

In the late sixties and early seventies they had Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but they didn't quite have in sound and performance what Bill Kreutzmann's power trio has today. The Grateful Dead drummer was joined on stage Saturday night at the Fox Theater with the Allman Brothers Band's Oteil Burbridge on bass and Max Creek's Scott Murawski on lead guitar.