Former Dead Members Premiere New Lineup In San Francisco
The surviving members of the Grateful Dead —
dubbed the Other Ones — debuted their new lineup
at San Francisco’s Warfield Thursday night.
The gala event in the band’s hometown unveiled their latest
incarnation, which will hit the road with the Furthur
Festival starting June 25 in Atlanta. In March, the band
announced they’d headline Furthur with former Dead members
Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Phil
Lesh, as well as occasional member Bruce
Hornsby and session players Stan Franks, Dave
Ellis and John Molo.
Soon after, Franks was asked to leave the band because “it
didn’t work out musically,” Dennis McNally, the
group’s spokesman, told JAMTV on Thursday. Subsequently, the lead guitar spot
left open after Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995 was
filled by two other Bay Area axemen: Zero’s Steve
Kimock and Mark Karan, who’s played with
the likes of Huey Lewis, Dave Mason and the
Rembrandts.
On Thursday night, the Other Ones played a two-set show
comprised mainly of Grateful Dead songs, including “Jack Straw,”
“Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad,” “Playing In The Band,” “The
Eleven,” “Lovelight” and the much anticipated “St. Stephen,” a song
the Dead hadn’t played as a group since 1983.
The show was a benefit for the Rainforest Action
Network to save the Headwaters Forest of
Northern California. This effort is Weir’s philanthropic focus,
according to McNally. The forest, which is one of the last
remaining virgin forests in the United States, is in danger of
being torn down.
Six months ago, environmental activist Julia
Butterfly climbed up into Luna — one of the forest’s
mighty redwoods — to protest its destruction. She has been there
ever since. Before the Other Ones kicked off the night, Weir and
Hart called Butterfly via a live phone hookup to her perch on Luna
so she could be a part of the show.
Money from the Warfield show will go to help save the
forests.
For a complete schedule of Furthur Fest tour dates, head here.