Grateful Dead

Bob Weir Teams Up With Marin Symphony Orchestra For ‘First Fusion’

Special One-Night-Only Performance Of Grateful Dead Music Saturday, May 7

Iconic singer, songwriter, guitarist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Bob Weir has announced plans for a special once-in-a-lifetime performance of Grateful Dead music with the Marin Symphony Orchestra to be held Saturday, May 7 at the Marin Center in San Rafael, CA. Tickets are available through the Marin Center Box Office (11am-4pm PT, 415-499-6800), as well as through gdtstoo.com and Ticketmaster.

The “First Fusion” performance, orchestrated by Weir and Stanford University’s Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti, is a benefit for the Marin Symphony Orchestra and will feature over 50 musicians interpreting Grateful Dead music, the band Weir co-founded in 1965.

WEIR says, “This is completely different. For one thing, part of what makes this interesting is that’s not just going to be an orchestra playing Grateful Dead songs. I’m going to be playing too, along with Jeff Chimenti, Jay Lane, Robin Sylvester, Rob Wasserman, and some other guys, and there’s going to be real interaction between the symphony and us.” Excited about the sonic explorations the music may take, Dr. Aquilanti described it as “a new medium” and WEIR adds that “this is definitely going to go to some new realms.”

The Marin Symphony Orchestra has been around for 58 years, bringing the area (just north of San Francisco) together and supporting a variety of programs including two youth orchestras representing 15 cities and 30 schools; an in-school music education program; a professional 100-member orchestra; special family and holiday concerts; and outreach to local businesses, senior living facilities and hospitals by bringing music to those who cannot travel to the concert hall.

A Bay Area native, Weir co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965 in San Francisco ’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann. The band made an indelible mark in music history and were always sonic and technological adventurers, combining their love of bluegrass, country, electric rock and jazz to create one of the most iconic repertoires in rock music. By touring continuously and never relying on radio hits or latest trends, the Dead and Dead Heads created an unparalleled bond. Fans were turned on to the group by live bootlegs and word of mouth, with many following the band on the road for whole tours. The group performed thousands of shows until the passing of Garcia in 1995. Since then, Weir has performed with his own group RatDog and toured with various members of the Grateful Dead, including the 2009 Dead tour and his current group Furthur with Phil Lesh.