Grateful Dead

Energized by Garcia's recovery, the band sets up in January at Marin Veterans' Auditorium to record its first 'studio' album in seven years. Their energy and focus are near-perfect, and in a very few weeks, they finish In the Dark. At the same time, Bob Dylan comes and hangs out for a couple of days at the Dead's studio, and they decide to tour in the summer as 'Dylan and the Dead.' In February, Ben & Jerry's introduces 'Cherry Garcia' to a waiting world. The spring tour sells out in seconds, and gets consistently rave reviews from critics and Dead Heads. In the Dark is released July 6th to considerable acclaim and is the band's first out-of-the-box platinum hit; 'Touch of Grey' reaches #9 on the charts in September. So Far debuts in September, and swiftly goes to #1 on the video charts. Every ticket to every show is sold. The Dead are on top of the world.