Grateful Dead Members & More Conclude ‘Fare Thee Well’ Run On This Date In 2015

On this date in 2015, Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann performed together for the last time at Soldier Field in Chicago, closing out their landmark Fare Thee Well 50th anniversary run. The “Core Four” were joined by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio as well as keyboardists Jeff Chimenti and Bruce Hornsby for series of five memorable concerts.

The show kicked off with the classic pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider,” with Trey and Bruce trading lead vocals on “China Cat” and Phil and Bobby joining them on “Rider.” For the third slot, Bob Weir sang he and John Barlow’s “Estimated Prophet.”

“Built To Last” gave Hornsby a solo vocal performance while Weir stepped to the mic again for “Samson & Delilah.” Next, Lesh took his usual place in the spotlight to sing “Mountains Of The Moon.” The first set closed with Bobby belting out “Throwing Stones,” in which he changes the lyrics to reflect today’s socio-political climate.

The second frame got underway with a couple of Weir-sung tunes in “Truckin’” and “Cassidy.” Next, the band let Trey sing on “Althea” followed by the epic “Terrapin Station,” which saw Lesh and Weir trading lead vocal duties. “Terrapin” led into “Drums,” giving Rhythm Devils Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart a chance to shine.

After “Space,” Phil sang “Unbroken Chain” ahead of Bobby on “Days Between.” The second set reached an appropriate conclusion with “Not Fade Away,” which saw Weir, Anastasio and Hornsby throwing lead vocals back and forth along with some audience participation.

As always, Phil emerged ahead of the encore for his “Donor Rap,” prefacing another fitting number, “Touch of Grey,” which once again saw Trey, Bobby and Bruce handling vocals. The band then left the stage — with the audience taking “Not Fade Away” back up — but would reemerge again, appropriately for the momentous occasion to conclude the show with yet another fitting tune, the poignant “Attics Of My Life,” which featured Weir on acoustic guitar joined on vocals by Lesh, Anastasio and Hornsby.

Check full show audio and setlist below:

[Originally Published: July 5, 2019]