MusiCares’ Grateful Dead Tribute Set To Shine With Dead & Company, Billy Strings, Maren Morris & More
Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, Sierra Ferrell & Lukas Nelson, Norah Jones and Noah Kahan are more of those expected to honor the Grateful Dead.
By Scott Bernstein Jan 21, 2025 • 9:30 am PST

Photo via Grateful Dead Productions by Herb Greene
UPDATE (January 21 @ 9:30 a.m. PT): MusiCares officially announced the performers for the 2025 Persons Of The Year gala honoring the Grateful Dead. The article below has been revised with information from the official announcement including the members of the house band.
The Grateful Dead will be honored at the 2025 MusiCares Persons Of The Year benefit gala during Grammys Week. MusiCares revealed the star-studded lineup of performers for the tribute concert topped by Dead & Company featuring GD members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart.
Dead & Co. guitarist John Mayer has been listed separately while longtime Grateful Dead collaborator and one-time member Bruce Hornsby is also expected to perform. Dave Matthews, Billy Strings, Maren Morris, Mick Fleetwood with Stewart Copeland, Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, Sammy Hagar, Norah Jones, Noah Kahan, Sierra Ferrell & Lukas Nelson, The War On Drugs, The War and Treaty, Zac Brown, Maggie Rose and Dwight Yoakam round out the absolutely stacked lineup.
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This year’s MusiCares Persons Of The Year ceremony/benefit concert will be held on January 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Celebrity Deadhead Andy Cohen will host the evening and Bert Kreischer will present. The house band for the gala will feature Jeff Chimenti, Benmont Tench, Greg Leisz, Rick Mitarotonda, Grahame Lesh, Kendrick Scott, Terence Higgins and musical director Don Was.
Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and fellow surviving core Grateful Dead member Bill Kreutzmann will be honored at the event in recognition of “their immense contributions to music, their tireless philanthropic efforts and their pioneering role in fostering communities through their concerts and activism.” Bassist Phil Lesh was also named as an honoree before his death at age 84 last October.
The event is moving forward despite the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The Recording Academy founded MusiCares to provide health and human services for music professionals.
“Your attendance at Persons of the Year and your ongoing generosity will support these continued vital efforts, helping those in urgent need and signaling to the world that this vibrant city is on its feet,” MusiCares wrote in a statement. “At our upcoming Persons of the Year, we will make a special appeal for donations to support our wildfire relief efforts. We invite you to join us in spreading the word to your friends and family by sharing this link: www.musicares.org/FireRelief.”