Mickey Hart Reflects on Grateful Dead’s 60th in Poignant Post

Following Dead and Company‘s epic weekend at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Mickey Hart shared a poignant reflection of the 60th anniversary shows.

“This weekend was 3 days of coming home and in those final moments of the weekend, it was truly profound,” he wrote on Instagram. “I saw 60,000 people sparking light, in love, entrained big time and coming our way. Different than applause after a song, it sounded more like an ahhhhhh. All the peace and love in proximity generated a collective energy that was shared by all. Very rare stuff indeed.”

Hart then took a moment to mention late members of the Dead, including Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, lyricist Robert Hunter, and longtime roadie, Ramrod (Laurence Shurtliff). “I saw Jerry and Phil and Pigpen hovering over the crowd smiling like Cheshire cats,” he said. “I saw Hunter and Ramrod through the beauty of the fog and lights.”

He added: “In the final moments of the weekend standing right next to Bob [Weir] and feeling the raw emotion coming our way from our fans, I felt Bob’s heartbeat, along with mine, and the deep connection we have with all of you. All the years combine. They melt into a dream.”

The Dead and Company shows featured special guest appearances from Trey Anastasio (“Scarlet Begonias” and “Fire on the Mountain”), Sturgill Simpson (“Morning Dew”), Grahame Lesh (several songs, including his dad’s “Box of Rain” on Friday), and Billy Strings (“Wharf Rat”). “No matter how many shows we play as a band, I will always be a guest in this musical world, and I’ll never lose sight of what is the great honor of my life,” John Mayer said, following the three-night run.

Next up, Deadheads can look forward to seeing 1977’s The Grateful Dead Movie in IMAX this month, while a 50th anniversary deluxe edition of Blues for Allah arrives in Sept. “If you hang in there long enough, people start paying attention to you,” Weir told us earlier this year. “I guess if I ever have grandkids, they’ll probably take me a bit more seriously. But really, I’m the same guy. I still have to get out of bed in the morning, and my back’s cranky. Nothing much has changed.”