On This Day in 2015: The Grateful Dead’s Four Surviving Members Played Their Last Concert Together

Nine years ago today (July 5, 2015), The Grateful Dead’s four main surviving members played their last-ever concert together. The occasion was the third and final date of the Fare Thee Well series of shows celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The concerts took place on July 3, 4, and 5, and featured four core Grateful Dead members—singer/guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart—performing with Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, one-time Dead touring keyboardist Bruce Hornsby, and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

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Prior to the Soldier Field concerts, two other Fare Thee Well shows were held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on June 27 and June 28, 2015. All five events featured almost completely different set lists.

The July 5 show featured a mix of Dead classics, fan favorites, deep cuts, and select covers. The well-known songs that the group played included “China Cat Sunflower,” “Truckin’,” “Terrapin Station,” and “Touch of Grey.” Among the rarities were “Built to Last” and “Mountains of the Moon.”

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“Built to Last” is the title track of The Grateful Dead’s final studio album, which was released in 1989. The band hadn’t played the song in concert since 1990. “Mountains of the Moon” originally appeared on The Grateful Dead’s third studio effort, Aoxomoxoa, and the band hadn’t performed it live since 1969.

In November 2015, an audio/video collection featuring performances from the three Fare Thee Well concerts in Chicago was released in multiple configurations.

Other Times Grateful Dead Members Played Together After Jerry Garcia’s Death

The last official Grateful Dead concert featuring founding frontman Jerry Garcia took place on July 9, 1995, at Soldier Field. After Garcia’s death in August 1995, Weir, Lesh, Hart, and Hornsby toured together in a group christened The Other Ones in 1998. In 2000, Lesh left the band, while Kreutzmann joined the lineup. In 2002, Lesh rejoined The Other Ones, while Hornsby exited the group. The 2002 lineup also featured Chimenti.

In 2003, The Other Ones changed their name to, simply, The Dead. The group toured in 2003, 2004, and 2009, and also played a few select other shows.

Lesh & Friends and Dead & Company

The Fare Thee Well shows marked the final time that Weir, Lesh, Hart and Kreutzmann all played together. Lesh has continued to tour with various artists under the moniker Phil Lesh & Friends.

In 2015, Weir, Kreutzmann, and Hart teamed up with Chimenti, singer/guitarist John Mayer, and ex-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge to form Dead & Company. That group has become an extremely popular touring act. Kreutzmann left the band in 2023 and was replaced by RatDog drummer Jay Lane.

Dead & Company announced that its 2023 trek would be its final tour. The band subsequently signed on to play a 30-show residency at Sphere in Las Vegas in 2024. The engagement kicked off May 16 and is scheduled through an August 10 concert.

Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead, Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, 7/5/2015:

Set 1:

1. “China Cat Sunflower” >
2. “I Know You Rider”
3. “Estimated Prophet”
4. “Built to Last”
5. “Samson and Delilah”
6. “Mountains of the Moon”
7. “Throwing Stones”

Set 2:

1. “Truckin’”
2. “Cassidy”
3. “Althea”
4. “Terrapin Station” >
5. Drums >
6. Space >
7. “Unbroken Chain”
8. “Days Between”
9. “Not Fade Away”

Encore 1:

1. “Touch of Grey”

Encore 2:

1. “Attics of My Life”

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