Sweetwater, CineArts Sequoia to Broadcast Grateful Dead’s Sold-Out ‘Fare Thee Well’ Shows

Mill Valley’s Bob Weir and his fellow Grateful Dead bandmates – with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio subbing in for the late Jerry Garcia – are getting revved up for a string of massive “Fare Thee Well” shows that will mark the ultimate end to the Grateful Dead as an active entity. The band is set to play two Bay Area gigs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on June 27 and 28, followed by a three-night stand at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 3, 4 and 5.

The hotly anticipated “Fare Thee Well” shows are sold out, but if you’re looking to watch the shows without leaving the 94941, you’re in luck. The band is broadcasting the shows live via a pay-per-view broadcast, with devout Deadhead and CNBC reporter Steve Liesman and Bill Walton, a Basketball Hall of Famer and fellow Deadhead serving as hosts. The live stream of all three concerts, spanning more than 15 hours, will also include a short documentary, live interviews with fans and taped interviews with band members.

Those streams come with a pricey price tag – all five nights for $110 or the Chicago run for $80 – but both the Sweetwater Music Hall and the CineArts at Sequoia Theatre are showing each of the Chicago shows for $20 and $25, respectively.

“Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead” will feature the four surviving original members of the Grateful Dead – Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzman, Phil Lesh and Weir – reuniting for their last-ever performances together. The concerts will take place nearly 20 years to the day after the last Grateful Dead concert with Jerry Garcia, and the band will be joined by Anastasio, Jeff Chimenti (keyboards) and Bruce Hornsby (piano).

The 411: More info on the Sweetwater events and the Sequoia events.