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With Dead & Co. kicking off its second residency this weekend at Las Vegas’ Sphere at the Venetian — and the first since the death of bassist Phil Lesh in October — the time feels right to celebrate the Grateful Dead. And a big anniversary is upon us: Forming in San Francisco in 1965, the ultimate jam bad has evolved over the 60 ensuing years into an American cultural institution. To commemorate popular music‘s longest, strangest trip, there are the countless Dead reissues, boxed sets and fashion items. But Grateful Dead imagery — the Skulls & Roses, the Dancing Bears, the “Invisible Pimp” of Shakedown Street — now adorns a wide-array of authorized products, all of them appealing choices to spoil the Deadhead in your life.
Tickets for Dead & Co.’s 18-show residency (March 27 to May 17) are available online at Ticket Network (THR150 for $150 off orders of $500 and up or code THR300 for $300 off $1,000 and up), VividSeats (Use code THR30 to save $30 on purchases of $300 and above), Stubhub, Seatgeek (HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on purchases of $250 and up), Viagogo and Ticketmaster.
Here’s just a sample of the best Grateful Dead merch to keep you truckin’. From mountain bikes to gravity bongs, there’s something for every fan’s wishlist — besides tickets to a show at Sphere, of course.
Retrospec’s 60th Anniversary Grateful Dead Collection
The web-based bike and sporting goods company has paired with The Grateful Dead for a line of outdoor equipment sure to keep you active out where the blossoms are blooming. Retrospec x Grateful Dead includes a wide selection of e-bikes, regular bikes and paddleboards. The 8-speed Amok Gravel Adventure Bike (probably a better name than “Fire on the Mountain Bike”) is a mossy green with black lightning bolts and a yellow “Grateful Dead” on the side and a “60” on the saddle stem.
Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection
Out June 17, Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection is a new book that tells the story of the band’s “Wall of Sound,” a literal wall of speakers “as tall as a school bus is wide” and over 100 feet long that projected the band’s shows for two magical years. Author Brian Anderson interviewed over 50 people for this latest non-fiction release about the band.
NBA x Grateful Dead
Homage’s Grateful Dead NBA collection offers 30 Jerry Garcia’d-up takes on all NBA teams, marrying the two on a line of hoodies and tees ($38-$74), while Lids’ does the same for the real estate above your ears ($32). Personal fave might be the Lakers merch, but we may be biased.
Slowtide x Grateful Dead Beach Towels and Blankets
With summer around the corner, turn your next beach day or picnic in the park into a love-in courtesy of this range of blankets and beach towels covered in Dancing Bears, Skull & Roses and other Feed Your Head iconography.
Stündenglass Grateful Dead Gravity Infuser
For the Deadhead stoner — is there any other kind — this Cadillac of bongs is the way to go. It’s a sophisticated instrument with a 360-degree rotating glass infuser that “generates kinetic motion activation via cascading water displacement, opposing airflow technology and the natural force of gravity.” Translation: Prepare to get extraordinarily high with its “smooth, consistent and vaporous draws.”
‘Enjoying the Ride’ CD Box Set
The ultimate music collection for the ultimate fan, Enjoying the Ride is a 60-CD set ($600) of live shows spanning 1969 through 1994 — almost all of which is never-before-released music, 450 tracks in all. The collection comes in a keepsake box inspired by the circus-caravan life of touring the Dead and features photos taken at the 20 shows documented in the set. It drops May 30 and is limited to 6,000 numbered copies.