Some of the obits on Grateful Dead frontman Bob Weir last week made it sound like the core element of the Deadhead lifestyle — hearing those songs played live — would be gone forever with him. Not a chance.
Sure, fans won’t be able to hear Dead songs performed by either of the band’s two main singers/guitarists anymore with Weir’s death Jan. 10 at age 78 from lung disease. Ever since his kindred co-leader Jerry Garcia died in 1995, though, enough Grateful Dead tribute bands have popped up to keep the music alive for decades to come.
Here’s proof. Several concerts were already on the calendar in the coming weeks and months that will give Twin Cities Deadheads the chance to get out and celebrate Weir. Here’s a roundup of those gigs, plus a couple of other ways to honor the Other One even while staying in.
1. Terrapin Flyer at Turf Club
Now in its 25th year, the touring tribute band is heading up Interstate 94 just days after hosting an impromptu two-day stand honoring Weir back home in Chicago. (8 p.m. Jan. 17, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $27, axs.com)
2. Dead of Winter Festival at Hook and Ladder
The nonprofit south Minneapolis firehouse-turned-venue is a haven for Deadhead events. Its next one will take place on two stages, headlined by the three-woman local tribute band the Grateful Gals, with the Dead Guys, Bigfoot Country and Debbie Center. Look for more Dead tributes this summer in the Hook and Ladder’s Under the Canopy series. (7:30 p.m. Jan. 24, 3010 Minnehaha Av., Mpls., $25-$30, thehookmpls.com)
3. Shotgun Ragtime Band at Driftwood Char Bar
This loose, all-Dead jam session has been happening weekly at a groovy South Side dive bar for 15 years with a core unit, frequent guests and a purported 400-song repertoire. (6:30 p.m. acoustic set, 8:30 p.m. electric every Sunday, 4415 Nicollet Av. S., no cover, driftwoodcharbar.com)
![Bassist Phil Wong with guitarists James Super and Michael Corcoran, front to back, of the Shotgun Ragtime Band at the Driftwood Char Bar in Minneapolis. ] JEFF WHEELER • jeff.wheeler@startribune.com For nearly 200 consecutive Sundays, the Shotgun Ragtime Band has hosted a Grateful Dead tribute night at the Driftwood Char Bar in Minneapolis. The Shotgun Ragtime Band kept their streak alive Sunday night, January 25, 2015 at the Driftwood Char Bar in Minneapolis.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/TPFFM3HXKSSVM3KNP5C4VDX4MY.jpg?&w=1080)
4. Acid Test Reunion at Turf Club
Timed to the 60th anniversary of Ken Kesey’s experiments with LSD — no, they don’t serve that in cans at the Turf (not yet anyway) — this psychedelic party will feature the Ween/Dead tribute band Terrapin Stallion and veteran Deadhead players the Jones Gang. (8 p.m. Jan. 29, $20, axs.com)
5. Dead Days of Winter at Icehouse
No relation to the other “Dead Days” mini-fest, it’s an annual event led by Arthur Hoffman of About to Run with a fun hodgepodge of local side players, including MVP drummer JT Bates and members of Brotherhood of Birds, Stringdingers and Jones Gang. (8 p.m. March 7, 2528 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., $15, icehousempls.com)
