Q

Eulogy for the Grateful Dead

As the Grateful Dead "Fare Thee Well" tour comes to a close in July, Shad checks in with two experts on the Dead's lasting cultural influence.
Guitarist Bob Weir, left, and Phil Lesh, right, two of the remaining living members of the band The Grateful Dead, perform a sound check at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco in 2008. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)

The remaining members of the Grateful Dead are set to lay their band to rest. As the 50th anniversary "Fare Thee Well" tour approaches in July, Shad checks in with two experts on the band's lasting cultural influence. 

  • Peter Richardson, an American studies professor at San Francisco State University, reflects on the origins and impact of the Dead. 
  • Carl Wilson, Slate's music critic, follows with a critic's view on the band as a phenomenon, and why the nostalgia of the baby boomer generation has so dominated pop culture.

q: Are you a deadhead? What does the band's Fare Thee Well tour mean to you?