Yes, that’s me, an old “Dead Head” wearing one of my vintage Grateful Dead t-shirts. I read about the recent 60th Anniversary Grateful Dead celebrations and performances in San Francisco. Fans old and young flocked to San Francisco last week to hear the concerts and just catch a little of the old vibe of an era long ago. Nearly 60,000 concertgoers, dressed in head-to-toe tie-dye, flooded JFK Boulevard all weekend for the three-night Grateful Dead 60th anniversary celebration in Golden Gate Park. I’m sure it was a blast!

I took Marla to the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore Auditorium, to watch bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Sons of Chaplin, and many others. I was working in Stockton after graduation and Marla was a junior in college.

I dressed up with a long wig like a San Francisco rock concert goer and Marla came as a spy for a college costume party. Someone yelled at me,…”you f___ing hippie!” I admit to pushing him over. Yes, I admit, a pretty juvenile move!

My friend Tom gave me this original Grateful Dead poster for a big birthday of mine. He has one of the largest rock and roll poster collections in the country. I loved going to his house for parties when he lived in our neighborhood. He played live concert videos from a high-definition laser disc and played the feed on 5 large TV monitors placed throughout his home. So much fun!

A short video of the concert scene in 1967. It shows how the light show was done.

In 1968 the Grateful Dead performed a farewell concert to the Haight neighborhood in San Francisco. Fabulous and iconic Jim Marshall photo showing From left, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Jerry Garcia.

Early video of the concert.

1967 Jim Marshall photo of the Dead in San Francisco. Click on link for more: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2025/08/entertainment/grateful-dead-jim-marshall-cnnphotos/

One of my very favorites…”Morning Dew.”

Early photo of the famous Grateful Dead “Wall of Sound” speaker set up. I remember being in the 8th row at one of the shows and the sound was wild!

1974 video at Winterland in San Francisco…”Eyes of the World.”

1989 in Orchard Park, New York, playing “Bertha.”

Dead & Company perform a 60th anniversary tribute for the Grateful Dead at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Friday, August 1st. Anna Connors/S.F. Chronicle photo.

Current members of Dead & Company include: Dead & Company formed in 2015 with a lineup of former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir (guitar and vocals), Mickey Hart (drums), and Bill Kreutzmann (drums), along with John Mayer (guitar and vocals), Oteil Burbridge (bass, percussion, and vocals), and Jeff Chimenti (keyboards). Jay Lane replaced Kreutzmann on drums in 2023. A number of muscians sit in at various concerts.

Fans cheer as Billy Strings opens for Dead & Company’s 60th anniversary tribute for the Grateful Dead at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Friday, Aug. 1. Anna Connors/S.F. Chronicle

Ronnie Eberenz of St. Louis dances to Billy Strings’ opening performance before Dead & Company’s 60th anniversary tribute for the Grateful Dead at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Friday, Aug. 1. Anna Connors/S.F. Chronicle

The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock + Roll was an exhilarating 2017 exhibition of iconic rock posters, photographs, interactive music and light shows, costumes and textiles, ephemera, and avant-garde films at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. It was a 50th anniversary celebration of the adventurous and colorful counterculture that blossomed in the years surrounding the legendary San Francisco summer of 1967.

Marla and I flew out to see the Museum’s “Summer of Love” exhibition. The De Young did a fantastic job of recreating the vibe of 1967!

My Mom and good friend Lea went with us to the exhibit. My Mom was 97 years old and still wanted to go to the exhibit with us. What a trooper!

Rock-poster artists such as Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, and Wes Wilson generated an exciting array of distinctive works featuring distorted hand-lettering and vibrating colors.

I’ve always had a love of poster art! Click on this link to see how Marla and I first plunged into collecting and selling vintage posters: https://gentryconnects.net/?p=15275

The De Young Museum exhibit showcased wonderful posters of the Summer of Love era.

A fascinating quote from Allen Ginsberg.

Marla loved the fashion aspect of the exhibit!

Photos: Dick Gentry, SF Gate, SF Chronicle, Jim Marshall, Anna Connors