Update (March 8): Tickets are now on-sale here, with a lottery system in place and a discounted section for Cornell University students.
Original story (March 6, 2023):
ITHACA, N.Y.—The Dead are returning to Ithaca.
First reported locally by 14850.com, Dead & Company (the current iteration of The Grateful Dead) will be performing a benefit show on May 8, 2023 to commemorate their storied performance at Barton Hall on Cornell University’s Campus on May 8, 1977.
That concert has achieved a high level of folklore among Grateful Dead fans, assisted by a particularly good tape made of the performance that long circulated among Dead fans and eventually made its way to the internet, even inspiring a book written about the show. While everything is subjective, Dead fans consider the 1977 show at Barton Hall a “perfect game” in terms of setlist, transitions, musical performance, etc.
The group announced the upcoming performance on March 3 in a tweet. The band currently features three members of the original Grateful Dead (Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, along with prominent guitarist and songwriter John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. Tickets are not yet available.
Certain details aren’t clear yet, but it appears the concert will have a smaller number of tickets available than normal, and that it will be held to benefit the Cornell 2030 Project and MusiCares. MusiCares is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting musicians in need of financial, medical or other forms of assistance, while the Cornell 2030 Project deals with research and action to fight climate change.
