The MusiCares Persons of the Year benefit gala, one of several official pre-Grammy Awards functions scheduled to take place in Los Angeles ahead of the Feb. 2 show, will go on with its tribute to the Grateful Dead on Jan. 31 and some big names are attached, sources reveal.
The Hollywood Reporter has been tipped to the slated performers on the lineup. They include: Dead & Company, John Mayer, Mick Fleetwood with Stewart Copeland, Norah Jones, Maren Morris, Noah Kahan, Vampire Weekend, Sierra Farrell and Lukas Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Strings, My Morning Jacket, the War and Treaty, Sammy Hagar, Zac Brown and the War on Drugs. Previous Grateful Dead collaborator Bruce Hornsby is also expected and friend of the band, and Bravo TV host, Andy Cohen — himself a longtime Deadhead who has hosted Weir on Watch What Happens — will MC the evening.
An official announcement is due out imminently. THR has reached out to organizers of the event, which includes the Recording Academy, and reps for the band.
Dead & Co. is currently comprised of Grateful Dead co-founders Bob Weir and Mickey Hart with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti filling the ranks. Since 2024, Jay Lane has been filling in for Bill Kreuztmann on drums.
Certain to make this year’s tribute even more poignant, the greater Grateful Dead family saw the loss of a founding member last year when bassist Phil Lesh died in October at the age of 84. And this August marks 35 years since Jerry Garcia’s death at 53.
Dead & Co. is coming off of a defining year for the band. In 2024, they took residence at the Sphere in Las Vegas for a series of shows under the banner “Dead Forever.” Initially booked for 18 weekend dates, they would plays 30 shows in total from May to August 2024. The run grossed over $130 million and has set the template for future acts to utilize the state-of-the-art and its immersive audio-visual capabilities. They return to the Sphere this spring to mark the tenth anniversary of Dead & Co.
If ever there was a time to appreciate the Dead’s own lyrics — “We will get by, we will survive” — it’s now in the wake of destructive wildfires that have consumed entire L.A.-area neighborhoods. MusiCares has pledged financial support for musicians and industry professionals in the form of its Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort and the event will also emphasize the organization’s fire-related aid initiatives.
Previous MusiCares Person of the Year honorees include Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Lionel Richie, Jon Bon Jovi, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand.
Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989, MusiCares is a U.S.-based nonprofit that provides support for the music community through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts.
Read the full article here
