FARE THEE WELL

What happened after the long, strange trip ended—and then continued.

When Jerry Garcia, the legendary guitarist and de facto frontman of the Grateful Dead, died in 1995, the surviving band members chose to dissolve the band that had toured since 1965. Deadheads the world over were despondent, but it didn’t take long for the “Core Four”—bassist Phil Lesh, rhythm guitar player Bob Weir, and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart—to resume playing in various configurations. In his latest book, San Francisco Chronicle pop music journalist Selvin (Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day, 2016, etc.) digs into the ups and downs of the 20 years following Garcia’s death. Die-hard fans will know most of the stories, but the author does a credible job navigating the countless permutations (RatDog, Further, the Other Ones, Phil and Friends, The Dead) and the revolving door of musicians (Warren Haynes, Bruce Hornsby, Steve Kimock, Trey Anastasio, among others) who played with the remaining members from 1995 through the momentous Fare Thee Well 50th anniversary shows in 2015. Those shows set a record for a concert by a single band, bringing in more than $50 million, demonstrating the remarkable staying power of the Grateful Dead. Though Selvin is “no Deadhead,” he has seen his fair share of shows, and his job at the Chronicle brought him into contact with the members numerous times across the decades. He has also done his homework, interviewing all of the major—and many minor—players involved in the band’s history. Much of the narrative is a litany of endless bickering among the surviving members, rocky terrain that the author handles capably, albeit in workmanlike prose. The book lacks the grace of a Greil Marcus, but the pages turn quickly enough to engage readers intrigued by the Dead’s mystique.

For Deadheads, sure, but also rock fans who may wonder where the road led after Jerry died.