On Tuesday, August 13, celebrities and musicians gathered for the virtual rally and fundraiser, Dead Heads for Kamala: Get on the Bus with Us, supporting 2024 presidential hopeful Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz. Spanning over two-and-a-half hours and raising over $50,000, the event emphasized the question, “Are you kind?” through remarks and live performances of material from the Grateful Dead’s music library. A video capturing last night’s livestream has been shared on YouTube, which you can watch below.
Opening the night, second-generation bluegrass torchbearer Sam Grisman and company performed a rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey” ahead of opening remarks provided by Steve Leventhal and David Gans, organizing committee members for the event. Declarations of support continued with speeches from Grateful Dead Channel host Gary Lambert, Ben & Jerry’s founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Vermont House of Representatives candidate Jeanne Albert, and longtime U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy.
Music remained a consistent theme of the night as ALO turned up and provided an acoustic take on “Eyes of the World.” This was followed by words of support for the arts and educational funding from live music photographer Jay Blakesberg, film producer Matthew Rhodes and climate/ hip hop activist Rev. Yearwood.
Tapping into the Jerry Garcia Band’s archive, siblings Zoe and Dave Ellis played “Brothers and Sisters.” The song led to ensuing conversations about immigration and humankind, as told by the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States Neal Katyal, comedian Marc Maron, film producer Amir Bar Lev and youth activists Lily Ellis and Kaia MarBin.
Additional musical tributes included Dark Star Orchestra’s interpretation of “Throwing Stones,” which had been taped at Pier 17 in New York City. Moreover, singer Jackson Gilles gave a solo take on “Help on the Way,” pianist Holly Bowling’s covered “Let It Grow,” and remixes of “Fire on the Mountain” came from DJ Logic and LP Giobbi. Music continued with Bertha: A Grateful Drag Band’s take on “Cumberland Blues,” Grahame Lesh’s performance of “Standing on the Moon,” as well as Joe Russo, joined by his youngest daughter, for “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” and partnered with comments on the importance of Women’s Rights in the upcoming election.
Apart from Grateful Dead covers, Steve Poltz debuted his original song “K to the A,” inspired by Harris’ bid to become the 47th President of the United States. Mikaela Davis and her band then returned to the Dead archive, playing “Ripple,” before the evening concluded in the tradition of Grateful Dead concerts past with “We Bid You Goodnight” from Sunshine Becker and Cheryl Rucker.
For more information, please visit deadheadsforkamala.com. Watch the video below.
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