Grateful Dead Broadcasting ‘Fare Thee Well’ In Movie Theaters

When the Grateful Dead officially announced its Bay Area shows last week, the band said folks who couldn’t make it should stay tuned because it was “working on ways for you to still experience our Fare Thee Well, from wherever you might be.” Turns out Deadheads will want to plan a trip to their local movie theater.

Surviving members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir will mark the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary and say goodbye to fans with five special nights of shows. “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead” takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., June 27-28, and Chicago’s Soldier Field July 3-5.

With tickets to all five “Fare Thee Well” shows sold out, the next best thing to being in the audience is to snag a seat in one of the movie theaters broadcasting the Soldier Field gigs.

Fathom Events, along with Peter Shapiro and Madison House, is bringing all three nights to the big screen. The July 3-5 shows will be broadcast live beginning at 7 p.m. CDT, with the performances expected to last five hours. An announcement points out that you might want to visit your local theater each night of the Chicago run because each concert will be different. Tickets for the unprecedented live three-night cinema event will be available May 4.

The Windy City shows take place almost 20 years to the day since the Grateful Dead’s last concert, which was also at Soldier Field. The band’s April 10 open letter about Levi’s Stadium noted that no additional Fare Thee Well shows would be added and that the Chicago residency “will still be our final stand.”

The band will be joined at Levi’s Stadium and Soldier Field by Phish frontman Trey Anastasio on guitar, Bruce Hornsby on piano and Jeff Chimenti on keyboards.

Fans can click here to sign up for an email reminder for the Fare Thee Well broadcast. You can also text CONCERTS to FATHOM for event updates.