Bill & Dave had a reunion with the Waldecker boys at the Sardine Room's August Grateful Brunch, and it was a hoot!  Joseph played with us for the first time since leaving the band in February, and James had sit in just a week before at a private party. We took the opportunity to bring out some rarities (including Furthur tunes with lyrics by Robert Hunter) and debut some new tunes we'd never played.  Check it out!

Grateful Brunch at the Sardine Room, Plymouth, MI 8-26-2023
Set I: Help on the Way > Slipknot > Mississippi Half Step Toodeloo, Dupree's Diamond Blues*, New Speedway Boogie, Big Bad Blues, High Time*, Mason's Children > Turn on Your Love Light
Set II: Sugar Magnolia > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Touch of Grey, Victim or the Crime, Colors of the Rain, Box of Rain, Cassidy, Throwing Stones > Tangled Up In Blue > Sunshine Daydream

photos: Michael Chojnowski, Dave Martin

On Saturday, August 19, Raising The Dead performed on a deck at the beautiful Detroit Yacht Club.  Debbe Sapperstein contacted us about providing Grateful Dead music for her husband Leon's birthday party, and we were excited to oblige.  Bill, Chaim, and Dave were joined by James Waldecker on lead guitar.  Watching the sun set over the Detroit skyline while playing was just awesome, and Debbe arranged for an awesome light show, including a curtain that showed all kinds of cool patterns. Thanks for having us out, see you next year! 

8-19-2023 Detroit Yacht Club, Detroit MI
Set I: Promised Land, Sugaree, Bertha, El Paso > Me and My Uncle, Cold Rain and Snow, Brown Eyed Women, Touch of Grey, Truckin', Good Lovin'
Set II: Shakedown Street, Jack Straw, Estimated Prophet > Terrapin Station > Drums > Dancin' in the Street, Stella Blue, Not Fade Away
E: Quinn the Eskimo, Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain

Raising The Dead will return to Little Caesars arena for the third time Saturday, January 13, 2024 for their annual Grateful Dead night.  For the event, you need a special ticket package, which is not yet available.  As soon as it's published, we will let you know!  Last year's event sold out so make sure to act early to ensure your package, which will include the game, the show, and a special Red Wings Grateful Dead jersey.  In the mean time, check out our gigs page for upcoming shows near you!

for the July Grateful Brunch, Bill, Dave, and Chaim were joined by our good friend Justin Lee, who switched between keyboard and lead guitar, while slaying equaly hard on both!  We love Justin and the positive energy he brings every time we share a stage.  Highlights include... well, nearly everything!  Bird Song is a stand out for the interplay between Dave's guitar and Justin's keyboard, while Bill and Chaim are solid AF, the quartet stretching and bending as a whole throughout.  Scarlet > Eyes > Fire is also a 28-minute nonstop jam worth listening to. 

Grateful Brunch, Plymouth, MI 7-26-2023
I: Playin' in the Band > Me and Bobby McGee, Bertha, West LA Fadeaway, Cumberland Blues, Althea, Bird Song, Big River > Playin in the Band
II: Scarlet Begonias > Eyes of the World > Fire on the Mountain, Peggy O, Liberty, Let It Grow, Feel Like A Stranger, Franklin's Tower, Ripple
E: Friend of the Devil*
* for Annmarie

Raising The Dead returns for our acoustic residency at The Sardine Room on Saturday, July 29 from 11a-2p.  This month, Bill, Chaim, and Dave will be joined by our friend-with-benefits (the rock and roll kind) Justin Lee on both keys and guitar!  Reservations are encouraged.  This will be the first opportunity to get your hands on RTD T-shirts, just $20 in sizes M-2XL, while they last. See you there! 

photos: Bryan Buchan, Judy Pellerito

Dave grew up in Grand Rapids, specifically Plainfield Township where he attended Northview High School.  He spent countless evenings in college and after at Billy's Lounge seeing Karmic, Domestic Problems, Knee Deep Shag, and more recently The Soul Syndicate.  It was a thrill for him to return there to take the stage with his band for an evening with Raising The Dead.  

Being a holiday weekend, the crowd of 70+ was fewer than expected, but those that came, came HARD.  More than one fan relayed that GR needs a GD band! Happily filling that Dead-shaped gap, RTD matched and fed off their energy for a fantastic performance. We were joined again by Dead at the Winery's Michael Bush, who let us with expertise and energy, and our friend Jody Bauman, who live painted to the audience's delight.  See for yourself below! 

7-1-2023 Billy's Lounge, Grand Rapids, MI
I: Bertha, Alabama Getaway, Cumberland Blues, They Love Each Other, Mama Tried, Eyes of the World, Loser, Let It Grow, Brown Eyed Women, Shakedown Street, Good Lovin'
II: Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower, My Brother Esau, Mississippi Half Step Toodeloo, Jack A Roe, Tom Thumb's Blues, Throwing Stones, Sugaree, Not Fade Away > Going Down The Road Feeling Bad
E: One More Saturday Night

Raising the Dead return to Grand Rapids for the first time since playing the Griffin's Grateful Dead night in January, playing at the legendary Billy's Lounge.  Hey now!  Doors at 8, ages 21+

photos: William Morgan, Jody Bauman, Dave Martin, Michael Chojnowski

Raising The Dead had an amazing, Grateful Dead-packed weekend!  

Starting Saturday morning with our monthly acoustic Grateful Brunch at the Sardine Room, Matt, Dave, Bill, and Chaim jammed their way through two psychedelic sets of music.  Our buddy Jody Bauman joined us to live-paint a special piece we are donating back to the Sardine Room. 

That night we had the honor of headlining the Metro Times' Sandbar Summerfest in Hazel Park  We played one long set that started with Sugar magnolia and ended with Sunshine Daydream, with stops on some of the Dead's greatest tunes in between. 

Sunday, we were invited to perform at the Shakedown Beet, a fundraiser for Ukranian children promoted by our buddy Nick Zabrodsky at the Green Door in Lansing.  Alex enjoyed returning to a place he'd played over a hundred times, and the band was grateful for his excellent live sound engineering.  We were joined by Michael Bush of Dead at the Winery, and Bill Butler best described his integration with us as "effortless."  Mike will join us at our next gig, playing at Billy's Lounge in Grand Rapids on Saturday, July 1.  If you're on the West side of the state, this is the gig you've been waiting for!

6-24-2023 Grateful Brunch at The Sardine Room, Plymouth, MI
I: Friend of the Devil, The mUsic Never Stopped, Alabama Getaway, Bird Song, Hey Pocky Way, Greatest Story Ever Told, Men Smart Women Smarter, Broken Arrow, Row Jimmy, Truckin
II: Jack Straw, Mr. Charlie, Here Comes Sunshine, Tom Thumb's Blues, Foolish Heart, Dear Mr. Fantasy > Hey Jude, One More Saturday Night

6-24-2023 Sandbar Summerfest, Hazel Park, MI
Sugar Magnolia > Ramble On Rose > Hell in a Bucket, Touch of Grey > Saint Stephen > William Tell Bridge > The Eleven > Althea > The Music Never Stopped > Cassidy > Stella Blue > Sunshine Daydream

6-25-2023 Shakedown Beet, The Green Door, Lansing, MI
I: Bertha, Althea, Greatest Story Ever Told, Jack Straw, Mr. Charlie, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Tennessee Jed, Truckin
II: Shakedown Street, US Blues, Lazy Lightning > Supplication > Drums > Space > Uncle John's Band > Terrapin Station > Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain
​E: Ripple