Dawes Play Surprise Grateful Dead Tribute Show on Thanksgiving Eve

Guitarist Taylor Goldsmith and drummer Griffin Goldsmith, the brothers who comprise the duo Dawes, offered a surprise evening of Grateful Dead music at Pasadena, CA’s Old Towne Pub on Wednesday, November 27. The Thanksgiving Eve performance was billed as Eric Krasno, Ross James, Alex Koford and Adam MacDougall as well as “very special guests.” (The core band were all regulars at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads at different times.)

 Fittingly, the evening consisted mostly of Grateful Dead-associated music. The members of Dawes emerged at the start of the show for “Bertha,” which featured Taylor on lead vocals, and remained on stage throughout the two-set show. After “Bertha,” the musicians moved into “Deal,” “Scarlet Begonias,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” “Fire on the Mountain” and “Samson & Delilah.” Despite it being Thanksgiving, the musicians then launched into Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London,” the Grateful Dead family’s Halloween cover, a Griffin-sung take on “Cassidy,” “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider.”  

For their second set, the ensemble kicked off with Taylor on vocals “Help on the Way” and then a suite of music that considered of “Slipknot,” “Franklin’s Tower,” “Sugaree” and “Playin’ in the Band.” A heartfelt “Brokedown Palace” closed the night.

Krasno will join Dawes for their Christmas show at at Los Angeles’ The Bellwether on December 7. For more on Dawes’ connection to the Dead, please read our recent feature on the band.