Richmond, VA – It was a hot and humid September night in Richmond, VA. For other performances, the adverse conditions may have had an impact on fan participation at an outdoor venue, but not for true Jerry Garcia / Grateful Dead fans!! On the evening of September 3, 2026, the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, with the support of Richmond Symphony, took the Allianz Amphitheater Richmond Riverfront by storm. It was a beautifully sweaty party!!
I immediately noticed a few differences from the last Dead related performance I took in. I did not see a large number of Shakedown Street vendors and there were no balloons to be seen. Of course I could have missed them, but that was just my observation. As such, I got the impression that a lot fewer people were seeing, tasting, smelling, or hearing colors. This was all about the symphonic celebration of the music Jerry was part of. Let the party begin!!
Richmond Symphony was prepared to play as conductor, Christopher Dragon, took to the stage. Enter the band, Melvin Seals (keys), Jacklyn LaBranch (vocals), Grahame Lesh (bass, vocals), John Morgan Kimock (drums), Kanika Moore (vocals), and Tom Hamilton (guitar, vocals) and the party was ready to begin!!
The night started out with “Attics of My Life” followed by, “Shakedown Street“. The displayed background was somewhat psychedelic, consistent with the Garcia theme. It was also pretty cool that, in true Dead fashion, there were recordings allowed. Of course, the days of bootlegs being a cherished possession are long gone, but it was awesome to see and hear that the tradition is alive and well.
To be honest, I did not follow the Dead, or Garcia, much in my youth and young adulthood. I had a hard time imagining an orchestral version of what I did know. To say the band and orchestra blew me away and gave me a whole new appreciation for the music would be an understatement. We were treated to a 2+ hour Garcia extravaganza with full orchestration. A “Bird Song” caught the attention of “Cats Under the Stars” played with a lot of “Crazy Fingers” accompanied by symphonic riffs. This was musical heaven. The Allianz crowd, on this hot and humid night, were out of their assigned seats and dancing in the aisles!!
After a short break, set 2 kicked off with “The Wheel“, “Here Comes Sunshine“. and “West L.A. Fadeaway” before jazz folkify it up with a little “Russian Lullaby“. The lullaby was amazing as Jacklyn LaBranch’s vocals got the already Garcia frenzied audience into the music even more.
One thing we also learned during the second sent was that Christopher Dragon was a conductor who could wear multiple hats. While I cannot remember which song it was, but was likely either “Morning Dew” or “Run for the Roses“, a train decided to pass by. As fate would have it, it sounded its horn to the music, blending in with the already perfect melody. Dragon worked his magic, with the symphony, the band, and with CSX Transportation. This got a huge cheer from crowd!!
As the set wound down, we finished off with “Terrapin Station” and “A Touch of Grey“, the latter being the first Dead song I recall from my early adulthood. As I tried to wander through up and down the aisles, taking in the partying audience, I noticed almost no one in their seats and all were dancing… grey or not they could all still move!
Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration Gallery
The band never left the stage after set two, going right into a three song encore that included, “Paul Revere“, “Brass Monkey“, and “No Sleep Till… Brooklyn“.
The stage lights went down, the grounds light went up, and all left celebrating the legendary Jerry Garcia. He would have been 84 years old. We lost him way too early, but his music lives on!!
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Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration Setlist
Set 1
Attics of My Life
Shakedown Street
Uncle John’s Band
Rubin and Cherise
Bird Song
Cats Under the Stars
Crazy Fingers
Scarlett Begonias
Set 2
The Wheel
Here Comes Sunshine
West L.A. Fadeaway
Russian Lullaby
China Cat Sunflower
Morning Dew
Run for the Roses
Terrapin Station
Touch of Grey
Encore
Paul Revere
Brass Monkey
No Sleep Till… Brooklyn
Show Date: September 03, 2026 in Richmond, VA
