Manny’s Civic Gathering Space to Host Three-Part Conversation Series on Past, Present and Future of the Grateful Dead

In conjunction with Dead & Company’s highly anticipated three-night run at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, on August 1-3, Manny’s, the Mission District’s civic gathering space, has announced its Grateful Dead-related programming, which aims to examine the enduring legacy of the ensemble, their present popularity, and ever-expanding influence on culture and sound. 

The event space’s lauded programming will take place over two nights, Tuesday, July 29, and Wednesday, July 30, and leans into three modes of band analysis: past, present, and future. Night one commences at 6 pm and will offer a deep dive into the Dead’s mid-60s formation. Dennis McNally (Grateful Dead’s longtime publicist), Nicholas Meriwether (Grateful Dead Studies Association), and Peter Richardson (Author, No Simple Highway) will lead a discussion on the Dead’s role during the era’s counterculture revolution and the concert effect. 

The second program, which delves into the band’s present, an unmatched legacy fueled by brazen live performances that inspired community values, will be hosted by Benji Eisen (Co-author of Bill Kreutzmann’s Deal) and include speakers Julia Goldberg (Treatment Studios) and Mary Conde (Another Planet Entertainment). 

The third and final conversation will see the return of Eisen as the host. He will lead David Gans (Sirius XM’s Grateful Dead Channel) and Dead Budnick (Relix) in a discussion about the potential impact of the Dead’s music on future generations, from electronic reimaginings to the jamband revival. 

Manny’s programming represents just some of the events happening around San Francisco in celebration of the Grateful Dead’s legacy and Dead & Company’s Golden Gate Park appearances. An expanded list of programming can be found on the city’s official website. 

Tickets for Program One: Past, Program Two: Present, and Program Three: Future are available now.