April 11, 2015
(UPDATE 4/10/15) The Grateful Dead is returning home. According to JamBase.com, the band has confirmed June 27th and June 28th at Levi's Stadium in the Santa Clara. Two-day passes are also available. According to the band, approximately 65,000 tickets will be available via the "online mail order" for each night on dead50.com.
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The secondary market exploded when the Fare Thee Well shows went on sale, the Dead are trying to avoid that type of rush for tickets in Santa Clara. Tickets are available now, only through the Grateful Dead’s website. Fans can only request - not purchase - tickets for each show. The request period is open until Tuesday, April 14 at 11:59PM EST. The site claims all requests, regardless of timing, will be treated equally. A request, however, does not guarantee receiving tickets. There are also restrictions on the amount of tickets one can request. There is a four ticket limit per show (two if requesting GA floor seats), Only one request will be accepted per person, household or credit card.
These restrictions are in attempt to eliminate the secondary market as much as possible. Grateful Dead tickets currently have an average price on the secondary market above $1,000 for all three Soldier Field shows.
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Grateful Dead Announce "Fare Thee Well" 50th Anniversary Tour Dates In Chicago
(1/23/15) The Grateful Dead turns 50 this year and is celebrating its anniversary with a trio of shows at Chicago’s Soldier Field this summer. The group will play the home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears from July 3 to 5 and has named their short stay in Chicago the “Fare Thee Well” Tour. News of the band’s tour plans comes nearly 10 years after it played its final show with Jerry Garcia at Soldier Field, who passed away in 1995.
Fan club ticket pre-sale is scheduled for February 12 and 13. The general public will have access to tickets on February 14. While tickets won’t be available for another three weeks, the secondary market is anticipating huge prices.
For fans perusing the web in search of tickets, they won’t come cheap. The average price for Grateful Dead tickets over the three days of shows is currently $767.23 on the secondary market. The most expensive show will be on July 4, where secondary average is $813.56 and get-in price starts at $258. The group’s first show on July 3 will be the cheapest, with tickets averaging at $698.57 and the cheapest seat available for $234 on the secondary market.
While Garcia has since passed on, his spirit will be remembered when Dead Heads across the world travel to see the band perform for what may be the final time this summer. Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will lead the band over its three dates in Chicago, adding more allure to an exciting bill that also features Bruce Hornsby on piano.
According to reports, the Dead declined an offer of $3 million to headline this year’s Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee and ultimately opted to celebrate their rich past with final shows at Soldier Field. Founding member Bob Weir has stated that the band’s upcoming Chicago shows will be the final dates the original four members will play under the Grateful Dead moniker. Alongside founding member Phil Lesh, Weir will take the stage with Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. Jeff Chimenti will also take over keyboard duties.
It will be an unforgettable three nights when the Dead invade Chicago in July. With ticket prices reaching new highs as the band calls it quits, expect to pay big when looking for tickets.
