Texas Musicians Kenny Withrow, Paul Slavens, Michael Richardson and More Invoke Grateful Dead at Dallas Concert

On Sunday, May 25, a warm evening during Memorial Day weekend, Dallas showed up in a big way for Homage Nation at The Kessler Theater.

The night featured decades of Grateful Dead music performed by some of the city’s most beloved musicians, including Scott Johnson, Hunter Hendrickson, Kenny Withrow, Patrice Pike, Michael Richardson, Bob McConville, Texas Slim, Grady Don Sandlin, Dylan McQuaid and more. The concert benefited the Grateful Guitars Foundation founded by Andy Logan. The Foundation equips professional guitarists in the Grateful Dead scene with custom-crafted instruments.

Upon entering the venue early, around 4:30 p.m., both the lobby and the upstairs were already packed. As the balcony seating began to fill up and people made their way to their places, the room was all smiles as fans were anticipating the first of four sets. Summer dresses, paisley prints, cargo shorts, sandals, of course, the famous tie-dye shirts were worn by all. The walls of the Kessler were also transformed into a mirage of tie-dyed tapestries hanging from the balcony, giving visual cues that Grateful Dead music was soon on the way. As the “Dallas jamily” packed in around the front of the stage, instruments consisted of an arsenal of guitars, hand drums, amplifiers and what looked to be a period-correct electric organ and keyboard and by 5:00 p.m., the show was off and running.

The first set focused on the 1960s era of the Grateful Dead and was led by Kenny Withrow, most recognized for his work with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. Other musicians included bassist Reggie Rueffer, singer Scott Johnson, keyboardist Jim Cocke, drummer Kenny Stern and second drummer Grady Don Sandlin. The group opened with “Dark Star” a quintessential Grateful Dead song originally released in 1969. Striking visuals, run by Sarah Katherine, started the room off with a revolving universe and ran throughout the show, becoming just as important as the music and setting the vibes right for the dancing crowd. Next, the band moved on to “St. Stephen” before going into the 1960s jubilee “The Eleven” which, of course, had to be written in an eleven-four-time signature.
Just two songs in, the floor was completely packed as Withrow ripped through a heavy riff and guitar solo on what looked to be a vintage Gibson SG while both drummers played in unison. The psychedelic visions projected behind the band transformed the room into a momentary pastiche as the band dove into an epic rendition of “Cryptical Envelopment” from 1971. The set finished by 6:00 p.m. after a few more songs from that period of the Grateful Dead’s career, which also included, “Easy Wind.”

The second set was primarily acoustic and led by Mike Richardson, also known as “Big Mike,” by the many members of the “Dallas jamily.” This section of the show focuses on the music of the albums Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, both released in 1970, and a turn from '60s psychedelia to more of an Americana sort of contemplation.

Richardson led the band off at 6:20 p.m. with “Box of Rain,” once again enhanced by the visual projections. Some of the new musicians added to the mix included Jeffrey Gruber of the band Descender. “Dire Wolf” came next, which really had the front of house moving and vaguely sounded like it could be the origins of an alternative Americana trend that Dallas musicians seem to be building careers on today. They followed this with “Black Throated Wind,” from Bob Weir’s solo album titled Ace, from 1972. “New Speedway Boogie,” came later which had the audience singing along and shaking to the groove. “Brokedown Palace” came to much applause, followed by “Uncle John’s Band.” The group played another until going into the classic, “Friend of the Devil,” before finishing with “Ripple.”

The third set was led by Hunter Hendrickson and focused on the 1970s era of music with a visual return to the decade’s prog psychedelia. As members changed again, the new band broke into “China Cat Sunflower” followed by “I Know You Rider,” again transforming this resilient audience into a small sea of hip gyrations and claps. This was followed by “Playing in the Band,” another one off the Ace solo album by Weir. This section of the show included a great mix of instrumental jams from the 1973 album Wake of the Flood before the group started blending songs into one another featuring musicians Patrice Pike and Darrell Phillips of the Austin-based band Sister 7. The set closed with “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad,” from 1970, leaving the audience one last set of the night.
At this point in the evening, on stage, the Grateful Guitarist Foundation presented Swan Strings founder and musician Jess Garland with a $5,000 check, helping her to continue her important work in the nonprofit sector, providing free guitar lessons to seniors, adults and children. This was also met with much applause from the audience.

For the final set led by singer and guitarist Scott Johnson, the Grateful Dead tribute band opened with “Touch of Gray,” from 1987, successfully reenergizing those in the crowd again to a state of euphoria. “Cassidy” was next, which was a song members of the audience had been requesting all night with loud shouts. At this point, the audience saw a rotation of different musicians play in the group, including familiar faces with the return of Withrow, Reuffer and Richardson for a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man,” sung by Mike Rhyner.

So many songs were well executed throughout the night that it’s hard to pinpoint a definitive high in the four sets, but “Tennessee Jed,” featuring Texas Slim, seemed to be a real banger, judging from how the audience reacted. After this, several other musicians joined the stage, including Matt Hubbard on trombone and Paul Slavens on keys and vocals for a rendition of “Iko Iko." The band performed four more songs before ending with “Shakedown Street” and bidding the Kessler goodnight.

For Dallas fans of the Grateful Dead’s music, Jerry Garcia’s legacy was all the chatter between songs and sets. For many, the Grateful Dead and Garcia represent a certain kind of freedom, and for the tribute bands methodically performing his many works, it seemed to be more a practice in meditation and homage rather than performance. As the band tore into the crescendo of the night, one could only imagine Garcia watching and smiling from beyond that psychedelic universe that the show’s visuals worked so well to capture.

Overall, it was refreshing to see a musical performance that involved so many kinds of people. Phones stayed in pockets, selfie flashes didn’t disrupt the vibes and audience members were truly present by listening to the music. In rare situations like this, it’s about more than just the music and performance; it’s about a community celebrating Garcia’s legacy.

See photos from the night by our contributor, Andrew Sherman, below.