Dead Ahead Festival: A Day Of Grateful Dead Tunes!

Get ready for a groovy day of Grateful Dead tunes at the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center! (ALL AGES WELCOME)

Join us on Saturday, August 31st from 1:00PM-9:00PM for an unforgettable outdoor festival experience featuring live music, great food, unique vendors, and an amazing atmosphere.

Highlights:

• Enjoy 5 full sets of live music from incredible bands dedicated to celebrating the spirit and sound of the Grateful Dead.
• Explore a variety of vendors offering delicious food, unique merchandise, and various products and services.
• Keep the energy flowing with additional music playing between sets by DJ Lackin' In Some Direction

Ticket Prices:

General Admission: $30.00 (Event ticket ONLY, Parking NOT included)

VIP Ticket: $45.00 (Includes Parking, SLPAC T-Shirt, 1 Free Drink Ticket, & covered seating area at Main Stage)

All Access Pass: $55.00 (Includes Parking, SLPAC T-Shirt, 1 Free Drink Ticket, covered seating area at Main Stage, & exclusive cocktail lounge)

Parking: $5.00

Live Music Schedule:

1:00-2:00PM: Dead DJ Set

2:00-3:00PM: Meds presents: ‘Grateful Meds’

3:30-4:30PM: Steely Dead (1st Set)

5:00-6:00PM: Zach Nugent's Dead Set (1st Set)

6:30-7:30PM: Steely Dead (2nd Set)

8:00-9:00PM: Zach Nugent's Dead Set (2nd Set)

Shakedown Street Vendors

Femmebot: Women's boutique blending glam rock and bohemian style

TOG Designs: A boutique that offers Batik bags, pouches, wallets, & Grateful Dead bags and pouches

Nancy Ryan's Handmade Jewelry: Hand-crafted beaded jewelry including earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and sets

Sugar Mag's Rags: The Traveling Hippie Gift Shoppe: 60's flavored jewelry, clothing, accessories, incense, flags, chimes, tapestries, & more!

Bears And Buses: Mobile boutique offering t-shirts, patches, pins, tapestries, hats, rings, jackets, sweatshirts, and so much more!

Siren Society Art: A collaborative union of female artists offering pins, wearables, slaps, & various other merchandise designed exclusively by women

Graze Restaurant: Delicious farm to table fare

Ice Capps: Family-owned dessert shop serving authentic Italian ices, hand-crafted gelatos, & other sweet treats with a variety of flavors to choose from

Three Beautiful Souls Crystals: Mother and two daughter-owned boutique offering an array of crystals, candles, and jewelry

David Gem Fine Jewelry Design: David Gem is a premier jewelry design studio with a love of fine gemstones and jewelry. Gem works in Sterling Silver, Karat Gold, and Platinum with an ever-changing collection of gems and jewelry designs.

New York Soda Jerks: An old-school mobile soda soda shop! Serving eggcreams, the way they were meant to be, ice cream floats, & handmade shakes, will take you back in time, making you feel like you’re back in a more simpler time.

Looming Madness: Hand-loomed, hand-sewn, & crochet items such as hats, headbands, baby booties, sandals, tutu skirts, beach cover-ups, tank-tops, decorative stuffed animals, embellished sweatshirts, & jeans. 

Not Just Faces: Face Painting & a DIY Tie Dye Station with a selection of t-shirts, bandanas, & totes

Hippie Feet Tie Dye: Tie Dye apparel for adults and children

Don’t miss out on this full day of music, fun, and community at the Dead Ahead Festival. Secure your tickets now and join us for a jam-packed day under the open sky, celebrating the timeless tunes of the Grateful Dead. Peace, love, and good vibes await!

About Our Lineup:

Zach Nugent's Dead Set

"Dead Set is more than just a cover band; they are an extraordinary ensemble that brings the Grateful Dead's timeless music to life with remarkable precision and passion."

Led by the incomparable Zach Nugent, Dead Set's uncanny ability to channel the spirit of Jerry Garcia is nothing short of astounding. Nugent's virtuosic guitar work captures Garcia's essence, enchanting audiences with spellbinding solos and breathtaking improvisations. The band's tight-knit chemistry and unwavering dedication ensure that every note resonates with the same magic that made the Grateful Dead legendary.

Experience a musical journey like no other as Dead Set transports you through the ethereal realms of the Dead's extensive catalog. From the cosmic explorations of ""Dark Star"" to the uplifting anthems of ""Sugar Magnolia,"" every song is delivered with unwavering authenticity and a contagious enthusiasm that will leave you dancing and singing along all night long. Don't miss your chance to be part of this extraordinary celebration of Jerry Garcia's enduring legacy. Get your tickets now and immerse yourself in a one-of-a-kind experience that will ignite your soul and create memories to last a lifetime.

Steely Dead: A Sonic Fusion Of Steely Dan & Grateful Dead

Hailing from the vibrant music scene of Denver, Colorado, Steely Dead is a national touring band that has satisfied the curiosity of music lovers with their unique blend of Grateful Dead and Steely Dan. Comprised of four exceptionally talented musicians – Dave Abear on guitar, Matt Abear on bass, Chris Sheldon on drums, and Dylan Teifer on keys – Steely Dead has gained a dedicated following with their electrifying performances and soulful interpretations of classic tunes.

Steely Dead’s repertoire is a carefully crafted fusion of Grateful Dead and Steely Dan songs, between the arrangement and precision studio recordings of rock legends Steely Dan, cross-pollinated with the Grateful Dead’s free-flowing, melodic improvisation and masterful song segues. Steely Dead merges these major concepts together infusing the influence into each band, all the while creating an original jam element with the song segues. Steely Dead’s performances are a musical journey that takes audiences on a nostalgic trip through the golden era of rock and roll.

As a national touring band, Steely Dead has built a loyal fan base that eagerly anticipates their shows and follows them from city to city. Their performances are not just concerts, but communal gatherings where fans come together to celebrate the music they love, dance, and create lasting memories.

Steely Dead’s performances are a testament to the power of live music, bringing people together, and creating an unforgettable experience that resonates long after the last note fades.

Steely Dead is not just a band; it’s a musical experience that captures the hearts and souls of music lovers everywhere.

Meds Presents: Grateful Meds

Meds began as an experiment. In an effort to compose in more avant garde theatres, Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist Cherch (Brian Cherchiglia) went in.

Cherch sought to combine his love of hip-hop production elements with his notorious guitar work, so the New York Times & Village Voice heralded composer enlisted several of his best collaborators (featuring members of The Bottom Dollars, God Tiny, Deathrow Tull, Catty, and more) and entered the studio with world-renowned producer Jeff Berner (Psychic TV, Shilpa Ray), resulting in the debut recording Night (Volume 1).

Night (Volume 1) is a short vignette of weaving ornate compositions themed around mental health advocacy. Sonically, Meds resides somewhere between the psychedelia of Spiritualized and TV On The Radio yet retains the indie punk joie de vivre of The Replacements; Cherch’s smokey vocal delivery sizzles with a crisp nonchalance just like Paul Westerberg’s.

More fascinatingly, the juxtaposition of 808s and subharmonics across his guitar driven indie rock create an intoxicating and unique sound that elusively blurs the lines between genres, revealing a 90’s kid finally comfortable in their own skin; equal parts OK Computer and Aquemini and completely ok with that.

The first single, “An Unexpected Visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum” was premiered by WFUV (90.7 FM) and released worldwide on all platforms on October 20th, 2023.