NEW YORK — The Empire State Building was to be lit Oct. 19 in a tie-dyed color scheme, bringing attention to a fundraiser and exhibition at the New York Historical Society focusing on the Grateful Dead and its influences on popular culture. Founding band members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh were expected to make an appearance during a fundraiser at the historical society’s headquarters in Manhattan on Oct. 21.
The exhibition, called The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New York Historical Society covers the career the band, which is recognized as one of the significant cultural forces in 20th century America.
It includes an array of original artwork and documents including concert and recording posters, album art, large-scale marionettes and other stage props, banners and decorated fan mail, covering the band and its pioneering approach to the music business from 1965 to 1995.
Materials in the exhibition will be drawn mostly from the holdings of the Grateful Dead Archive at the University of California Santa Cruz, which was established in 2008.
