Grateful DeadDrummer Bill Kreutzmann Drops Out Of Final Dead & Company Tour
Grateful Dead founder member and Dead & Company drummer Bill Kreutzmann will not be a part of the latter group’s farewell tour this summer, the band announced in a social media post Saturday.
“Dear Deadheads,” the announcement began, “Every day, things change. After many long discussions and some good old-fashioned soul searching, we are letting you know that our brother Bill Kreutzmann will not be joining us on our final summer tour. Bill wants you to know that he is in good spirits, good health and he is not retiring.”
The statement continued, “This is the culmination of a shift in creative direction as we keep these songs alive and breathing in ways that we each feel is best to continue to honor the legacy of the Grateful Dead. The final tour will go on as planned with Bill’s full endorsement and support.”
The post concluded with a friendly “See you at Jazz Fest!” and was signed by Dead and Company’s Bob Weir, John Mayer, Mickey Hart and Kreutzmann. That New Orleans festival appearance marks the kickoff of the final tour on May 6.
Kreutzmann had to pass on some Dead and Company shows in 2021 and 2022, including one at the Hollywood Bowl which he departed midway through, as well as the band’s Playing in the Sand festival in Mexico. Back and heart issues have been cited for some of his past missed shows.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that the Grateful Dead have joined TikTok (see below). According to a press release, The Grateful Dead’s TikTok account “will serve as an outlet to celebrate the decades of music, generations of community, and endless array of creativity that has woven the band and its fans into every new era of the world’s counterculture and consciousness.”
@gratefuldead Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right ⚡️??
♬ St. Stephen (Live at the Fillmore West San Francisco, 1969) [2001 Remaster] – Grateful Dead