The first two shows of Fare Thee Well were epic in every regard. It began with every fan getting a rose on the first night, and then getting treated to a double rainbow!
The second night was even more special for all of us at HeadCount and the charities of Participation Row (the non-profit village that HeadCount organized for Fare Thee Well).
We had commissioned a D'Angelico EX-DC guitar with custom Fare Thee Well artwork to auction at the shows, as a way of raising money for all the 17 Grateful Dead-affiliated charities involved.
Bob and the entire band signed the guitar on Friday night, and Bob picked it up and played it for a while unplugged. He liked the guitar so much (and the idea of raising money for all the Grateful Dead-affiliated charities) that he then offered to play it on stage.
It was re-strung on Sunday, played during soundcheck, and then had its moment of glory during "Row Jimmy" in the first set.
Within a few minutes, it was back on display at the Participation Row silent auction. But the end of the night the bidding was up to $42,000. Bidding will continue in Chicago, and we expect it to close at more than $100,000.
The proceeds from the auction will benefit all the Grateful Dead-affiliated charities on Participation Row, which includes Rex Foundation, Rainforest Action Network, Unbroken Chain Foundation, the Owsley Stanley Foundation, HeadCount and more. (Full list can be found at HeadCount.org/Participation Row)
The charities also handed out about 4,000 limited edition postcards during the Santa Clara shows, meaning about 4,000 socially conscious actions were taken at the shows. Another 6,000 postcards will be available in Chicago. Participation Row and the silent auction will take place in the South Courtyard of Soldier Field, near section 117.
HeadCount is honored to play this very special role in these amazing events.