A vibrant visual record of the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary “Fare Thee Well” tour, Jay Blakesberg’s latest offering gathers iconic images from all five performances, plus two rehearsal days, as well as band portraits, archival images, written tributes and setlists. This is the definitive inside look at the legendary, career-capping shows of the most prolific touring band in the history of rock and roll.
Jay Blakesberg is a San Francisco-based photographer, filmmaker and visual anthropologist whose work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, Relix and many other magazines. He has photographed countless musical artists, including Dave Matthews, Phish, moe., Tom Waits, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Carlos Santana and, of course, the Grateful Dead to name a few. Blakesberg attended his first Dead show in September 1977 as a 15-year-old kid. Thirty-seven years later, he went on to become the official Fare Thee Well photographer for the band’s final five shows. Fare Thee Well is his eleventh book of music photography.