In celebration of Mardi Gras today, we’re throwing it back to 1986, when the Grateful Dead spent a particularly special Fat Tuesday at the Henry J Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, Calif., and welcomed some New Orleans royalty in Neville Brothers Art and Cyril, among others.

Presented by Bill Graham, the show was appropriately billed as a Mardi Gras Ball and included an opening set from the Neville Brothers. The Dead’s second set featured guest spots from both Nevilles, plus Neville Brothers guitarist Brian Stoltz, drummer “Mean” Willie Green and bassist Daryl Johnson. Beginning with Art wielding a tambourine during a “Drums” segment, the collaboration ran through multiple instrumentations and tunes like “Iko Iko,” “Eyes of the World,” “Not Fade Away,” “Hey Bo Diddley” and the set-closing “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad.”

See video of the show below, along with the full setlist from the collaborative performance. Happy Mardi Gras!

Grateful Dead
Feb. 11, 1986
Henry J Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, Calif.

Set I: China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, New Minglewood Blues, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, Me & My Uncle, Mexicali Blues, Bird Song, The Music Never Stopped, Might As Well

Set II: Drums *#, Iko Iko *%^, Eyes Of The World *%^, Drums *#+, Space, Truckin’, Stella Blue, Not Fade Away, Crowd Chant, Not Fade Away %$, Hey Bo Diddley %$, Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad%$

Notes:

Jerry Garcia – Guitar
Bob Weir – Guitar, Tambourine $
Brent Mydland – Keyboards
Phil Lesh – Bass (Without Phil $)
Bill Kreutzmann – Drums
Mickey Hart – Drums
Art Neville – Tambourine #, Keyboards %
Brian Stoltz – Percussion *, Guitar $
Daryl Johnson – Tambourine ^, Shakers +, Bass $
Cyril Neville – Percussion *
William Green – Drums *