Bill Kreutzmann will present A Very Grateful Thanksgiving next month. Curated by the Grateful Dead drummer and longtime Hawaii resent, the event will be held at Kauai, Hawaii’s Porter Pavilion (Anaina Hou) from November 27-29. Confirmed performers include: Alex Bailey (Eggy), Alphonso Johnson (The Other Ones, Weather Report), Aron Magner (Billy & The Kids, Disco Biscuits), David Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Holly Bowling, Jake Brownstein (Eggy), Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident), Mark Karan (The Other Ones, RatDog), Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers), Reed Mathis (Billy & The Kids), Sam Grisman and Stephen Inglis (Skeleton Crewe).
After months of silence, Kreutzmann became active on social media again recently, with a series of posts that, together, formed some kind of narrative arc, building speculation and anticipation for an upcoming announcement. First, he reposted a YouTube link to Rawlings and Welch’s Live at KEXP set, praising the performance and saying, “I’ve got to catch this group live sometime!” Welch reposted Kreutzmann’s message on her Instagram, and responded: “How about we come to you? Our way of giving thanks.”
Next, Kreutzmann posted a partial performance of “Brokedown Palace” by Bowling, stating that her solo piano improvisations of Grateful Dead classics became his playlist for Thanksgiving last year and that he anticipated listening to her again this year.
In the comments, Holly wrote: “Tell ya what—invite me to your Thanksgiving and I’ll be more than happy to play for you in person.”
Finally, Kreutzmann posted a video clip of Sam Grisman, whose father David Grisman played in an acoustic ensemble with Jerry Garcia in the early 1990s. Sam added the comment: “Hey, thanks Uncle Billy! How about we come up to Kauai and pay you a visit soon?"
Kreutzmann’s last public performance took place in Hawaii around Thanksgiving in 2024 when he hosted Mahalo Dead, featuring Daniel Donato, Brownstein, Adam MacDougall, Kanika Moore, Mathis and Hann. His last public appearance was at the Kennedy Center Honors a few weeks later. It is currently unclear when, with whom or even if Kreutzmann himself will play during the weekend. However, he did perform with Johnson and Karan in The Other Ones in 2000 and Magner and Mathis are longtime members of his Billy & The Kids project. Welch, Rawlings and Kowert have been on the road celebrating the Dead on their Reckoning tour recently.
