Phil Lesh & Friends, Dark Star Orchestra, Oteil & Friends, Leftover Salmon and Melvin Seals & JGB are among the acts slated to perform at Skull & Roses in 2023. The Dead-focused festival will occur at California’s Ventura County Fairgrounds from April 19-23. 

Lesh will offer two performances during the weekend. Other acts slated to perform include Grateful Shred, Sages & Spirits, BoomBox feat. BackBeat Brass, Circles Around The Sun, Jerry’s Middle Finger, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel, Big Steve & Assbites From Hell, Cubensis, Electric Waste Band w/ Bill Walton, Moonalice, Dogs in a Pile, Forgotten Space, Warlocks Of Tokyo, Hyryder, Brown Eyed Women, Xtra Ticket, David Gans, The China Cats, Grateful Brass Billy Iuso with Big Chief Juan Pardo, The Latin Dead, Wall of Sound, Garcia Birthday Band, Shaky Feelin’, Wahl Bangers and Beam Brothers. 

The Alligators will serve as the weekend’s house band and Leftover Salmon will offer one of their “Workingman’s Salmon” sets. The Dead performed 11 shows at Ventura County Fairgrounds between 1982 and 1987. On the eve of the ‘86 shows, Jerry Garcia lapsed into a diabetic coma; the band returned in 1987 to triumph yet again in Ventura for a final time. 

In addition, Phil Lesh & Friends are the final subject of our Relix Presents: The Road To Ventura. The Grateful Dead bassist and his combo performed at Skull & Roses this past April, and a high-quality video of their performance of “Crazy Fingers” can be streamed here. Additionally performances as a part of the series included Oteil & Friends take on “Mountain and the Moon” and Dark Star Orchestra’s rendition of “Mr. Charlie.”

For those interested in attending the forthcoming Skull & Roses event, tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.