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Harrington Street, which is one block long, will also be called
“Jerry Garcia Street." He died in 1995, but the band's
popularity has only grown as younger generations discover the
Dead's improvisational music, which blended rock, blues, folk
and other styles.
Garcia spent part of his childhood in a modest home in the
city’s diverse Excelsior neighborhood. He lived with his
grandparents after the death of his father, Jose Ramon “Joe”
Garcia.
“I hope that you all get a chance to enjoy the music, dance,
hug, smile,” said daughter Trixie Garcia, growing emotional
during her brief remarks. “Cherish what's valuable, what's
significant in life.”
Tens of thousands of fans are in San Francisco to commemorate
the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary with concerts and other
activities throughout the city.
The latest iteration of the band, Dead & Company, with original
Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, will play Golden
Gate Park’s Polo Field for three days starting Friday. An
estimated 60,000 attendees are expected each day.
Formed in 1965, the Grateful Dead played often and for free in
their early years while living in a cheap Victorian home in the
Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. The band later became a significant
part of 1967’s Summer of Love, and the Grateful Dead has become
synonymous with San Francisco and its bohemian counterculture.
On Friday, fans in rainbow tie-dye and Grateful Dead T-shirts
whooped and cheered as the sign was unveiled. Nonfans with
shopping bags and some using walking canes maneuvered around the
crowd on what was for them just another foggy day in the
working-class neighborhood.
Afterward, devotees peeled off to pose for photos in front of
Garcia's childhood home.
Jared Yankee, 23, got the crowd to join him in singing "Happy
Birthday." Yankee said he flew in from Rhode Island for the
shows. He got into the music about a decade ago.
“It's a human thing,” he said of his impromptu singing. “I
figure everyone knows the words to ‘Happy Birthday.’"
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