The birth of the Grateful Dead celebrated at Bar Loretta
May 5 was the 60th anniversary of The Warlocks — who would become the Grateful Dead — appearance at Magoo’s Pizza Parlor in downtown Menlo Park, now the site of Bar Loretta. A good crowd turned out — many in tie dye t-shirts — to mark the event.
Organized by Aidan Stone in association with Feldman’s Books, the event was a fundraiser for Jerry Garcia in the Lower Mission, a new musical written by playwright Richard Montoya, set to premiere at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre from October 29 through November 23, 2025.
Top photo by Bryson Washington (c) 2025
Side photo by Tim Johnston of the Menlo Park Historical Association (c) 2025
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Steven May 06, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Great article. I first saw the grateful dead in 1969. The magic is still with us.
Joanna P Rankin Malone May 07, 2025 at 3:52 pm
My former husband Bob Rankin* and I “did the lights”using a couple of overhead projectors and two glass plates to “bounce” the liquid colors as it projected onto the performers and back walls/ceiling and onto
the crowds in the auditorium. We set up an additional projector or two for movie clips, slides, etc managed by Bill Ferry and Gordon Gallic.
My role was to “wash the plates” when changing affects and/or the band’s preferences.
*immense credit goes out to Bob Rankin
Patrick DUGAN May 06, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Is that David Gans on the left?
Randy Chase May 08, 2025 at 1:00 am
Yes
Joanna P Rankin Malone May 07, 2025 at 4:06 pm
P.S. The first naming of our “Lightshow “ started out as Sir Hughes Steam Missionary while living in a milk truck parked on a friends driveway for trips to San Francisco hauling equipment by day/night.
Many thanks to all who supported us with the fuel to
Get the Show on the Road!
Mark Lind-Hanson June 02, 2025 at 6:31 am
Hate to be the niggler here but seems to me somebody has to. If you go back to see the poster advertising this Loretta event, you will notice some strange only-in-AI occurences.
First, to the right of the photo, who is supposedly Pigpen looks suspiciously more like Jerry, at five years older. Jerry himself looks like Paul Simon, and both he and Lesh seem to have shorter hair than they actually had in June 65. The Warlocks sign on the drumhead looks font-specific, but in the actual photos, it was obviously someone’s hand-painted efforts. So while some of us don’t mind the historical revisoinism inherent in AI-assisted advertising, some of us remain confused and decidedly unimpressed.