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A hollow, lifeless conference hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center is just about the last place you would expect to find a Grateful Dead tribute concert on a Friday night. But it was there that MusiCares put on a show for the ages, honoring the band at its Persons of the Year gala with founding members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart in attendance (drummer Bill Kreutzmann could not make the trip and delivered a message by video) and a slew of acolytes who understood the assignment.

Typically, the MusiCares dinner is a polite affair, with guests seated respectfully for most of the performances, save the all-star finale, a staple of the event. And that’s not to say that previous Person of the Year recipients — which include Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand — didn’t have their own rabid fanbases in attendance. But the Deadheads just do things differently.

More than 15 Grammy Week events sponsored by the Recording Academy and many other Grammy-related parties were canceled this year due to January’s devastating Los Angeles fires, with the actual Grammy ceremony, which will still take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, pivoting to focus on raising funds for wildfire relief. But Friday’s MusiCares Persons of the Year Gala, honoring 2007 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipients the Grateful Dead, went on as planned. And the annual charitable event actually felt more celebratory than ever, providing much-needed release and escape on the final night of a particularly rough month.

“Their fans are legendary, and their values — community, resilience, generosity — all align with the MusiCares mission,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said of the beloved psychedelic jam band Friday. “They remind us that music is a force for good. This year, though, honoring them carries extra special community. L.A. is home to an incredible music community,...

What has rainbow grilled cheese platters, giant dancing bear cutouts, and Woody Harrelson wearing a tie dye tie? The MusiCares’ annual Persons of the Year Charity Gala, where the Grateful Dead are the 2025 honorees (with some “Friend of the Devil” food cake to celebrate.)

“It’s an incredible honor and I’m humbled to stand here tonight,” drummer Mickey Hart told the audience, standing on the Los Angeles Convention Center stage on Friday night. “Because not too long ago, they wouldn’t let us into Disneyland. Our hair was too long.