San Jose stakes claim as home of 1st official Grateful Dead concert

"The Grateful Dead will forever be associated with San Francisco, the epicenter of the '60s hippie movement in which the band did indeed play a prominent role during its less-than-two-year stay at 710 Ashbury St. But the first official Grateful Dead show was actually performed some 65 miles south of Haight Ashbury in San Jose on Dec. 4, 1965."

"The ceremony, announced today, will see city officials place the plaque outside on the south-facing wall of the City Council Chambers building - near where the first Grateful Dead show went down in a home located at 38 S. Fifth Street. The dedication ceremony, which includes speakers and entertainment, begins at 4:45 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, visit sanjoserocks.org."

The Grateful Dead are strongly associated with San Francisco and the Haight-Ashbury hippie movement, though the band's origins trace to the Palo Alto/Menlo Park area. The first official Grateful Dead show took place in San Jose on Dec. 4, 1965, at a home near 38 S. Fifth Street, roughly 65 miles south of Haight-Ashbury. San Jose officials will unveil a commemorative plaque on the south-facing wall of the City Council Chambers building on Dec. 4, with a 4:45 p.m. dedication ceremony open to the public. San Jose Rocks founder Dan Orloff and longtime columnist Mark Purdy led a decade-long campaign to place the plaque to recognize San Jose's role in music history.

Read at The Mercury News