Melvin Seals & JGB featuring Jazz Mafia Horns opens on July 31, with Peter Rowan & Sam Grisman Project kicking off the action on August 1.
By Scott Bernstein Apr 28, 2026 • 1:41 pm PDT
Dark Star Orchestra returns to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California July 31 and August 1, 2026 to headline a pair of benefit concerts. The Music Never Stops: A Rex Foundation Benefit & Tribute To Bob Weir will also feature performances from Melvin Seals and JGB and Peter Rowan & Sam Grisman Project.
Members of the Grateful Dead founded the Rex Foundation in 1983. All proceeds from the weekend will go towards the nonprofit’s mission of supporting grassroots organizations in the arts, education, environmental initiatives, and social justice. Late GD co-founding guitarist Bob Weir was a lifetime Rex Foundation board member.
Cameron Sears, Executive Director of the Rex Foundation, weighed in on the significance of the event: “Bringing together Bobby’s sense of community, which emanates from his music and history of giving back, is the best way I can think of to celebrate all that he and the Rex Foundation have accomplished. Our goal is to continue his vision well into the future!”
Dark Star Orchestra made their Greek Theatre debut in 2024. Melvin Seals and JGB kicked off the action that night as they will on Friday, July 31. This time around, the group led by longtime Jerry Garcia Band keyboardist will be joined by the Jazz Mafia Horns, featuring Mike Olmos on trumpet, Tommy Occhiuto on saxophone and Adam Theis on trombone.
The show on Saturday, August 1 coincides with what would have been Jerry Garcia’s 74th birthday. DSO will commemorate the occasion by recreating the Grateful Dead’s August 1, 1973 concert, which marked the first time the GD performed on Garcia’s birthday. Another nod to Jerry opens the evening, as Peter Rowan & Sam Grisman Project will play music from Old & In The Way. Rowan, Jerry Garcia and Sam’s father, David Grisman, were among members of the seminal bluegrass collective.
An Artist Presale begins Wednesday, April 29 at 10 a.m. PT. A Local Presale follows on Thursday, April 30 at 10 a.m. PT. Remaining tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, May 1 at 10 a.m. PT.
