NEWS BULLETIN
1999 1998

April 22, 2001
A controversy over Jerry's guitars erupts between Doug Irwin, now broke, the person who made the guitar, and Grateful Dead Productions.
The surviving ex-members of the Grateful Dead insist the band, not Garcia, purchased the guitars and that Garcia had no right to give them away.
Irwin claims the guitars are legally his and to claim otherwise is to sully the image of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.
He has filed a lawsuit demanding they be turned over to him.
San Francisco Gate
March 16, 2001 Billboard

May 20, 2000
Mickey sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field in Chicago Saturday and was interviewed by Cubs announcers Chip Caray and Steve Stone on WGN during the bottom of the seventh. Different celebrities have sung the seventh-inning stretch over the stadium PA each Cubs home game since the death of Harry Caray--Chip's grandfather--a few years ago. No word on whether it was a rap version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (TMOTTBG?).

April 30, 2000
The Mickey Hart Band lineup puts Mickey with Vince (keys), Gladys Bobi Cespedes, Humberto Nengue Hernandez (both on percussion and vocals), Barney Doyle (guitar), Rahsaan Fredericks (bass), and Rick Schlosser (drums) in what Mickey's page describes as "a new hybrid. With Grateful Dead vocalist and keyboardist Vince Welnick, the new band will be more of a rock band, although with many of the world beat and Afro-Cuban elements of Mickey's previous touring ensembles." Mickey Hart Band is also planning to tour this fall after Furthur. Dates are on the tour page; more info at dead.net. Below are two shots taken at a Club Front rehearsal (photos by Mark Portman; thanx Jan Simmons for sending them on).

April 22, 2000
Mickey is hosting many acts at The Library of Congress' Bicentennial Birthday Party in Washington, D.C. Monday. Mickey and Bobby will play together during the Noon-2:30 concert. Some of the info from Library of Congress' page:
Noon - 2:30 p.m.
East Lawn of the U.S. Capitol at 1st Street and Independence Avenue S.E.
Free performances and concert honoring American Voice and Song, featuring Gen. Colin Powell, Sesame Street's Big Bird and Maria, The Saturday Night Live Band, Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez, Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, Kathy Mattea, Tito Puente, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Giovanni Hidalgo, Smokey Town Singers, The Army Blues, Dianne Reeves, David Copperfield, Mickey Hart and Bob Weir, Kan Kouran Dancers, David Sanchez, Eastern High School Choir, and Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync.

April 02, 2000
Bobby and Mickey joined The Flying Other Brothers at a Democratic fundraiser in the Bay Area Sunday night. The fundraiser, held at the home of a Silicon CEO, was attended by Bill Clinton and each of the 200 attendees paid at least $5000. A saxophone was on-hand for Clinton to join on "Truckin," but he declined
The Music Never Stopped
Truckin'
Minglewood Blues
Playing in the Band>
Uncle John's Band>
Playing in the Band>
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
E:Sugar Magnolia

In February, Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center awarded Mickey Hart an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters for "his contributions to music and the art in general, and his tireless dedication to the preservation of indigenous musics in particular.

Benefit for California Propositions 12 & 13
(Bond measures for park land and clean water)
Mark Hydes' Private Party
Palo Alto, CA
Saturday, February 12, 2000
Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Sammy Hagar & Vic Johnson
Rock Me Baby
All Along The Watchtower ->
?("Roll Baby Roll")?
Little Red Rooster
Come Together
Take Me To the River
Iko Iko ->
Not Fade Away
California Gov. Gray Davis also spoke.
The event was held in the backyard of
a private residence in Palo Alto.
Tickets were $25,000/pair. Roughly 60 people attended.

Big Bang Dead!
On January 20th there was a retirement party for long time Bill Graham employees Bob & Peter Barsotti at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. Says long-time Grateful Dead photographer, Ed Perlstein, "The house band was a local party band called Big Bang Beat. About a half hour into their set, the "guests" took the stage. They included: Pete Sears, Vince Welnick, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir, Bobby Vega & Steve Kimock. The people who put the party on created a mini mardi gras & new year's eve celebration. The band jamed on Aiko Aiko and the mardi gras parade snaked through the Warfield with puppets throwing necklaces & coins & stuff. Then the band went into NFA and balloons & confetti fell from the balcony. After the bands set, a screen came down on stage and a video of the NYE 2000 fireworks that happened in SF was shown to complete the evening. All in all, it was a great party."
Thanks Matt Lawsky: Big Bang Beat played first; then Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Vince Welnick, Pete Sears, Steve Kimock, and Bobby Vega join for: Gimme Some Lovin', Heard it Thru the Grapevine, Shotgun, Low Rider, Take Me To the River, Gloria, Iko Iko -> Not Fade Away; may be incomplete and slightly out of order; in the middle Vince stopped playing somewhere around Gloria; parade and balloon drop during Iko

Lots of in-fighting stories have been bubbling up about the former members of the GD being opposed to some of Phil's wishes regarding, among other things, the future of the GD vault. Rather than post every twist and turn, we suggest you take a look at what's been going on at Dead.net