Celebrate a Historic Moment in Music: The Grateful Dead’s First Show

On December 4, 1965, a Victorian house at 43 South Fifth Street in San Jose served as the launching pad for a musical phenomenon. That night, the Grateful Dead made their first official performance under their iconic name. On the 60th anniversary of that historic milestone, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the City of San Jose will be dedicating a plaque that marks the site of that event, which is now occupied by San Jose City Hall. In conjunction with that dedication, a celebration is being planned to honor that evening’s role as a seminal event for a cultural revolution that spread throughout the Bay Area and intertwined Grateful Dead history with the entire region’s history.

 

 

San Jose City Hall Dedication & Grateful Dead Celebration December 4, 2025

On December 4, 1965, a Victorian house at 43 South Fifth Street in San Jose served as the launching pad for a musical phenomenon. That night, the Grateful Dead made their first official performance under their iconic name. On the 60th anniversary of that historic milestone, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the City of San Jose will be dedicating a plaque that marks the site of that event, which is now occupied by San Jose City Hall. In conjunction with that dedication, a celebration is being planned to honor that evening’s role as a seminal event for a cultural revolution that spread throughout the Bay Area and intertwined Grateful Dead history with the entire region’s history.

 

635 St. James Street, where the 43 S. Fifth Street house was relocated

 

Honoring the Legacy

The public will be invited to help commemorate the anniversary of the Dead’s first show with the plaque dedication and celebration, as downtown San Jose comes alive with happenings, exhibits, and immersive experiences celebrating the band’s lasting impact on multiple musical and societal levels.

But the dedication will be more than a San Jose moment. It will be a festival to embrace Northern California’s deep connection to the Grateful Dead, from the South Bay to San Francisco to Marin County to the East Bay. From their groundbreaking Acid Test performances to their influence on the counterculture movement, the Dead’s journey began here, shaping a legacy that continues to inspire.

How San Jose Became Dead First in Rock History

By any measure, the night of December 4, 1965, is one of rock and roll’s most significant dates – which makes the address of 43 South Fifth Street in San Jose one of the world’s most historic musical spots. On that evening, at that address, the Grateful Dead played their very first show at a wild, free-spirited, crazy-costumed “Acid Test” organized by LSD enthusiast and author Ken Kesey.

 

Ken Kesey and Further II on his farm in Pleasant Hill, Ore. in 1990.

 

A Stanford alum, Kesey used his profits from writing “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” to buy a residence in the Santa Cruz mountains and organize a group of fellow off-center souls into “The Merry Pranksters,” who provoked attention wherever they went in their color-splotched school bus with the word “Further” in the destination panel. Kesey selected downtown San Jose as a location for his next event because he wanted to leverage the local visit of another soon-to-be-legendary band, The Rolling Stones. That evening, The Stones were playing a concert at San Jose Civic Auditorium, only eight blocks away from the Fifth Street house Kesey had rented near the San Jose State campus.

Kesey sent his “Pranksters” to the steps of the Civic Auditorium, where they passed out invitations to the “Acid Test” as concertgoers left the Rolling Stones show. By then, Kesey had dressed up the Fifth Street house with colored lights and echoing sound equipment for a trippy visual/audio experience and had hired the Palo Alto band that had played some gigs under its previous name, “The Warlocks.” Just days before, the group members had decided to rename themselves “The Grateful Dead.”

As documented in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book, “The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test,” no single room in the house was big enough to hold the entire band, so the nascent Dead set up their equipment in adjoining first-floor rooms and began cranking out their songs. The flamboyant crowd began gyrating. According to Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman’s autobiography, bandmates Keith Richards and Brian Jones stopped by the party to see what was up, although Richards would later say he doesn’t remember being there. Maybe that’s not surprising. With people imbibing and consuming various substances, both downstairs and upstairs and in the crawl space beneath the home, the “Acid Test” and sounds and sights rolled on until 3 a.m. before breaking up.

For the Grateful Dead, en route to becoming psychedelic and Americana legends, the long, strange trip had officially begun.

The Grateful Dead’s Spawning Ground: San Jose and the South Bay

The Grateful Dead are often thought of as a San Francisco band. That was certainly true after 1966, when the group planted itself in Haight-Ashbury and occupied a “band house” there. But the group’s formation and early musical adventures occurred miles southward on the Peninsula and in the South Bay — leading epically to that first show in San Jose.

The key bullet points documenting that history:

  • Summer of 1962: Menlo Park resident Jerry Garcia begins hanging out at Swain’s Music Store on University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto, buying picks and strings to start playing acoustic guitar. His ambition is to one day perform at St. Michael’s Alley down the street. This bohemian hangout, which had launched the career of Joan Baez, eventually gives Garcia his first shot, where he plays banjo to draw people inside.
  • May 1963: Jerry Garcia and his new wife, Sara, play their first gig at the Top of the Tangent in Palo Alto. This folk club becomes a regular spot for Garcia, where he performs with various bluegrass groups. Among the regular audience members is teenager Bob Weir, an aspiring musician from nearby Atherton.
  • Summer of 1963: Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, a group that includes Garcia, Weir, and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, begins playing regularly at The Offstage in downtown San Jose. The dingy coffeehouse on South First Street is a welcoming spot for an emerging counterculture. Future Bay Area icons such as Janis Joplin, Paul Kanter and Jorma Kaukonen are frequent performers. It’s here that Garcia’s musical vision starts taking form, eventually leading to the formation of “The Warlocks” with drummer Bill Kreutzmann and bassist Phil Lesh.
  • December 4, 1965: Ken Kesey holds one of his first “Acid Tests” at a house on 43 South Fifth Street in San Jose. Needing a band, he turns to his Palo Alto friends who recently renamed themselves “The Grateful Dead,” who perform their electrifying first set under their new name, flipping the “on” switch for what would become one of America’s greatest and most beloved musical institutions.
  • Summer of 2002: When the South Fifth Street property is sold to make room for San Jose’s new City Hall, the house where the Dead played their first show is relocated eight blocks northeast to 635 St. James Street, where it is renovated and remains a privately-owned residence.

 

Introducing the Team Behind the Grateful Dead San Jose Dedication

The dedication of a plaque on San Jose City Hall property as a landmark commemorating the Grateful Dead’s first performance under their iconic name is a collaborative effort led by two San Jose residents: Mark Purdy and Dan Orloff. Together, they bring decades of expertise, passion, and dedication to preserving the Bay Area’s rich cultural and musical history.

Mark Purdy: Curating the Stories of a Landmark Moment

Mark Purdy, an award-winning journalist and four-decade Bay Area resident, is curating the stories surrounding the Grateful Dead’s historic first performance at the house on South Fifth Street. During a 43-year career, Purdy worked as a reporter or columnist at San Jose Mercury News, Los Angeles Times, Cincinnati Enquirer, and Chicago Tribune. His sharp storytelling and insightful commentary earned him recognition as one of America’s Top 10 sports columnists by the Associated Press and Wall Street Journal. In 2014, the California Newspaper Publishers Association honored him for writing the state’s best newspaper column.

Purdy’s job also brought him in contact with iconic cultural figures. One such memorable encounter involved Ken Kesey, the counterculture figure behind the “Acid Test” parties that inspired the Grateful Dead’s evolution. In 1985, Kesey—hired by the Mercury News to write a piece for the Super Bowl—borrowed Purdy’s thesaurus and never returned it. The anecdote has become a lighthearted reminder of Purdy’s proximity to some of the Bay Area’s most transformative moments and personalities. When the Grateful Dead sang the national anthem before a 1993 San Francisco Giants baseball game, Purdy asked Jerry Garcia if he had played Little League baseball. Garcia said he’d instead preferred softball and considered himself a good softball pitcher.

Since retiring in 2017, Purdy has taught journalism classes at San Jose State and worked on various writing projects, including several published articles about South Bay rock history. His most recent project, San Francisco 49ers: An Illustrated Timeline, a book co-authored with Jeff Suess in 2024, has received positive responses by fans and reviewers for its comprehensive and engaging chronicle of a storied NFL franchise. Purdy’s passion for storytelling and historical preservation ensures that the Grateful Dead’s groundbreaking first performance will be celebrated in a way that captures its cultural and historical significance.

Dan Orloff: Championing the Bay Area’s Musical Legacy

Dan Orloff, founder of The Bay Rocks and principal of Orloff Marketing (formerly Orloff Williams)since 1992, brings strategic leadership and a deep commitment to cultural preservation to this effort. With over three decades of experience in branding and promoting cultural institutions, Dan has been instrumental in fostering partnerships and promoting the Bay Area’s music and technological heritage. A longtime member of the Rotary Club of San Jose—one of the largest Rotary organizations globally—Dan’s network and influence extend across the region, enabling collaboration among diverse stakeholders.

Dan’s work includes directing marketing efforts for major South Bay music venues and festivals like the Montalvo Arts Center and the Mountain Winery, as well as promoting downtown San Jose as a destination for arts and culture and corporate headquarters during his tenure as the city’s Director of Marketing. His founding of San Jose Rocks further underscores his commitment to spotlighting the region’s contributions to music and innovation. Inspired by family ties to music—including his cousin, legendary songwriter Bob Dylan, and his father’s induction into Nashville’s Harmony Hall of Fame—Dan combines personal passion with professional expertise to celebrate the Bay Area’s unique cultural heritage.

A Unified Vision for the Dedication

Together, Purdy and Orloff form an effective team, combining Purdy’s storytelling expertise and historical curation with Orloff’s strategic leadership and community-building efforts. While Purdy curates the accounts and content that illuminate the significance of this landmark event, Orloff focuses on fostering partnerships and promoting the project’s broader cultural impact. Their shared vision is to honor the Grateful Dead’s transformative influence while honoring San Jose and Silicon Valley’s role in the remarkable saga of Northern California rock ‘n’ roll history.

The San Jose plaque dedication and celebration is not merely the recognition of a single performance. It is a salute to the greater Bay Area’s enduring legacy as a hub of musical innovation and cultural change. With Purdy and Orloff at the helm, this effort promises to resonate with generations to come, inspiring an appreciation for the region’s singular contributions to global music history.

Expanding Across the Bay Area

Every corner of the Bay Area has its own Grateful Dead story and contributions to our musical legacy. The Bay Rocks will encourage communities across the region to contribute their stories, including:

  • Marin County: The band’s long-time home and creative hub.
  • San Francisco: The epicenter of their cultural revolution.
  • Santa Clara County: The site of their first performance as the Grateful Dead.
  • Alameda County: The backdrop to some of the band’s most iconic performances, from the Oakland Coliseum to Berkeley’s venues that shaped the Bay Area’s folk and rock scenes.
  • Santa Cruz County: Home of the acid tests that shaped their sound.
  • Sonoma & Napa Counties: Where the Dead’s music merged with wine country culture.
  • San Mateo County: The connection points between shows and regional venues.
  • Contra Costa County: A lesser-known haven for hidden gems in the band’s history.
  • Solano County: Part of the extended Dead family circuit.
  • Monterey County: Festival grounds, like the Monterey Pop Festival, that amplified their reach.

Why We Need Your Support

To bring this vision to life, we need your help. Your contributions will fund:

  • The Landmark Plaque at San Jose City Hall.
  • Interactive Exhibits and Live Events throughout downtown San Jose.
  • Community Projects highlighting the Bay Area’s role in the Grateful Dead’s story.

Be part of history by supporting our GoFundMe campaign (Coming soon!) to honor the birthplace of the Dead and create an unforgettable celebration.

How You Can Get Involved

Coming soon!

  • Donate: Help us achieve our fundraising goal to make this event a reality.
  • Share Your Stories: Submit photos, memories, and connections to the Grateful Dead.
  • Spread the Word: Share this campaign with fellow Deadheads and music lovers.
  • Follow Us: Stay updated by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Sign Up for Updates: Subscribe to our email list for the latest news on activities in San Jose and around the Bay Area.

Looking Ahead

This initial celebration in San Jose marks the first step in building The Bay Rocks into a platform that connects the Bay Area’s music and cultural stories. Future phases will:

  • Expand digital storytelling across all eleven counties.
  • Develop educational programs highlighting the region’s musical and technological impact.
  • Collaborate with local organizations to preserve and share regional stories.

Whether you’re in Marin or Monterey, Oakland or San Jose, we invite you to join The Bay Rocks in celebrating how the Bay Area’s musical legacy continues to inspire. This isn’t just about revisiting the past—it’s about uncovering the connections that make our region unique and bringing them to life through cutting-edge technology and immersive experiences.

Save the Date: December 4, 2025

Experience a milestone in music history. Together, let’s honor the Grateful Dead’s legacy and celebrate the Bay Area’s unparalleled cultural contributions.