Grateful Dead guitarist-singer Jerry Garcia may have wished for “immortality while I’m alive,” and now a new concert venue and restaurant in the West Loop is ensuring that his legacy lives on via the three things he loved best: great food, great music and bringing people together.
Described as a “living, breathing tribute” to the late Grateful Dead icon, Garcia’s Chicago opened Friday at the former Wishbone Restaurant spot at 1001 W. Washington Blvd, six years after it was first announced and then shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was worth the wait.
The cozy, 300-capacity room feels poised to become one of the more intimate live venues in Chicago, with a range of jazz, world music and Americana, with acts from Grace Potter to Preservation Hall Jazz Band booked through November. Patrons must purchase concert tickets to gain entry on show nights as the open-concept venue includes the live stage area. Food and beverages (at additional cost) are optional at all live shows, while dining-only options are available at menu/bar prices on non-concert dates.
The food and drink is a hearty feast of culinary treats that celebrate Jerry Garcia’s Spanish roots along with flavors of his long-time home region in Northern California. Steered by the Lowder-Tascarella Hospitality Group, the menu offers Spanish hams and cheeses, coconut-lime shrimp, and the Jerry’s Roast Beef Sandwich, which can be paired with a frozen Loretta Bird cocktail with chili-infused blanco tequila,or a spirits-free Cuckoo’s Nest carrot juice and grilled pineapple spritzer.
Friday night’s opening was filled with many in Garcia’s inner-circle, who gave the spot their blessing. In the crowd was his daughter, Trixie, who worked with developers on the concept, mirroring it off a “Casa Garcia” concept her father wanted to open before his passing. On stage was Grahame Lesh, the son of the late Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh, who played two sets of handpicked covers that spanned nearly three hours.
And, as doors opened outside, Southern rock/blues artist Marcus King (in town for the Experience Hendrix event at Chicago Theatre), was seen greeting patrons waiting in the entry line.
Ramon Navarro and Robin Cartwright, “huge Deadheads” who drove in from Fort Wayne, Indiana, were the first in the door. After taking a good look around, Cartwright compared the vibe to Deadhead “shakedowns,” where fans gather en masse outside concerts.
“It feels like it’s all about community and hanging out,” Cartwright said. Navarro added that the look of the space is “unbelievable … all the artwork, the library, the photographs, it’s just incredible.”
Another patron, Megan Severs, from Park Ridge, added, “I love all the décor — the vinyl, the pictures of Jerry and everyone. There’s so many details that I feel were not overlooked.” Her husband, James, added, “The music they are booking is pretty much everything we love. If we lived down here we’d probably come to every show they have.”
The reason Garcia’s Chicago comes off as such an authentic space is Peter Shapiro, the driving force behind the entire project. The independent promoter, club owner, and head of Dayglo Presents, operates venues such as the Brooklyn Bowl and the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, where a smaller Garcia’s “lobby bar” lives. Shapiro is also behind the Lockn’ Festival, publishes Relix magazine and was the producer of the Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead concerts. (Jerry Garcia’s last show with the band was at Soldier Field in 1995 as part of the tour.)
Jesse Lauter, head of production at Dayglo Presents, said the the concept goes beyond the “obvious Grateful Dead branding” and to have “a place that really felt like Jerry,” modeled after San Francisco jazz clubs with a ‘60s psychedelic, mid-century modern aesthetic.
They’ve also planted Garcia “Easter eggs” everywhere, with Lauter pointing out a few. One is a never-before-seen color portrait of Jerry, pulled from a slide that the team found in the Relix archives. There’s also an original print of Victor Moscoso, one of Garcia’s favorite artists, and graphic novels displayed throughout that pay homage to Garcia’s love of sci-fi.
The team tried to recreate Garcia’s record collection, too, with vinyl on shelving throughout, though, the venue hopes to be known as a cassette bar over time, where fans can bring their own selections to be played.
“Vinyl bars have become all the rage, but Grateful Dead culture has all been built around cassette tapes, so we felt like we had to have that,” said Lauter.
Some of the most touching details are the homages to Garcia’s father, Jose “Joe” Garcia, who was in the restaurant business and also a musician. A portrait of him sits at the end of the bar, and the postcard guests receive with their check features a never-before-seen photo of Jose with his jazz band.
Garcia’s is predominately cabaret-style booths and tables, though patrons can book seats, or opt for general admission tickets and stand along the perimeter of the room. Most shows are 18+ or 21+; the restaurant is open to all ages.
“We didn’t want this to be a big venue where we fill a bunch of seats,” said Lauter. “We wanted it to be a place where you can really feel the sound and zone out.”
When Grahame Lesh took the stage Friday night, accompanied by friends like singer Nicki Bluhm and guitarist Daniel Donato, the sound felt bigger than the room itself, yet still balanced to hear every nuance in guitar riffs and percussion as the band worked through winding renditions of the Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” and “St. Stephen,” as well as “Jessica” from The Allman Brothers Band.
Oak Park native Tom McGee, a “Grateful Dead fanatic” who’s seen them “a couple hundred times,” thinks Lesh was the right pick for opening weekend.
“I like that he’s carrying on his dad’s legacy, and the fact they have him opening is fantastic,” said McGee.
Thirty years after Jerry Garcia’s death, seeing that spirit live on at Garcia’s Chicago is really the whole point, and there was no better place to do so than in Chicago, said Lauter.
“Jerry loved a lot of music that came out of Chicago and played a lot of pretty famous shows herem including his last concert [ever]. As the last city he ever performed in, it’s only fitting opening this club in honor of him and keep it going.”
