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The son of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh used the guitar his father's bandmate favored in the mid 1970s.

Written by Michael Broerman |  August 11, 2026 - 1:59 pm

Photo: Family Guitars — Grahame Lesh plays Jerry Garcia's Travis Bean TB500 11 guitar backstage at Garcia's Chicago, 8/9/26

Grahame Lesh on Sunday helped close out the week-long Deadhead holiday celebrating the “days between” Jerry Garcia‘s birthday (August 1st, 1942) and the anniversary of his death (August 9th, 1995) with a performance at Garcia’s Chicago featuring Jerry’s Travis Bean TB500 11 guitar.

The son of late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh used Garcia’s mid-’70s axe for an entire set. Grahame opened that set, one of four he played over the course of two seatings at Garcia’s on Sunday night, with the Dead’s “St. Stephen.” He later nodded to the guitar’s legacy once again with a take on “Cassidy” and put the famous instrument to work on a set-closing cover of the Allman Brothers Band‘s “Jessica.”

When Grahame Lesh & Friends returned for the back half of their late show on Sunday, the famous instrument changed hands once again to the band’s second guitarist, Justin Mazer. Mazer, known for his work with Tom Hamilton’s American Babies, wielded Jerry’s TBean on Phil-sung ’90s rarity “Wave to the Wind,” Primal Dead relic “New Potato Caboose” > “Born Cross-Eyed,” longtime Dead staple “Eyes of the World,” and a particularly sentimental “To Lay Me Down.” Finally, for the encore, bassist Adam Minkoff took up the Travis Bean for “Black Muddy River” and “Box of Rain,” the same songs that closed the final Grateful Dead show on July 9th, 1995 at the nearby Soldier Field.

The Travis Bean TB500 11 made its way to the stage with Grahame Lesh & Friends at Garcia’s thanks to Family Guitars, the Chicago-based organization that acquires and collects notable instruments for the purpose of getting them into the hands of touring musicians. Family Guitars made headlines earlier this year by purchasing “Tiger,” another famous guitar played by Garcia, for $11.5 million at auction and promptly lending it out to Tedeschi Trucks Band guitarist Derek Trucks the following evening at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Last year, Trucks also played another of Garcia’s TB500 guitars for a cover of “Franklin’s Tower” at Red Rocks on Garcia’s birthday.

Just as they were 31 years ago following Garcia’s passing, generations of Deadheads are once again looking for their guiding light following the death of Bob Weir in early 2026. By virtue of his lineage, Grahame Lesh has become one of the keepers of the Dead’s flame. He has resolutely accepted that mantle by uniting his dad’s frequent collaborators on the ongoing Terrapin Roadshow tour and performing various shows with notable Dead-adjacent players as Grahame Lesh & Friends. Though the path ahead remains unclear, Grahame’s commitment to keeping the Terrapin family together and Family Guitars’ mission of putting historic instruments into the hands of the next generation have helped the Dead’s chain remain unbroken.

Watch Grahame Lesh play Jerry Garcia’s Travis Bean guitar at Garcia’s Chicago in footage provided by Deep Cut Presents. Lesh will hit the road this month with the Terrapin Roadshow, plus dates with Midnight North and the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration. Find tickets and tour dates here.