Name: Country Is Dead: An All-Star Night of Grateful Dead Country Classics
Start: 2025-09-12T19:00:00-07:00
Location: 1006 E Main St, Ventura, CA

Country Is Dead: An All-Star Night of Grateful Dead Country Classics

The Country is Dead Concert returns to the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura on September 12, 2025, for an unforgettable night of music, storytelling, and cosmic twang.
This year’s all-star nine-piece house band features some of the most respected musicians in Americana and jam music.
On fiddle, Phil Salazar—longtime member of Grateful Dead co-frontman Bob Weir’s side projects RatDog and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros—adds his signature sound.
Ed McCabe, pedal steel and banjo player for Tyler Childers’ band, brings rich country textures, while Mark Masson and members of Shaky Feelin infuse the performance with jam-rock energy.
Following the success of last year’s Palomino Nights—a standout moment of the Ventura Live 2024 season—this show brings together some of Ventura’s finest musicians for a heartfelt tribute to the Grateful Dead, reimagined through the soul of classic country.
Audiences will be treated to full acoustic and electric sets, featuring outlaw country songs once covered by the Dead, as well as fresh country-bluegrass interpretations of classics from Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, along with outlaw country Dead covers. The band blends pedal steel, mandolin, banjo, piano, acoustic and electric guitars, organ, bass, and drums to create a sound that is both authentic and adventurous.
Led by Jay Ponti, the evening will feature both acoustic and electric sets, with special guest appearances and surprise moments that capture the spirit of the Dead in ways you’ve never heard before.
Whether you’re a longtime Deadhead, a country music lover, or just someone looking for a truly unique live experience, this show promises to be a highlight of the fall season in Ventura.
The Country is Dead band blends acoustic and electric guitars, stand-up and electric bass, drums, pedal steel, mandolin, banjo, piano, and electric organ to create a rich, authentic country sound. Special guests will join throughout the night, adding unique touches to this dynamic performance.