(SAN FRANCISCO, CA.) – After the passing of Bob Weir, Haight Ashbury pays homage to him through drugs and rock n’ roll.
Disclaimer: None of the following photographs of specific people were taken without their verbal consent.
Bob Weir, a rhythm guitarist and vocalist, as well as a founding member of the band Grateful Dead, passed away on Jan. 10, due to lung disease.
The Grateful Dead lived in Haight Ashbury during the late 1960s, the era of the Summer of Love. On January 11, 2026, hippies and “Dead Heads” (the label for fans of the Grateful Dead) flocked to the legendary Haight Ashbury to remember him and celebrate the fact that he lived.
A small business tie dye store on the corner of Haight Street called Love On Haight issued a memorial on the side of their building for Bob Weir.
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
His name was already painted on the sidewalk in the middle of a green heart. People lit candles and placed down flowers and wreaths to pay their respects to the musician.
Some people cried at the memorial, or came into the store and cried while browsing the Grateful Dead products and the hand-dyed sustainable clothes that are sold there. The style of the products represent the counterculture that Bob Weir was a part of and expressed through his music.
Across the street from Love On Haight, the Psychedelic SF Art Gallery held an all-day and late-night music show. During the daytime, the musicians played outdoors, and during the nighttime, they played indoors.
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
The Psychedelic SF Art Gallery is a building which houses psychedelic and countercultural visual art, including many pieces from artists who felt greatly inspired by the Grateful Dead. Much of the art is for sale when the gallery is open to the public, usually Thursday-Friday and on Sundays from 12pm to 7pm.
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
The musicians played songs from the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and other iconic countercultural musicians who had passed on. People crowded around to listen, some even listening from across the street, or climbing on objects to see.
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
That night, a band called Mason’s Children played tribute to the Grateful Dead inside of the Psychedelic SF Art Gallery.
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
One of the members of the band climbed the Masonic street sign and placed the Grateful Dead Symbol over the O. According to a nearby Dead Head, it was the keyboardist for the band.
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
At night, some of the adults took to marijuana, alcohol, and American Spirits. Some also inhaled laughing gas from balloons for a brief "high".
Photo Credit: Brianna Rhea
While the music played, hippies of various ages vigorously danced and grooved to the music. They wore bright colors, tie dye, and articles of clothing reflecting the Grateful Dead.
Many of the attendees expressed through conversation that the art and counterculture scenes are very much still alive in San Francisco. They said that the tech boom did not destroy any of it, but rather caused a number of people to express that it needs a greater resurgence.
Haight Ashbury has an unforgettable history of art, counterculture, peace, love, anti-war, and psychedelia. It includes the Summer of Love, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and of course, the Grateful Dead.
The Grateful Dead is a band that still influences and inspires people today, and will continue to do so, even when its members pass away. The music lives on.
Comment your favorite Grateful Dead record below to pay tribute!
If you have anything to add to or correct in this report, please reach out to me at brianna.r@lead4earth.org
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