The walk up to the park was an event unto itself. RVs decked out in Dead murals lined the Panhandle, and a few blocks later JFK Boulevard was the site of nearly 100 vendor booths, selling everything from cheeky Ts mashing up the Steal Your Face logo with iconography of Southern country store chain Buc-ee's,

The group, led by founding Grateful Dead members Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, kicked off its three-night run of shows honoring the iconic band on Friday.

Sixty years after the Grateful Dead first formed in San Francisco, the spirit of the legendary jam band is alive and well in the city where it all began.