Jerry Garcia Inspires Garcia’s Chicago A 300-Cap. Jam To Jazz Venue Set To Open March 21

Beloved Grateful Dead pillar Jerry Garcia once said, “Magic is what we do, music is how we do it.” Peter Shapiro does it with brick and mortar creating magical independent spaces for live music to stretch boundaries and entertain enthusiasts.

Shapiro’s latest venture with Dayglo Presents (Brooklyn Bowl, The Capitol Theatre, Bearsville Theater) is Garcia’s Chicago, a 300-cap. concert venue and restaurant celebrating Garcia’s enduring legacy. Garcia’s Chicago opens March 21 in the city’s mushrooming West Loop neighborhood.    

The venue honors the lead guitarist, vocalist and co-founder of the Grateful Dead drawing inspiration from Garcia’s Spanish heritage and upbringing in Northern California tie-died with his genre-blurring deep musical connection to jazz, Americana and world music.

Developed in partnership with the Jerry Garcia Family, the venue strives to preserve the history, while leaning into the future of the music, food and artistry that Garcia unequivocally embraced.

“I’m super dedicated and invested into this, because I felt the space had magic,” offered Shapiro.

Later in his life, Garcia discussed the possibility of opening a club where he could host intimate jams and support up-and-coming musicians. Now, Shapiro, who was a senior at Northwestern University when Garcia died in 1995, is bringing that aspiration to life.

“Our father had envisioned a space where he could be off the road and close to home, a place he was going to call ‘Casa Garcia,’” said Trixie Garcia in a statement. “The idea was to create a live music club with a comfortable atmosphere for artists and guests. A place where Jerry could get his musical fix without going on the road.”

The Jerry Garcia Family are stewards of the legacy. Led by Trixie Garcia, the Jerry Garcia Family includes Annabelle and Heather Garcia, as well as Sunshine Kesey and the estate of his brother Tiff.

“In that spirit, we are pleased to collaborate with Pete Shapiro on the opening of Garcia’s where together we will build community, create memories and above all else make music,” added his daughter. “We invite you to relax and enjoy our version of ‘third space.’”

Garcia’s Chicago extends the homage to Garcia’s family history. His parents – Jose Ramon (Joe) and Ruth Marie (Bobbie) Garcia – were musicians and in the bar business. Joe Garcia owned and ran a bar in San Francisco and Garia’s mother took it over after he died. A photo of Garcia’s dad in his bar hangs on the wall as a reminder of the heritage at the heart of Garcia’s Chicago.  

The venue isn’t the first Garcia’s in Shapiro’s live portfolio. In 2012, he converted a jewelry store next to The Capitol Theater into a 250-cap lobby bar in honor of Garcia who counted the Port Chester, New York, rock palace among his favorite stages in the country. The band played The Cap 18 times in 1977.  

Shapiro is an able caretaker and preservationist of the brand. His first exposure to the Grateful Dead was in 1993.

“I went to a Dead show in Rosemont and just had one of those moments,” recalled Shapiro. “I was 20 and I’d never seen anything like that. It was a formative moment.”

Between his sophomore and junior years at Northwestern, Shapiro shot the footage for his documentary debut “And Miles To Go: On Tour with The Grateful Dead.” The project landed him an associate producer role on “Tie-Died: Rock ‘n Roll’s Most Deadicated Fans,” which debuted at Sundance in 1995 before its national theatrical run.

Shapiro’s connection to the band continued and in 2013, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh agreed to play 45 shows across Shapiro’s venues. The relationship led to “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead,” a series of concerts that were performed by most of the surviving members including Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasia, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti. The performances took place at Santa Clara’s Levi Stadium and Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2015 – the last full reunion of original members.

At Garcia’s Chicago, music drives the magic and the mission. The booking strategy reflects the aesthetic established by Shapiro at his other music venues. The full calendar kicks off with Phil Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh & Friends featuring Daniel Donato and includes Blind Boys of Alabama, Grace Potter and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band among many others.

“Garcia’s Chicago has a modern jazz club set up, but the booking will be broad like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,” explained Shapiro. “We are booking a broad spectrum of music…Jerry Garcia’s music touched upon the spectrum of the great American songbook.”

Designed by Bob Quellos of Chicago architectural firm fc Studio with the collaboration of designer Tristam Steinberg on branding and environment, the interior is part California-core, part mid-century modern with the psychedelic verve of San Francisco’s bohemian heyday. Memorabilia includes original artwork, vintage movie posters, records, books and even cassette tapes.

“Within the live music business, if you are someone like me who creates music venues, you want high ceilings and no columns,” explained Shapiro of the location in a former restaurant. “This is a unicorn of a space.”

Food and beverage offerings are also a reflection of Garcia’s personal taste. Developed by the team at Lowder-Tascarella Hospitality Group, the menu features flavors from Garcia’s Spanish heritage, San Francisco roots and well-documented love for American comfort food. The kitchen is led by executive chef and Chicago native Ivy Carthen. The beverage program features a mix of craft cocktails, zero-proof options and premium wines and beers created by the LTH cocktail team led by mixologist Chris Lowder.

On the production side, Garcia’s Chicago is equipped with a full backline, the latest Yamaha DM7 console and a complete multitracking system to capture every performance. The venue will also offer 4K live-streams and a state-of-the-art lighting package.

“The Dead have always had huge success in Chicago,” said Shapiro. “The Soldier Field shows. It was the last place Jerry played in the summer of ’95, a month or so before he passed. There are a lot of reasons to be in Chicago and I believe Garcia’s is going to be embraced.”

Garcia’s Chicago 2025 Lineup:

March 21-23 – Grahame Lesh & Friends featuring Daniel Donato

March 30 – Blind Boys of Alabama

April 4-5 – LaMP

April 8 – Dave & Dave (of Trampled by Turtles)

April 10-11 – Keller Williams

April 12-13 – Krasno Moore Project

April 19 – Octave Cat

April 24 – An Intimate Evening with Grace Potter

April 25 – The Grateful String Band

April 26 – The Travelin’ McCourys

April 29 – Joey Alexander (two sets)

May 2 – Sam Grisman Project May

May 3 – Dave Bruzza (of Greensky Bluegrass)

May 8 – HARTLISS (Brendan Bayliss of Umphrey’s McGee & Jennifer Hartswick of Trey Anastasio Band)

May 9 – Shitty Limo (Brendan Bayliss + Jake Cinninger of Umphrey’s McGee)

May 10 – Tom Hamilton (of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead)

May 11 – Artemis (two sets)

May 15 – Benmont Tench

May 16-17 – BALTHVS

May 22 – Chris Jacobs Band featuring Luther Dickinson

May 23 – Frank Catalano Band

May 25 – Hot Buttered Rum with special guest Allie Krall

May 30-31 – Holly Bowling

June 4 – Drayton Farley

June 6-7 – Matteo Mancuso (two sets per night)

June 14 – phoffman (of Greensky Bluegrass)

June 19-21 – Preservation Hall Jazz Band

June 25 – Mikaela Davis

June 29 – Town Mountain

Aug. 31 – JoJo Hermann (of Widespread Panic)

Sept. 5-6 – George Porter Jr & Runnin Pardners

Sept. 18 – Susto

Sept. 12-13 – God Street Wine

Oct. 25 – Dezron Douglas Quartet

Nov. 6, 13, 20 – Dogs In A Pile (three week residency)