When the Wheel is Turning: Remembering Jerry’s Final Show

On July 9, 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago, the Grateful Dead played their last show with Jerry Garcia.

Jerry Garcia, Final Show July 9, 1995

No one knew it would be the end — not the band, not the fans, not even Jerry himself. But in hindsight, the show feels drenched in meaning. A setlist that mixed joy with yearning. A version of “So Many Roads” that still raises goosebumps. And a crowd that, despite knowing the scene was fraying, clung to the music with wide-open hearts.

Here’s the setlist from that night:

Set One: Touch of Grey / Little Red Rooster / Lazy River Road / When I Paint My Masterpiece / Childhood’s End / Cumberland Blues / The Promised Land

Set Two: Shakedown Street / Samson and Delilah / So Many Roads / Samba in the Rain / Corrina / Drums > Space / Unbroken Chain / Standing on the Moon / Sugar Magnolia

Encore:Black Muddy River

Some say it was an uneven show. Others call it historic. But one thing’s for sure — we’re still talking about it 30 years later. That’s the magic.

Where were you that summer? Did you catch a show on the '95 tour? Share your memories with us — we’d love to feature them in a future post.