Few bands have a history as storied as the Grateful Dead, whose exploits at times verge on the quasi-mythological.
Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, the American band rose to fame during the apex of the hippie movement, blending a wide range of musical influences to create their own improvisational style and becoming the poster children for the counterculture movement cultivated along the streets of Haight-Ashbury.
Now, almost 30 years after guitarist and songwriter Jerry Garcia's death, the Grateful Dead are bigger than ever as the band. Their offshoot, Dead & Company, recently finished a summer residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas after an eight-year tour where they packed stadiums and arenas around the US.
Dead & Company's touring years were captured by legendary rock and roll photographer Jay Blakesberg, whose book on the band, Dead & Company: Rainbow Full of Sound, was released last week and available on Blakesberg's website.
The book features more than 400 photos from 2018 to 2023, capturing the energy of this new offshoot after the band performed their last gig as the Grateful Dead in 2015.
“I just wanted to kind of celebrate and document those eight years that were a lot of fun for a lot of people who reconnected with this music,” Blakesberg told The National.
Blakesberg has worked with artists including the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, U2, Joni Mitchell and countless others since he first picked up a camera. But the legendary rock and roll photographer is best known for his work with the Grateful Dead, whose journey he has documented through his lens since the Grateful Dead performed at Giants Stadium in New York in 1978.
Asked why he chose Rainbow Full of Sound as the book's title, Blakesberg said he drew inspiration from the song The Music Never Stopped, the lyrics of which refer to “fireworks, calliopes and clowns” as throngs of people dance to the music.
“That's the Grateful Dead experience, right? You know, we're all just clowns and it really is just dancing, right?” he said.
That energy stems from the group's legions of fans, known as Deadheads, known for criss-crossing the country to watch any of the band's about 2,300 concerts.
“The improvisational aspect of Dead & Co or the Grateful Dead takes the fans on a different kind of journey that they're able to give back to the band with a different kind of energy that that involves dance and swirl and psychedelics,” Blakesberg said.
The band are set to be honoured as the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year in January for transcending music by fostering their community of fans and engaging in a wide range of philanthropic efforts, ranging from social justice to environmental conservation to mental health.
The ceremony will coincide with the band's 60th anniversary.
It's a remarkable experience for the Dead, whose story is equally about grieving as it is about dancing. The band and its fans suffered tremendous loss this year with the death of Phil Lesh, one of the band's founding members.
“I think that it really hit everybody really hard, that this band … are mortal creatures, and that they will not live forever,” Blakesberg said.
“Every time they sort of end an era like, you're never sure. You know now with the death of Phil Lesh, right? We know that the dynamic has changed forever, once again, like it's happened with Jerry, and now it's happened with Phil.”
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.