The Grateful Dead Are Making An ‘Appearance’ At Duke University

The Grateful Dead is getting a new exhibit at Perkins Library at Duke. The display will feature concert posters, internal communications, and other memorabilia from when the band performed at…

Melanie Day

Updated Nov 30, 2021 1:39 PM EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – APRIL 28: Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Warren Haynes of The Dead perform at the Izod Center on April 28, 2009 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Cory Schwartz/Getty Images)

The Grateful Dead is getting a new exhibit at Perkins Library at Duke. The display will feature concert posters, internal communications, and other memorabilia from when the band performed at the school; four times at Cameron Indoor Stadium and once more at Wallace Wade Stadium between 1971 and 1982. Students in a first-year seminar examined the materials and interviewed event organizers and attendees for the exhibit, which will open Wednesday. The professor involved explained, “I love for first-year students to learn about the university. They were able to do that in this course by going to the archives, meeting alumni who attended these shows, and they also had what I call a ‘Dead Buddy,’ a faculty or staff member at Duke who students interviewed. They got to interact with people on the medical side, the libraries. It really helped them learn about the university.”

Gallery: The Grateful Dead

Duke University Local The Grateful Dead

Melanie DayWriter

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.