John Kadlecik Fills the Winter Calendar
John Kadlecik has spent most of two decades as one of the most trusted lead voices in the Grateful Dead world. He was the guitarist and a lead singer in Furthur, the band Bob Weir and Phil Lesh led, and he has carried that experience into every project since. This winter he is working at a pace that would wear down a younger player, with a full slate that moves between the intimate and the enormous: a headlining solo evening, a pair of nights in a high end California theater, a New Year’s celebration in Pennsylvania, and a destination festival on the Jamaican coast.
What makes the calendar interesting is how much range it covers. Some of these dates belong to the Jerry Garcia Band tradition, where he steers guitar and lead vocals beside keyboard master Melvin Seals. Others are his own, shaped around the song choices and the dual guitar arrangements that defined the Furthur years. All of them point toward the same thing: a player who knows this catalog from the inside, and who keeps finding new rooms in which to play it. Full routing lives on the official John Kadlecik schedule.
Solo at The Hamilton Live, November 25
The first date on the run is also the most personal. On Wednesday, November 25, Kadlecik headlines The Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., a solo evening with an 8:00 PM showtime and tickets listed at $40. Without a full band around him, the night puts the songs and the guitar front and center. This is where you hear how he phrases a melody, how he lets a Garcia line breathe, and how much of the storytelling in this repertoire survives when it is just one voice and one instrument in a good room.
It also lands the night before Thanksgiving, which tends to make for a warm, talkative crowd. Anyone who lives in the District, northern Virginia, or Maryland and wants to see him in a setting this close should treat it as the one to catch.
The Furthurmore Project, December 12
On Saturday, December 12, Kadlecik brings a special Furthurmore performance to Virginia. The concept revives the exploratory dual guitar arrangements and song to song segues that defined his years alongside Bob Weir and Phil Lesh in Furthur, the sort of long form, multi part sequencing that rewards a crowd paying attention. Published details on this one are lighter than on his other dates, so check the schedule page for the venue and ticketing before you make plans.
The name is worth a moment. With both Weir and Lesh now gone, a project built on the music they played together carries more weight than it once did. It reads less like nostalgia and more like stewardship, a musician who was in the room keeping that way of playing in circulation.
Melvin Seals & JGB, Menlo Park and Ardmore
The heart of the winter is the Jerry Garcia Band tradition, with Kadlecik handling guitar and lead vocals beside Seals, who played the Hammond B3 in Garcia’s own JGB. After a heavy fall of touring, the band opens December with a two night stand at The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, California, on December 4 and 5. The lineup around the front two is John-Paul McLean on bass and Jeremy Hoenig on drums, a rhythm section that gives the band the unhurried, rolling feel this music depends on. The Guild is an intimate and well kept room, which suits the ballads and slow burn jams that make the JGB repertoire what it is.
Then the band crosses the country for the year’s final stretch. On December 30 and 31, Melvin Seals & JGB return to the Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, for a two night New Year’s celebration. Doors open at 6:45 PM on the 30th and 7:30 PM on New Year’s Eve. It is a favorite East Coast stop for this group, and for fans in the Philadelphia area it is a natural way to spend the turn of the year.
Jam in the Sand XIII, January 12 to 16
Kadlecik’s winter ends in warm weather. From January 12 through 16, 2027, he heads to Montego Bay, Jamaica, for the thirteenth Jam in the Sand, hosted by Dark Star Orchestra. The festival includes three nights of two set shows from the hosts, and Melvin Seals & JGB, with Kadlecik on stage, play two main event performances. Violinist Mads Tolling joins as a special guest, which promises an interesting new color for the Garcia Band material.
Planning note: the main resort packages at the Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters are officially sold out. Fans can still join the waitlist through the festival’s website in case of cancellations, and anyone considering it should get on that list soon.
A Working Guitarist in a Changing Scene
Look at the full run and a pattern shows. There is a solo room, a project built around Furthur’s legacy, a band steeped in Garcia’s solo catalog, and a festival that brings the whole scene together on a beach. Kadlecik is not asking this music to be one thing. He is letting it live at several scales at once, which is exactly what keeps a catalog alive after its original architects are gone.
If you want to ease into the Garcia Band side of this before the dates arrive, The JGB Radio Show runs every Sunday night on The Grateful Dead Live, a long evening devoted to Garcia’s solo projects and a good primer for any of the Melvin Seals shows above.
