In a recent Jambands.com Reader Interview, RatDog guitarist Mark Karan mentions that he bonded with Phil Lesh and his family after being diagnosed with cancer last year. So it is no surprise that the bassist asked Karan to fill in when his current guitarist Larry Campbell missed his performance at San Franciscos Slow Food Rocks Festival to perform with Levon Helm at moe.down. Karan played lead on Grateful Dead classics like Uncle Johns Band, Box of Rain and a complete run from Help On The Way into Slipknot! and Franklin’s Tower, among others. He also took a rare stab at lead vocals on Deal and split verses with Jackie Greene on Sugaree.
Though many suspected Karan would join the reunited Dead this October, guitarist Warren Haynes and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti are the only auxiliary musicians confirmed to perform with the core members of the group in State College, PA on October 13. The remaining members of the Grateful Dead will also likely tour this spring.