The surviving "core four" members of the Grateful Dead will reunite over Fourth of July weekend at Soldier Field in Chicago for three concerts celebrating the band's 50th anniversary.

For the shows, scheduled to take place July 3-5, Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann will be joined by an assortment of guests that includes former touring member Bruce Hornsby and Phish co-founder Trey Anastasio.

"This year is the 50th anniversary of the band we all know and love -- the Grateful Dead," says Jerry Garcia's daughter Trixie in the above video announcement. "There's going to be a celebration. ... This is an amazing American rock band, being celebrated on America's birthday. It's so significant that they're doing the shows in Chicago -- a central location for all Deadheads to gather, and it's also the last place the Grateful Dead played together in 1995."

It's also what sounds like the closing of an age. As Weir told Billboard, "These will be the last shows with the four of us together" -- something not lost on promoter Peter Shapiro, who added, "That's why we're doing it in Chicago. They're the great American rock 'n' roll band returning to where it ended, 20 years later."

"It is with respect and gratitude that we reconvene the Dead one last time to celebrate," said Lesh. "Not merely the band's legacy, but also the community that we've been playing to, and with, for 50 years." And while this appears to be the end of the road for the Dead as a performing unit, Weir insisted fans shouldn't mourn too deeply, saying, "I know we'll all continue playing this music forever in our own ways. I've got some miles left in me."

For more on the shows, including ticketing information, visit the Dead 50 website.

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