Grateful Dead take the stage with Bill Walton’s number – KSHE 95

Mickey Hart and Bill Walton on stage in 2005; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Before Dead & Company‘s show on Thursday at the Sphere in Las Vegas, drummer Mickey Hart posted on Instagram, “Tonight we pulsate, we vibrate, we dance for Bill. The BIGGEST Deadhead in the world!“In fact, the band offered a worthy tribute to the late NBA legend Bill Waltonwho died on Monday at the age of 71. He was not only a fanatical Dead fan, but also a personal friend of the members of the group.

Fan-shot footage of the performance shows the band took the stage with instruments emblazoned with Walton’s number 32, which he wore while playing for UCLA, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Diego Clippers.

During the “Drums” portion of the show, the Sphere’s LED screen showed footage from when Walton, who was Hart’s best friend, joined her onstage for that section at a 2016 show. And when Hart sang “Fire on the Mountain,” the screen showed images of Walton with the members of the Gratefully dead and Dead & Company over the years.

Walton’s first Dead show was in 1967 and he saw over 1,000 of them over the course of his life.

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