Fuck White Supremacists. Charlottesville Prefers the Grateful Dead.

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Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead.

As tensions remain elevated in Charlottesville, surviving members of the Grateful Dead hope to bring some peace and tranquility to the region.

Jerry passed away in the 90s, but the Grateful Dead never really died.  Now, surviving members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh are hoping to bring some positive energy to a very negative situation in Charlottesville.

The pair will perform with the Terrapin Family Band and Nicki Bluhm, and the vibe will be distinctively Dead.  In fact, the ensemble will perform the entire Terrapin Station album, an iconic Grateful Dead album from 1977.  It’s all happening tomorrow (Friday) in Arrington, Virginia, just 45 minutes outside Charlottesville.

That’s the site of the Lockn’ Festival, which actually starts today (Thursday) and runs through the weekend.  Complementing the Terrapin troupe will be a number of uplifting jam bands, including Gov’t Mule.  Others on the bill are sure to bring some needed tranquility, including The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, Keller Williams, John Fogerty, and moe.

Here’s the festival bill.  If you’re anywhere near Charlottesville, this could bring some needed positivity to your life.

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Lockn’ has been around for years, and this year’s festival has been in-the-works for months.  That said, the organizers are acutely aware of the unique circumstances surrounding the 2017 event.  Indeed, they are roundly embracing it as an opportunity to heal a deeply-injured city and state.

Weir is arriving with a message of love, even for those that show hate.

“The feeling I think we will have is that we will regard everyone with equal love, even the people who caused all that trouble,” Weir told AP.  “In that particular instance, our regard for them will be tinged with a bit of pity for their unfortunate views and the circumstances that they bring on themselves.”

That message will probably pervade the chilled gathering.  For Weir, the strongest statements may come from the music itself, instead of overt messages from the stage.  But that’s up to every artist to decide.

+ I Just Found 37 White Supremacist Hate Bands on Spotify

Meanwhile, the good vibes ghost of Jerry will be pervasive throughout.  There’s even a ‘Garcia Forest,’ which sounds enticing enough.  And there’s an entire portion of the festival devoted to the Dead’s legacy.

None of that will fix the problems that erupted in Charlottesville earlier this month.  But at least it’s a break from it.

There’s also a Lockn’ livestream for those that can’t make it.  That (and last-minute tickets) are available here.