Here is how Saturday, May 30 shapes up at Higher Ground in South Burlington: doors open at 5:00 PM, there is a free outdoor BBQ in the backlot until showtime, and Vermont’s most beloved Grateful Dead tribute band takes the Ballroom stage at 7:30. If you needed a reason to make the North Country drive, that is three of them right there.
About Dead Sessions
Dead Sessions have been doing this for over 20 years, and the rep they have built is not the kind you manufacture. Vermont’s own, lifelong Deadheads to the core, they deliver — in their own words — “authentic but unique renditions of Grateful Dead classics thick with heartfelt jams.” The musicians bringing those jams have shared stages with the Grateful Dead, Phish, and Warren Haynes. These are not weekend warriors running through the catalog. These are A-list players who happen to love the Dead as much as you do.
This show carries some extra weight. Earlier this year, Dead Sessions came back to this same room to honor Bob Weir following his January passing — a night that, by all accounts, gave a grieving Deadhead community exactly what it needed. That history makes May 30 feel like more than a standard tribute night. It feels like the community coming back together.
The Venue
Higher Ground’s Ballroom is one of the better mid-size rooms in the Northeast. At 750 capacity, there is enough space to move around and find your spot on the floor, and the sound system holds up when a band decides to stretch a jam well past the 10-minute mark — which Dead Sessions will. The venue sits right off Williston Road in South Burlington, not in downtown Burlington proper, so you sidestep the city parking crunch.
The pre-show BBQ — billed as “One More Saturday Bite” — runs from 5:00 to 7:30 PM in the backlot and is included with your ticket. Show up at doors, eat something good, and get a spot on the floor before the room fills in. This one is All Ages, so bring the family.
Tickets
Dead Sessions at Higher Ground on Saturday, May 30, 2026 is All Ages. Doors at 5:00 PM, show at 7:30 PM. Grab your tickets here — Higher Ground fills up for these shows.