The Grateful Dead played together for the first time in 20 years in front of a sold out crowd in Santa Clara, Calif. Saturday, and the show ended with a rainbow appearing above the stage, which had some fans questioning if it was a little too perfect.
An insider told Billboard the band spent $50,000 on a phony rainbow. The rumor picked up with one fan writing on Reddit, “Who’s to say they made it, silicon valley is full of dead heads with more money than they know what to do with could have been done for the show. The clouds were low in an otherwise clear sky, not to mention the drought California is experiencing. The best conspiracies are the ones you can’t prove.”
A long-time deadhead defended the band, telling Billboard, “This is the band that jams with God.”
Billboard has updated its article with a clarification, “this article has been updated to include the continuing debate over the appearance of the rainbow, which upon further investigation appears to have been real. Turns out this band really does jam with God.“
The rainbow appeared during a 17-minute version of “Viola Lee Blues,” which ended the well-received 65-minute performance.
The band stopped touring in 1995 after the death of frontman Jerry Garcia, but reunited for the tour Saturday and is playing with Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. They play July 3, 4, and 5 in Chicago’s Soldier Field, all of which can be streamed online here.