Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir celebrated the opening of his new music hall in California on Friday (27Jan12) with a performance by The Outlaws.
Legendary San Francisco hotspot Sweetwater Music Hall closed its doors in 2007 but Weir decided the area's local arts scene needed to be revamped.
The singer has now relaunched the landmark venue a few blocks away from its original location and opened it for the first time on Friday.
He tells RollingStone.com, "Marin County used to be a real hub for music. It was a hotbed for music. And I miss that... (I'm) trying to bring that kind of consciousness back...
"The music kind of disappeared from Marin about 20 years ago when people stopped going to clubs and stuff because everybody got married and had kids. Well, now those kids are growing up and they’re going to be playing in the clubs, so I think it’s going to happen again."
The renovated space, which also boasts a gourmet cafe, complete with locally-grown organic foods, will offer open mic nights, master classes, workshops and performances from both local and national bands.
And Weir's not the only Grateful Dead bandmate to be reviving the region - the group's bassist Phil Lesh also recently signed on to create a similar hangout, Terrapin Crossroads, just down the road from Weir's, which will open in March (12).