Billy & the Kids have announced an April 27 concert at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. News arrived after the signature backbeat behind the Grateful Dead delivered a series of comedic-infused videos, featuring Billy & the Kids players: Aron Magner, Tom Hamilton, Reed Mathis and James Casey, which tease their return to The Big Easy. 

Initially, on March 19, the band shared a collaborative post on their Instagram account which featured Magner driving around and singing along to Billy & the Kids’ cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue.” The 45-second clip sent fans into a spiral of theories and assumptions intertwined with the meaning behind the post. 

Then, hours later, they posted again. Only this time, Billy & the Kids shared a brief video of Hamilton in the studio, reprising the Dylan original. Next up, Mathis added the lyrics: “So I drifted down to New Orlean,” inciting further rumors. 

Things became clear once the bandleader added a two-minute video, in which he exclaimed, “New Orleans, that’s it! I gotta get to New Orleans.” The comedic tone of the video was emphasized with hilarious scenes of Kreutzmann looking out at the ocean and guessing the direction of his destination, followed by a brief hitch-hiking scene, and a display of a handwritten sign which read: New Orleans or Bust. 

Casey also got in on the social media play, sharing a video of himself performing “When The Band Comes Marching In” on saxophone, which further emphasized what was to come. Then, this morning the band confirmed an April 27 concert, which has been dubbed Fleur De Dead. 

During the impending concert, the band will perform songs plucked from the Grateful Dead’s favored songbook, along with thematic classics, and improvisational jams. Kreutzmann shared: “We’ll honor these songs with the energy and electricity that nights in New Orleans demand.” 

The impending show will be the first Billy & the Kids live performance since their acclaimed “Dead on the Rocks” shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., in 2021, which featured guest Billy Strings joining the band for both nights, along with appearances by Jeff Franca (Thievery Corp.), Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident), and Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass).

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. C.T. A venue and artist pre-sale begins tomorrow, Wednesday, March 22 at 10 a.m. C.T. Details for the artist pre-sale will be emailed to fans who have signed up for Billy & the Kids mailing list.