John Mayer hosts a weekly SiriusXM series, “Grateful Dead Listening Party,” where he spins his favorite Grateful Dead tracks every Sunday night and shares why each one means so much to him. The two-hour show airs on SiriusXM’s Life with John Mayer (ch. 14) on Sunday nights at 9:00 pm ET, with rebroadcasts on the Grateful Dead Channel (ch. 23) throughout the week. Episodes also land on the SiriusXM app after they premiere.
Mayer laid out the story behind the show in his announcement post. “In the days after we lost Bobby Weir, I tried listening to Grateful Dead music as a way to be soothed. I found it harder than I’d thought. I felt as if I was listening alone, like the mainframe that connects all who listen at any given time had gone offline. (It turns out that a presence like Bobby’s makes for an immeasurable absence.) After talking with friends who felt the same, I knew I wanted to start Grateful Dead Listening Party. Every Sunday night at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific on SiriusXM’s @lifewithjohnmayer channel, I’ll be playing two hours of my favorite @gratefuldead and @deadandcompany recordings, talking a little about each one. It’s a way for those who have felt lost to ‘meet up’ and listen to the music together. It’s not live, but I’ll be tuning in. Sometimes the least you can do is also the most you can do… we shall find a way forward,” he wrote.
The series lives on SiriusXM’s Life with John Mayer channel, a 24/7 music experience he hand-selects himself. The channel pulls from his classics, collaborations, and never-before-heard material, blended with the songs he loves, and rounds it out with exclusive shows like “How’s Life with John Mayer” and “New Music Friday-Tuesday.” The new listening party gives Dead fans a warm, communal place to gather around the music together.