On this day in Boston Celtics history, several members of the storied franchise went to see the Grateful Dead in concert in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1985. Not all the Celtics went, but after recent arrival Bill Walton had managed to pique the interest of a few of his teammates, a significant portion of the team decided to attend the concert.
A few days ahead of the planned concert, Hall of Fame teammates Larry Bird and Kevin McHale had noticed some hippie-ish looking people wearing funky clothes arriving in town, and made the connection it must have something to do with their hippie-ish teammate.
Walton had himself previously met the band after sticking out like a sore thumb as a 7-footer at one of their concerts, catching the eye of drummer Mickey Hart, who called him on stage after learning who he was.
I've got your brief distraction: 35 years ago today, Bill Walton took Celtics players, including Larry Bird, to see the Grateful Dead in Worcester, Massachusetts. "Two of my favorite subjects – the Grateful Dead and Boston Celtics," Walton said.https://t.co/KEDmAolDEN
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) November 4, 2020