As the Grateful Dead play their final concerts in Chicago, they'll have lots of their biggest fans in attendance.
Of all the Deadheads at Soldier Field, no doubt one of the largest will be Bill Walton. Not only is he seven feet tall, the top pick in the 1974 NBA draft has been to more than 850 Grateful Dead concerts.
Walton last weekend went to the first two shows of the Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" tour at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The final three will be on July 3, 4 and 5 in Chicago.
The 62-year-old Walton was tweeting up a storm from the shows, and from the looks of it he had a blast:
There's nothing like the Grateful Dead pic.twitter.com/AQswxU2Ct5
— Bill Walton (@BillWalton) June 28, 2015
You meet the most interesting people at Dead shows pic.twitter.com/0mc2tOR89D
— Bill Walton (@BillWalton) June 28, 2015
@BillWalton blocked many shots in his career; here he is blocking one of mine. #GD50 #GratefulDead #levisstadium pic.twitter.com/o8XwH72Ivx
— brian diagonal (@prancitron) June 28, 2015
856 Dead shows for @BillWalton. I found my new spirit animal. pic.twitter.com/WGFZeqy07l
— Nick Quaranto (@qrush) June 29, 2015
I came with extremely high expectations and they were exceeded pic.twitter.com/7lWdpQM7yl
— Bill Walton (@BillWalton) June 29, 2015
Walton, who is sometimes referred to as the "Grateful Red," is even hosting the pay-per-view broadcasts of the five shows.
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world, because I’m going to spend five out of the next nine days with my friends, the Grateful Dead ... the countdown has begun!” told his hometown San Diego Union-Tribune before the Santa Clara shows.
“But I also get the privilege and honor of being the television host of the pay-per-view event, so we're going to have the time of our life. We're going to have nothing but fun. We have no idea what’s going to happen, but that’s what the Grateful Dead is all about.”
Walton has a long history with the band. He traveled with the group to Egypt in 1978 and is a member of the Grateful Dead Hall of Honor.
We're so lucky the Dead are alive. See everyone in Chicago pic.twitter.com/nLHNQIAsjs
— Bill Walton (@BillWalton) June 29, 2015