Keller Williams brings his DeadPettyKellerGrass tour to West Virginia

By Dave Parsons

On the evening of February 15, 2025, the historic Capitol Theatre in Wheeling, West Virginia, was the setting for a unique musical infusion: Keller Williams’ DeadPettyKellerGrass tour, featuring The HillBenders. This innovative project reimagines the classics of the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, and Keller Williams himself through a bluegrass lens.  

Keller Williams, often dubbed the “musical mad scientist,” is renowned for his genre-blending artistry and inventive live performances. For this tour, he collaborated with three seasoned members of The HillBenders:   Jimmy Rea, Gary Rea and Chad Graves.  Jimmy Rea is a guitarist known for his dynamic playing style, while Gary Rea is a bassist laying the rhythms with his acoustic upright bass.  Chad Graves is a dobro virtuoso adding a distinctive sound to the group.

With a reputation for pushing musical boundaries and crafting unique live experiences, Williams showcased his talents for genre-defying musical projects.  The DeadPettyKellerGrass tour offers the audience an experience that was both nostalgic and refreshingly innovative.

Given the history of the boards they were standing on, as far as the backstory of country and bluegrass music is concerned, it was like a Saturday night in Wheeling of decades past.  Meshing the two eras, back to when the songs being performed on this night in 2025, were becoming classic hits of Petty, Williams and the Grateful Dead.

From the first note, the audience was soaking in the combination.  Many in the audience stood, danced and swayed the entire show.  From the opening ode to the Grateful Dead, into the Petty territory with You’re So Bad, reimagined with a driving bluegrass rhythm. 

Clarifying that the show’s running order would be Dead, Petty and Williams, lather rinse repeat for 3 hours, Williams continued that rotation to the delight of the crowd.  A standout moment was the ensemble’s rendition of Candyman, a Grateful Dead classic. The audience joined in, with their collective voices singing along to the band’s harmonies.  

Forgetting that Williams has had dozens of hits himself, the audience responded just as enthusiastic to Williams originals like Mantraand Kidney in a Cooler, as they did to classics like Petty’s Refugee. 

What makes Keller Williams’ projects so enthralling is his ability to take familiar music and reshape it into something entirely new yet equally compelling. Throughout the performance, he demonstrated not only his technical expertise but also his ability to connect deeply with his audience. Between songs, he engaged in playful banter, offering humorous insights into the setlist and his ongoing musical journey.

Keller Williams’ DeadPettyKellerGrass tour stop in Wheeling was more than a concert.  Whether you came as a Deadhead, a Petty fan, or a Keller Williams devotee, you left the Capitol Theatre with a newfound appreciation for the magic that happens when great music is reimagined with heart, soul, and a little bluegrass flair.