Relive Volkswagen History this Summer with the Grateful Dead!

For the first time in more than twenty years, the Grateful Dead are reuniting to play the city of Chicago, and here at your Chicagoland Volkswagen dealership, Jennings Volkswagen, we couldn’t be more excited to reminisce about their storied music history and what it reminds of us! Namely, we like to remember the iconic and popular Volkswagen vehicles that were around during the Grateful Dead heyday of the Sixties and Seventies! In the twenty years since founding member and lead guitarist, Jerry Garcia, died, neither music or the vehicles that represented that time period have drifted far from memory. Keep reading to learn more!

The two vehicles that listening to the Grateful Dead most call to mind are the iconic VW Bug and the VW Bus. The VW Bus, also known as the Type 2, was one of the forerunners to modern cargo and passenger vans in the United States. It was also one of the first forward control competitors in the U.S. with the engine located in the rear and the flat front. Over the years, it earned the nickname of the “minibus” and “microbus” and thrived during the counterculture of the 1960s and was known as a Hippie van. The Volkswagen Type 1, otherwise known as the Volkswagen Beetle was just as popular and became a symbol of the flower power era and were often psychedelically painted and themed.

The Grateful Dead will be reuniting and playing for three straight days over the Fourth of July weekend. The concerts will be held at Soldier Field along the Chicago lakefront, and we cannot wait. So hop into your new Volkswagen model, and head on down for the show of a lifetime! Who knows, maybe we’ll even see you there!