W hen Dead & Company announced the site for the celebration of the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary, fans were delighted. Golden Gate Park played a defining role in the Dead's history, hosting performances that ranged from impromptu concerts to full-scale events.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fans of the Grateful Dead are pouring into San Francisco for three days of concerts and festivities marking the 60th anniversary of the scruffy jam band that came to embody a city where people wore flowers in their hair and made love, not war.

Preparations are already underway for this weekend’s massive Dead & Company shows in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The three-day concert event kicks off on Friday and is expected to draw some 60,000 people a day to the park this weekend.