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Terrapin Crossroads, the famed music venue and resto owned by Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, announces permanent closure

3 mins read

Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and his wife founded the Terrapin Crossroads in 2012 and became a favorite music venue and dining venue in San Rafael. Now, the venue bids goodbye forever.

The final performance happened over the Halloween weekend with the Stu & Mars Hotel cover band’s performance. Marin Independent Journal said that the venue’s lease on Yacht Club Drive concluded in September.

“We explored all possible options in an attempt to keep Terrapin at its current location, but after carefully considering a number of various partnerships and collaborations, we decided that the best thing for us, and for Terrapin, was to bid farewell – for now,” the couple’s statement posted on the Terrapin Crossroads’ website read.

“In that spirit, while Terrapin’s time at its current location may be coming to a close, we know that Terrapin Crossroads was never a location — it was a community. We hope to see you all soon, in some form, somewhere down the road,” it added as it expressed its gratitude to its workers, regulars, performers, and musicians. “We hope that you’ll remember the past decade the same way that we do; with love, joy, and a deep sense of pride at what we all built together.”

Terrapin, located in the former Seafood Peddler space, has offered an alternative to a wild touring schedule of Lesh. Its customers enjoy the event while feasting not only on its famed dishes like chicken paillard topped with arugula salad, wood-fired pizza, burgers and pasta, but also the stunning San Rafael canal views as it sparkles against the Marin sunset.

Outdoor gigs continued at the Terrapin Crossroads during the pandemic when scheduling at the venue’s Grate Room was impossible. The Marin Journal added in its report that the owner couple has invested over $200, 000 to improve the space, SFGATE reported.

The final show at the venue was “great (and emotional) honor,” said Stu Allen & Mars Hotel drummer, Ezra Lipp.

“That place and the community that surrounded it has held more significance and meaning and brought more gifts to me and others than I can do justice trying to encapsulate in a single social media post,” Lipp said in an Instagram post. “What a long strange trip its certainly been. I’m just grateful to have been on the journey and to have one last blow out with so many good friends.”

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