Nearly 50 years after Donna Jean Godchaux’s final bow with the Grateful Dead, the band’s sole female member will be honored by friends and musical admirers during the Heart of Gold Band revival, titled Celebrating the Life & Music of Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay. The event will take place over two nights, August 22-23, 2026, at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, Calif. The shows will be led by founding members of Zero, Steve Kimock and Greg Anton.
According to the initial dispatch of event information, the bill also features the late songstress’ husband and bassist David MacKay, along with their sons, Zion Godchaux and Kinsman MacKay. Also featured as musical participants are Maria Muldaur, Mookie Siegel, Brian Godchaux, Wally Ingram, and Frank Goodman. The event announcement also reserved space for special guest inclusions.
The forthcoming shows harken back to the pre-Zero Heart of Gold Band, a project featuring Kimock, Anton, and the then-husband-and-wife musical duo, the Godchauxs. Kimock and Godchaux-MacKay shared a particularly tight bond, characterized by a decades-long musical and personal kinship. Notably, during Jam Cruise’s 2025 presentation, Kimock borrowed his friend’s iconic Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 dress during a sit-in with Bertha.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Alive Hospice, “Middle Tennessee’s only nonprofit hospice, providing end-of-life care, palliative support, and grief counseling,” as well as Camp Winnarainbow, which promotes “a joyful environment where children from all backgrounds develop community, confidence, and self-expression through circus and performing arts.”
A ticket pre-sale has begun. Use code heartofgold for access. The public on-sale will begin on Thursday, May 21, at 10 a.m. For more information, visit kimock.com.