TOMORROW · Multiple times

Melvin Seals & JGB

Name: Melvin Seals & JGB
Start: 2026-10-30T19:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-10-30T23:59:00-06:00
Location: Boulder Theater

Friday, October 30 at Boulder Theater, Boulder

Boulder Theater · Downtown

About this event

Melvin Seals is a powerhouse Hammond B-3 organist, producer and arranger whose sound has become inseparable from the spirit of the jam band world. He spent 15 years as a core member of the Jerry Garcia Band, joining in 1980 and helping define its soulful, genre-blending style. With his deep roots in gospel, blues, and R&B, Seals brought a warmth and groove that gave the band its unmistakable feel, locking in with Garcia night after night and elevating the music with rich textures and expressive improvisation. After Garcia’s passing in 1995, Seals stepped naturally into the role of bandleader, forming Melvin Seals & JGB and continuing to carry that music forward. Rather than treating it as a tribute, he’s kept it alive - stretching it, reshaping it, and bringing his own voice into the mix while staying true to the spirit of the original band. Decades into his career, Seals is still out on the road, delivering high-energy shows that pull from the same well of soul, spontaneity, and connection that made the Jerry Garcia Band so special. His playing isn’t just part of that legacy - it’s one of the reasons it still resonates today.

Who's playing

Seals joined the Jerry Garcia Band in 1980 and stayed until Garcia's death in 1995. His gospel, blues and R&B roots shaped that band's warm, grooving sound. He then formed Melvin Seals & JGB and has led it since. He treats the music as a living thing, stretching and reshaping it rather than reproducing it note for note.

What to expect

A high-energy, improvisational show that draws on the same soul and spontaneity as the original Jerry Garcia Band. Seals' organ sits at the center of the sound. Boulder Theater holds roughly a thousand people, so the stage never feels far away. The 1936 art deco hall has a new L-Acoustics sound system.

Why go

Seals is one of the few people still touring who played in the Jerry Garcia Band itself. That makes this a chance to hear the music from someone who helped define it. The theater has hosted everyone from Johnny Cash to Gregg Allman, and it suits a night of long, unhurried jams.