A blurred photo recorded at a Dead & Company concert in Virginia earlier this month caused quite a stir on social media. The film has been viewed 2.8 million times at the time of this writing and features a grey-haired man wearing a collared shirt and baseball cap amidst a crowd of fans watching spin-off band Grateful Dead perform in Bristow. Why all the attention? According to journalist Jake Sherman, the deadhead pictured is Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Powell confirmed this Wednesday during a House Financial Services Committee hearing, which CNBC said went a little off topic.
Although Powell was on Capitol Hill to testify about efforts to fight inflation, Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel mustered up the courage to ask about Powell’s musical interests. (After all, “you just have to snoop around.”) Noting that he himself is a Deadhead and missed the opportunity to see Jerry Garcia in concert in 1995, Nickel said he was “excited” to hear that Powell went to the recent show. “Did you like it?” asked Nickel. “It was great. What can I say? It was great,” Powell replied. “I’ve been a Grateful Dead fan for 50 years.” “I like people who like Grateful Dead,” Nickel replied as Powell raised both fists in the air.
Not only does Powell enjoy listening to the band — he reportedly attended his first Grateful Dead concert in Washington, DC in 1973 — he also enjoys playing the band’s tunes on guitar, Barron’s reported, according to Forbes. The outlet also reported that Powell’s sister, Monica, played a role in the formation of Dead & Company by first introducing bassist Oteil Burbridge, an old friend, to Grateful Dead music. Dead & Company is currently playing its final tour. (A Grateful Dead biography is in the works now.)