Grateful Dead to Be No-Shows in Ventura

The Grateful Dead, whose concerts have drawn praise and ire from local residents, will not come to Ventura this summer because of scheduling problems, the rock band said last week.

The announcement came after a heated debate that began in March, when the Ventura County Fair Board first voted to cancel the annual performance, only to reinstate the show the next month.

In a letter to fair officials, the band said that “scheduling changes triggered by the initial cancellation of the shows make it impossible for us to perform at Ventura this year.”