Melvin Seals and JGB bring 'Very Jerry Xmas' back to Auburn's Odd Fellows Hall on Dec. 18

Jerry Garcia's longtime organist returns to the Foothills for his December run, this time with Blü Egyptian opening night one.

Some people in the Sacramento area mark December by the lights going up. Others mark it by Melvin Seals' Hammond B-3 coming back to Auburn. Melvin Seals and JGB play Odd Fellows Hall in Auburn on Friday, Dec. 18, with doors at 6:30 p.m. and music at 7. Blü Egyptian opens. Tickets are $45 through Eventbrite, and the hall holds about 400.

The Eventbrite listing calls it *Very Jerry Xmas 2026, Night 1*, so Friday is the start of the run. The Auburn holiday shows have been going for a while: Jambands.com described the 2022 edition as the 10th annual celebration, so by now this is a Foothills tradition in its second decade.

If you're not deep in Deadhead history, here is why Seals matters. He played keyboards and organ in the Jerry Garcia Band from about 1980 until Garcia's death in 1995. Among the band's many members over the years, he had the longest tenure after Garcia himself and bassist John Kahn, per Wikipedia's JGB entry). Style Weekly puts his time in the band at 18 years. Bios describe his sound as a powerful, high-spirited Hammond B-3, and his funky organ style is reported to have won Garcia's praise.

After Garcia died, Seals kept the music going. He formed JGB to play Garcia's songbook, and the group later became Melvin Seals and JGB, as the Aspen Daily News recounted. Former Jerry Garcia Band drummer David Kemper joined in 2007. For a lot of fans, this is the closest thing left to hearing the Jerry Garcia Band in a small room.

For a lot of fans, this is the closest thing left to hearing the Jerry Garcia Band in a small room.

And this is a small room. At about 400 capacity, Odd Fellows Hall is a lodge, not a club, and part of the appeal is hearing that organ in a space this size. With music at 7 p.m. on a Friday, the night starts early, which suits people driving up from Sacramento or Roseville and gets everyone home at a decent hour.

A few things to know. The listing says Night 1, so if you want both nights, check the Eventbrite page for the second show. At a room this size and a price of $45, a December tradition with a long run of annual shows is not something to put off; buy through the Eventbrite link on our listing. And dress for a December evening in the Foothills.

The songs will be familiar, the room will be full of people who've been coming for years, and the organ will be loud. Get there by 6:30.

Sources: Melvin Seals and JGB unveil a Very Jerry Christmas (Jambands.com, 2022) (jambands.com); JGB (band) — Wikipedia (wikipedia.org); Melvin's Magic (Style Weekly) (styleweekly.com); Seals to bring Jerry Garcia Band tradition to Willits (Aspen Daily News) (aspendailynews.com); Carrying on the authentic Jerry Garcia Band legacy with Melvin at the Hammond B3 (Marin Arts) (marinarts.org); Very Jerry Xmas 2026 Night 1, Auburn Odd Fellows Lodge (Eventbrite) (eventbrite.com)