While the Grateful Dead were in the midst of their 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well dates at Chicago's Soldier Field, the band received a once-in-a-lifetime public tribute hundreds of miles away.

During the group's July 4 performance of "U.S. Blues," the Empire State Building treated bystanders to a synchronized LED light show that lit the city's iconic skyscraper up in red, white, and blue.

The light show, which you can watch in the video above, was repeated the following night, timed to a broadcast of the song via New York City classic rock station Q104.3. As previously reported, the Fare Thee Well concerts, which took place July 3, 4 and 5 at Soldier Field, are due to be released later this year in a variety of configurations, including deluxe audio and video editions as well as a truncated "highlights" set.

In other Grateful Dead news, the band's historic anniversary sets were hailed by President Barack Obama, who worked as a community organizer in Chicago before teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School and going on to serve three terms in the Illinois Senate. "Here's to fifty years of the Grateful Dead, an iconic American band that embodies the creativity, passion, and ability to bring people together that makes American music so great," he wrote in a letter that included a photo of the living Dead members' visit to the White House in 2009. "Enjoy this weekend's celebration of your fans and legacy. And as Jerry would say, 'Let there be songs to fill the air.'"

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