The dead are those who have died, as opposed to those who are still living. It is an expression meaning everyone who has died up to that moment in time. It may refer to the deceased members of a family, a community, a nation, a battle, a war or the entire world.
The Dead is a rock band comprised of former members of the Grateful Dead. After the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann continued playing under two different names. After touring as The Other Ones in 1998, 2000, and 2002, the band officially switched to simply The Deadhttp://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/02/12/MN228379.DTL "Marin Icons Now The Dead", San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 2003 in 2003.