Los Angeles, Jan 6 (IANS): After testing positive for Covid-19, John Mayer will not be performing as a frontman for Dead and Company at the Playing in the Sand festival, reports 'Variety'.

The event is opening on Friday, January 7, at the Cancun riviera in Mexico. An Instagram statement from the band, an offshoot of the rock icons Grateful Dead, began: "Today, just prior to leaving for Mexico, per his physician, @JohnMayer tested positive for Covid-19 and will be unable to perform at the upcoming Playing in the Sand event in Riviera Cancun January 7-10."

Mayer is the second Dead and Company member to have to bow out. Earlier, drummer Bill Kreutztmann had announced that he would not be making it to the festival either, citing a doctor's advice. Kreutztmann had recently acknowledged health issues after exiting a fall Hollywood Bowl concert midway through the show.

"The weekend will now feature Dos Hermanos con Amigos," the Instagram post continued, referring to original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart and naming Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, Jay Lane and Tom Hamilton Jr as the other musicians who would constitute the lineup, along with alt-country favorite Margo Price and unnamed "special guests and sit-ins".