Grateful Dead

You do make a good point and offer a valid name suggestion...with Billy and Mickey, tho, there could be a 3-name deal, ala Crosby, Stills and Nash...then as they added Young, became CSN & Y. On an aside, the family of fans that gathers around these boys seems to be intact tho a tad older, any music by any of them tends to be more of a family affair. I was at all three days of FTW, and did indeed appreciate when Bobby said earlier that they were shooting for a closure of some sort. I attended fully expecting a miracle of sorts with the family re-appearing and just as full of life, fun, singing an dancing as we all were back in "the day". I was not disappointed, and was in fact really really happy that we all got together. It was a grand farewell, I considered it a milestone and a chance to say goodbye in style. They did, we did, and life goes on. The music is eternal, tho, and i feel good warm fuzzies about all the continuing shows. If they, any of them, toured within a hundred miles or so of home, you bet i'd go. You're right about the media spin tho...the "ad-hoc reunion" stuff and all is tedious. Suffice it to say it is a blessing to us all that still we can go hear any one or two or three or more of any of the friends who were a great part of our history and past as members of The Good Ol' Grateful Dead play great rock and roll music and they still love it. So do I. Keep it real, keep playing music and long live all of you! ps Happy post birthday Bobby & Happy Birthday Brent. You rock(ed)!

Also still waiting for my refund. If anyone has any contacts to make a request or inquiry as to what is going on I would really appreciate it. I have tracking info they received my request, pictures of my tickets, and pictures of the form I sent. Please help if anyone has any info. At this point I just want my tix back. Can't believe it but it looks like they are keeping all of my money and my stubs. Major dark cloud over an otherwise perfect weekend. Thanks everyone.

Fellow companions: I waited a day so that I wouldn’t be posting this on Bob’s birthday, and I hope you had a great one, Ace! Everyone is so happy about new shows and going on tour again and the excitement of something we believed was over reappearing, I am reluctant to express anything less than raging enthusiasm. I had a great time at Levi’s Stadium and did not feel ripped off despite some questionable business practices. I’m glad we were able to put together such a marvelous goodbye to the Grateful Dead, all of us saying goodbye to something much greater then all of us. When you say goodbye to something, you don’t expect to have that thing in your life again. The word “Dead” and the white lightning bolt on a blue and red circle (they haven’t gone as far as using the skull, yet) identify the band by word and symbol as being a continuation of the Grateful Dead, which it is not. It may be something different, maybe better, it may “take these old friends on some new adventures”, as Bob has put it. It will not be the Grateful Dead, or any equivalent formulation of the name, such as Dead & Co. This may seem like a petty thing, especially when compared with the millions of dollars to be had simply by using a word and a symbol. I think it shows how powerful symbols can be. Misuse of the power placed into our symbols by Deadheads collectively over decades is an unlucky decision. The media is already describing the band as “the ad-hoc reunion of the Grateful Dead, calling itself Dead & Co” and ”the Grateful Dead in all but full name”. Not. In any case, I hope the new band stays together, creates marvelous music, and carries on in the tradition of the Grateful Dead. I will shun them unless they change the name. To me, this kind of looks like Bob Weir's new band, with his new friend John Mayer on the other guitar/vocals and his old friends Mickey and Bill tightening up the tempo. Fascinating possibilities. In the interest of truth in advertising, I think they should call it: Weir & Co