Grateful Dead

What he said: Just exactly perfect HunterGatherer.

It's a simple answer: whoever loves and identifies with the music. I used to (36 years ago) resist the label for myself, but who am I kidding? It is just a love for the music, a love for sharing the live experience, and recognizing the very real alchemy that exists between this music/band and its listeners, especially in a live environment. There should be no gatekeeping, nor any stigma. Are you kind? It really doesn't need to go any farther than that. And we are especially kind and caring to each other at a show. Sometimes we are absurdly nerdy about the music (somewhat like an obsessed sports fan), but even this is not a requirement. Go to a show, and celebrate life with 15,000 of your best friends, most of them complete strangers! Maybe even convert others to the joy of subsuming your ego to the greater whole.

very elegantly, and accurately, phrased.

actually, maybe the correct adverb is "eloquently"? both of them work!

Nice essay!
A+
Cheers

To me "Deadhead" connotes a state of mind. "Deadhead" can’t be fenced in by a dictionary. It’s an elusive, subjective proposition. It can’t be reduced to a lifestyle or checklist or dress code. "Deadhead" seems to begin with a love of and fascination with the Grateful Dead and their timeless, transcendent, mesmerizing music. Almost from the start, at gatherings for Grateful Dead shows, "Deadhead" took on a broader, inclusive meaning that embraced folks from all walks of life. Just as individual shows coalesced into runs and tours and years, those in attendance merged into a dynamic, seamless experience that surpassed “ego” to become “tribe” or “family” or maybe something more cosmic. Whether attending a single show or following a tour, Deadheads eventually returned to their respective realities, but they were never quite the same. They became and always will be “Deadheads”.

Sadly, I didn’t get on the bus until a few years before the Fare Thee Well shows of 2015. In the weeks leading up to FTW, some of us banded together here on dead.net. After helping each other through “ticket madness”, we stayed together as a motley group we decided to call Sunshine Daydreamers. This Sunshine Dreamers Keep On Truckin’ thread is an artifact from that time. From our original homepage:

"Strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their (virtual) hand. We’ve been searching for miracles for our needy, gossiping, singing and dancin’ while counting down the days ’til FTW. There’ll be fireworks, calliopes, clowns and celebration.  We are Deadheads . . . we are everywhere . . . and WE MISS JERRY!"

We grew to just over fifty from fourteen states and two provinces with lots of other followers. We made a shirt that listed each of us along with our first Grateful Dead show. Unfortunately, for some of us FTW were our first shows, but we were quickly accepted as “Deadheads” by the more seasoned Deadheads. Maybe with a lowercase “d”, but “deadheads” just the same. Better late than never.

Because the Grateful Dead unselfishly allowed taping at their shows, catch-up for us late-to-the-bus has been an amazing journey. Maybe not like passing an Acid Test, or wondering if the show at Ugano’s really happened, or being at Veneta or Watkins Glen or Cornell . . . or. . . Maybe not like cherished first-hand memories, but, still, searching for the echoes (to paraphrase Phil’s book) has turned out to be a rich, never-ending, if vicarious trip.

Since Jerry shuffled, the various permutations of remaining band members with other incredible musicians, not to mention all the excellent tribute bands, are tending the flame and passing the torch to the next generations of Deadheads. Dead and Company became an annual pilgrimage for many including Sunshine Daydreamers. Not sure about the Sphere, but, then, maybe what’s over-the-top for some, is actually what keeps the Grateful Dead alive and relevant and meaningful for Millennials and Gen Z . The Music Never Stop(s).

The Sunshine Daydreamers got it right: “We are Deadheads . . . we are everywhere.”

I have turned on literally dozens of people of our generation, who, as you said, made a judgement about the band without ever having heard them. All of them were surprised by the breadth of songs the Dead played. I usually start out with a very curated list of songs from studio albums and/or shorter live versions of others' songs (Me and Bobby McGee, e.g.). This whets their appetite. Eventually, I'll introduce them to live shows. Some get the live shows; some don't.
All become at least luke - warm fans.

I left my contact in your inbox. thanks. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

PS: you've initiated an interesting exchange. Thanks

I always thought that it was basically someone who followed the band around over a number of years, and saw them...many many times. I first heard the band in 1975, and have been listening to their recordings ever since. But I only saw them 5 times - in 1981 and 1990 in England where I live. So despite the fact that I have far more music by them than by anyone else - and listen to 3-4 shows a week - I wouldn't call myself a Deadhead. I am not really keen on labels of any sort, truth be told.

Sometimes I wonder if the image of the band puts off some people of my generation, who have never previously heard the band. People in their 60's who weren't living the freak lifestyle in their youth. To me, the band transcends the freak lifestyle, and some of the associations of that lifestyle that are linked to the band may actually be a bit reductive.

I'm not sure about linking moral qualities to rock bands. I would have thought you got all sorts of people following all sorts of bands. Apart from when I was a teenager, I have never concerned myself much with the moral implications of liking any one group or artist. Maybe it's this also that stops me from being a Deadhead.

Sorry for going on a bit - great idea for a book, Graceful and I hope it comes out so I can read it.

They love the Grateful Dead.
It differentiates them from hippies, who have many of the same traits, but aren’t necessarily obsessed with GOGD.
And not all Deadheads look like hippies.
Good luck with the book Graceful.

Hey MKAV (or MaryE?)

I’ve got a book proposal ready to send to publishers if you want a preview; send a contact to the Inbox if you desire.

A fuller list of traits that I say are common (but of course not exclusive) to Deadheads:
Open and engaging;
Look for the best in others;
Value new experiences over new possessions;
Can describe (in detail) a life-changing listening experience;
Are optimistic about the future of the GD world (and maybe in general)
There are no mean Deadheads;
No one stops being a Deadhead