Grateful Dead

I'd like to, but I'm not finding a way to do so.

For a non qualifying answer I would say that several of those long rambling shows from 1973 have served well over the years to lift me up and away from this world for three hours of surfing on the edge of space and dreams. Best of all when they include that mellow jam out of He's Gone though a storming Truckin and back into spacey territory (e.g May 13 and 26). Afterwards I always feel better, refreshed, more optimistic and ready to drop back into it all. Sugaree from March 18 1977 helped save my sanity over several weeks while dealing with a nightmare situation a few years back. I just listened to it at least once a day until I found a way through and out. However I see that I can only get a prize if I am a legal resident of the 50 United States and D.C. (excluding Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam), 18 and older (or 19 and older for residents of AL and NE) at time of entry. Quite right too I say: time to roust out those illegal immigrants, lazy tropical islanders, folks too young to be a REAL deadhead and suspect foreigners.

I think the idea is to post stories in the comments.

Its funny you guys just posted this. I am sitting here getting ready to go in for an angiogram tomorrow and have been checking out YouTube videos of the boys. I don't care what anyone says, doesn't matter when or where, but hearing Jerry always brings a calming of the nerves, and believe me it is working now. Eyes of the World and Peggy O just have a way of taking away any anxiety.

" folks too young to be a REAL deadhead and suspect foreigners".........the 1 thing that immediately came to my mind was in Spring of 1974, my son (then 3) & I went over a cliff in a car wreck (not intentially). He broke his femur (thigh) bone & had to re-learn how to walk. Had crutches for several months. Including when we went to the 6/8/74, Oakland Collesium gig. But, when we got there, his father threw away the crutches & said we're not taking them in. The music was playing.....We were on the grass, my son looked @ me, looked away, then looked @ me again (I knew he was going to take off) & took off running the perimeter of the stadium, looking back & laughing-just kept looking back & laughing @ me. Although he was limping, I knew he'd be alright.....:)))

As soon as I heard "Playin'" off the "Skull Fuck" LP, way on back when it was released, I felt an unusual certainty that all is OK, beyond whatever is happening. I was moved to tears when D.J. Jimmy rabbitt used to play songs like "Pride Of Cucamonga" & "Me & Bobby McGee" from the original LP releases on the radio in Boss Angeles. Why? Because I knew underneath it all, Country music & Psychedelic Rock were all as One. Johnny Cash was as cool as Cannonball Adderley. And they KNEW it. I guess we all did, but some found it hard to believe. I didn't ever go see The G.D. until around '84 but always knew they were specially tuned into a point of Truthful Power. Their unantural supernatural Natural touch on things; I.E. stage prescence / interpretory / jamming. I would never ever think of leaving to piss when Drumz started to rear it's beautiful head. Anyways, I just hope to God I win a t-shirt. Thanx to Bobby, Jer, Micky, Billy, Phil, Pig, & the rest of you kookie musicians that wake up the Dead in all of us.

I am actually on the other side of the equation and have the privilege of caring for people and helping to relieve suffering. The Grateful Dead have influenced me in a couple of ways. My training was very strenuous, and I often thought about how the Dead relentlessly toured. The show always went on pretty much year after year. I took the idea of that good work over time and kept at it day after day, year after year. I suppose when it becomes time to retire I'll have to think of Phil touring at 71!!! When I first saw the Dead I felt like it was a direct bridge back to the ideas of the late 60's. I was fortunate enough to catch that energy, in my view, directly from the source. People in my field can sometimes be a bit callous. I make it a point to keep unconditional love for humanity, humility and selflessness in my practice, qualities I associate with this band and that period of American history.

My father in law was in the hospital and dying in 1999. I remember after one truly upsetting visit toward the end of his life my wife and I were driving home and I had Dozin at the Knick in the Cd player and Black Peter started playing almost immediatly as we were in the car . We were both silent the whole way home. My wife who is not a Deadhead said to me "ya know every now and then I can see why your crazy for this music"Now every time I hear that version of Black Peter I think of my Father in Law who I loved dearly and the hair on the back of my neck stands up with great thought's of him and the music that's been the soundtrack of my life.I've been on the bus since 1975 and I have no intention of leaving this planet anytime soon. But when I do I hope the music of The GOGD will make the people I love think of me and smile!! Rogue

> I think the idea is to post stories in the comments. Thanks, marye; that's what I thought at first, but then I read the directions on the rules page at http://www.dead.net/node/26735: HOW TO ENTER. Enter on-line only by accessing the page on the World Wide Web at http://www.dead.net during the Sweepstakes Period. Follow the on-screen instructions and enter your contact information. You will be prompted to input, in the spaces provided, your first name, last name, street address (no P.O. Box numbers accepted), city, state, zip code, email address, and telephone number. Then, click the designated icon to submit your entry. Limit one (1) entry per person/address/email address. Rhino’s computer will be the official time clock for these Sweepstakes. Any attempt by any person to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email or wireless accounts or any other methods will void all of that person’s entries and that person will be disqualified. On screen instructions? You will be prompted to input? Click the deisgnated icon? It sounds like someone at Rhino has their wires crossed, or maybe their tusks twisted.

well, i have a story. My mom, who i was very close with and truly loved, died this January, 2011. cancer. it was a devastating that not only affected my dad and my sibling but really broke the hearts of my two young sons who were very close to her. well, I saw Furthur in Ct at the Oakdale, and during He's Gone I started to weep thinking of my mom. I was dancing and crying. Im sure it was quite a site for the other heads to see a 40 year old man dancing and crying. Anyways, as the song grooved I started thinking of other people I knew who died, from Jerry to my close friend I lost in the 90's. I started thinking of the joy these people had given to me in my life and as I continued dancing in my own space, my heart started feeling a tinge of joy though i was still crying, but I kept dwelling on the joy aspect of my thoughts. Soon enough I was actually swimming in wonderful memories and thought of my mom to the point I was crying for joy and really dancing. I soon stopped crying and was smiling and really full of love for hear, that when I realized we were deep into Turn on your Lovelight! How sweet is that. Perfect healing of a broken heart right there. I danced happily the rest of the night!

Here's a story that might qualify. During the late sixties and seventies, he was heading down a long dark lonely road, sliping into darkness, you might say. Not having a real family and not really experiencing the whole "family unit" thing he had no direction, did a lot of stupid and down right mean things to people that he loved. Hard drinking, drugs and chasing women was pretty much his life. He had no idea what he needed or wanted, just wasted pretty much all of the time. He was always looking for the love, but could not find it until he found the grateful dead and all of the wonderful people who were caught up with them and their whole life style. No one turned him on to them, he had seen all the big rock artists, including most of the san fran bands, but never had a chance to see Jerry. So, when the dead came to town, he just went to a show in 77 and he saw it all right before his eyes, real love, peaceful surroundings, no violence and the greatest music he had ever heard. He was hooked, line and sinker. He got on the bus. This really opened his mind and started him thinking that there is another way, another road to travel that, with love, he could do anything. It took a while, lots of searching, but he made it. Without the grateful dead experience, who knows, he would/could/should be dead now. When asked how he got thru it, He always says that the Grateful Dead saved his life. "without love in the dream, it will never come true"

...so I just had to wonder: Are you guys thinking of applying for sainthood or something? Mother McCree, could it possibly be...? Byrd

It was about 7:30am on March 24, 2009, two years ago today, that my brother called me saying that our dad had committed suicide. As a farmer, the economy really took its toll on my parents. The short version of the story is that he did it so my mom could collect the life insurance and pay off all the debt, house, car and have some to live on. I know its hard to wrap your mind around it, but I have to say that I love my dad and am proud of him that he was willing to lay his life down for the wellbeing of my mom. Just like Jesus. Now having said that, I would have been willing to risk sitting in a cell for 25 to life for bank robbery, had I known what he was going through.I have always loved the Grateful Dead, and their offspring, but wouldn’t have considered myself to be a deadhead. I gave mom my car for dads truck so she wouldn’t have to drive it, and when I got in the XM was on 57, and has never been changed since. He wasn’t a fan of the dead as much as he was a fan of Jerry. Dad was an old bluegrass guy, so that’s what he loved most about him, his ability to just rip anything up. Listening to the channel as much as I do has changed me, I can tell. I guess its a connection to my dad that I never knew I had. Since I never was able to see GD, Furthur is my live medication. Catch them all I can. Next weekend in Hampton, Va, I’ll be the one dancing in section B row 17 seat 18. High on a Mountain is the song that has probably helped put the words in my mouth that I could never voice. I hope he knew how much I loved him. How much I admire him. How much I miss him. “Oh, I wonder where in heaven you might be. And if love has preserved your memory. As I listen to the breeze Whisper gently through the trees. I will always cherish what you mean to me.”

.... many such personal moments. One of the more recent occured a few years ago while on vacation. My friend and I had gone fishing and on our return to the hotel, we witnessed a fatal car accident. We performed CPR on a man who was dying or, more likely, already dead. It was a deeply disturbing moment for me with some truly profound realizations about mortality and the swiftness with which it can sneak up on anyone. Later while riding in the car we were listening to 9/21/72. Morning Dew moved us both deeply and I was in tears. It was a type of closure that Jerry's voice was offering; an acceptance of our powerlessness in the grand scheme of things. It really helped to cleanse my mind and come to terms with the experience. Then after all this swelling of emotions, Bobby's choice of BIODTL for a follow-up just made us laugh out loud after I made some comment about Bobby's song choice having the continuity and thoughtfullness of a late night stream on infomercials. We had a good laugh about Bobby's poor choice and that was really the healing moment; perhaps it wasn't such a poor choice after all?!?

at 54 years old...having grown up in San Rafael ( MArin Co,) and seeing I have no idea HOW many Dead shows, I still have my iPod stuffed full of live Dead. Ran into Garcia (quite literally) at Oakland airport int the 80's ...thrilled to be able to thank him for the music after untangling my luggage from his...

When my son was about 2 months old, every night at about 6:30 he'd start crying. Two or three minutes later he'd be screaming. I mean, SCREAMING. Nothing would calm him down. After a couple weeks of this, I happened to have side two of American Beauty on the turntable and I turned it on. By halfway through Ripple, little dude stopped screaming. By the end of Brokedown Palace, he was asleep. I tried it again the next night when he started his usual evening crying routine, and it worked again. In the weeks that followed, I tried some other records, but none of them worked. It worked EVERY time with side 2 of American Beauty though. A couple months later, he stopped with the evening screaming session, but Jerry was a lifesaver for those months. He's almost a year old now, and he still calms down whenever he hears Jerry's voice.

Well, it was 1986, and I'd landed in a therapeutic community, booze n pills n powders got the best of me, mostly powders, anyway fresh off kickin, "A box of rain" was playing somewhere in the building i was in, a friend opened the door so i could hear it better, since it would be months b4 I could get my hands on my tapes again, thinking he was doing me a favor, when the tears streamed down my face he didn't understand why I don't think I did either except that it was at that point that I realized I need to be there, fighting it tooth and nail all the way, throughout our stay as we progressed my friend always reminded me of that day and when I did get my hands on some tapes "A Box of Rain" was in constant rotation, as you could imagine, there were more then a few deadheads where I was, well one night way up there in upstate NY there was a show broadcast, we could barely get reception being in the mountains, 4-7-87, sure enough set 2 opens w/ well you guessed it, "Box"! That song got me through my 2.5 year stay more times then I'd care to think! June 9, 2011 will be 25 years "powder" free so to speak, and "A Box of Rain" has always been with me...I don;t know who put it there....

My Mother died in the fall of 87'. I went on tour for almost the next four years, the love of the music and the unbiased community of those I met during those travels was the best medicine I could have ever asked for. Not only did the Dead teach me how to "Listen" to the music and the rhythms but more importantly they taught me to listen to my heart. Thank you. Spencer

I took a Dead mix tape to detox/rehab with me. It was the only light in a very dark place...thank you for carrying me through...

In June of 1987 my father died in a plane crash in the catskill mountains.The Grateful Dead,who i had been following for years,were playing a show in Rochester NY,at Silver Stadium i think,and it was three days after the funeral.The setlist was awesome, they played "He's Gone"among other memorable songs, and it felt like they were playing just for me.The Grateful Dead have healed my injured heart,injured head and injured soul many many times,but this show was and still is very special to me.Thank you is all i can say.

missed a day of work since 1999. The Dead are marvelous preventative medicine. " Where does the time go? "

It all rolls into one and nothing comes for free,Theres nothing you can hold, for very long. And when you hear that song come crying like the wind, It seems like all this life was just a dream. Stella blue. Stella blue. I left home at 17; my parents and I just didn't see eye to eye. I enrolled in college in Southern California and the very first day in Freshman Orientation I met life-long friends who not only turned me on to the Dead, but made me grateful every day for life's bittersweet experience. Over the years I've seen many shows, and my capacity for compassion, love, laughter, and listening has been amplified by the soulfulness of GD music. Thank you Robert Hunter, Jerry, Bobby, Phil, and the rest of the GD Family.

I'll post my story... Where again is the link to post it ? Woody www.myspace.com/woodyinthebasement

Pam for PeacePart of the experience is the loving vibes in the audience,young and old, all stripes of humanity. when the music gets going We all seem to achieve "liftoff" together. Its very powerful. The most euphoric , loving, excited. blissful and joyous celebration i recall was the show in SF when Jerry returned after his diabetic coma. The "Touch of Grey" left everyone, including the band, in tears . There was so much love in that room.. we really can change the world if we can channel that energy. "strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand"

karen compton I am a San Francisco girl born and bred and spent my youth in the Haight and Golden Gate Park and was proud to display my Grateful Dead poster on my wall....I ended up in Chicago in 1982 for 18 years but the west coast was in my blood.I was able to return to California 10 years ago and have been lucky enough to go to concerts,the WESTFEST and again go to the anniversary celebration of the BE IN that I originally was at so many years ago. I am a free spirit that loves music, life, peace and love and kindess to all. On Dec 7th 2009 I was in a near fatal car crash going up a mountain where I live...at 2:30 in the afternoon I ended up going down a ravine hit a rock and landed in a tree...I was cut out by the jaws of life Ihad ended up in the back seat...I broke my back in three places, my ribs, my sternum, and had a head injury. I awoke in ICU and do not remember anything about the accident....I spent 1 month in the hospital and then a recovery at home....7 months later I had a knee surgery and spent another month in physical rehab. I again recovered at home. I had been let go from my job that I was at in 2006 after 25 years so I did not have to worry about missing work but it did put me in a funk...2 months later I thought I was well enough to travel and so I took a bus (my car was totalled) and went to my friends house in Clear Lake where I tripped and shattered my femur. I took a 3 hour ambulance ride back to my home and had surgery where 10 pins where put through my thigh and I spent another month in recovery before I returned home. I am still recovering from that injury but this is where the Dead have helped me more than words can say. When I was in Chicago I was lucky enough to see them in concert and they were amazing as I knew they would be...It stayed in my soul. I was feeling pretty bummed about what I had been through this last year and kinda sad too.....I never really spent much time on facebook but decided to give it a go and that is when my healing began....all of the wonderful deadheads cheered up me by their fantastic bios and their goals for all that I seek peace, music,joy, and unconditonal love for others. Where did all this come from? From YOUR music and what it means to all those who understand how great your music is....that is when my healing really took off. I pulled myself out of my funk and began to work harder to heal my bones and my sad attitude. I had loving family and friends to help me and I appreciate their kindness. THIS moment now is also part of my healing.... to be able to thank you for all the years of GRATE music....a month ago I would not have even be up for writing this but thank you for this chance to do so now and for helping me to heal and to say that for others that need a friend to help you heal, I am here for you as is this music in our souls.

karen compton

On the first day of spring '08, I welcomed to the world my son, Greyson. Around 2 months he presented an enlarged heart while being x-rayed for pneumonia. It would be the first time he showed systems of what would later be diagnosed as Barth Syndrome (a rare genetic cardio/metabolic disorder). The doctors at Omaha Children's hospital stabilized him for a month for his first trip to St. Louis to be evaluated for a heart transplant. Greyson responded to meds so well there St. Louis Children's hospital sent us home. We went home with an attitude of gratitude but we knew that someday...someday...Now mind you, the music of the Grateful Dead takes on new appreciations for me in all stages of my life... now this. So be it. I remember telling my wife, Katrina,"but do you know how many beautiful people we are gonna meet on this journey?" So the healing begins and I wish I had the words to describe how much music and the Grateful Dead has helped and continues to help every aspect of my family life. I started singing to Greyson early. I began with the Beatles "Black Bird" by printing out the lyrics in the hospital's resource center. It seemed to helped me more than it was doing anything for him; now that I look back on it. I always looked forward to a time when no nurses were around. :) Also, I found a really good radio show on Saturday nights in St. Louis called "Deader than Ever". It became my time to just stop for a moment and listen to the music in the parking lot of a Ronald McDonald house. It helped. It just did. Greyson's heart was good for about 14 months and then we found out his pumper was going into failure. He flew to St. Louis for another visit but this time to await the greatest gift,of a life saving heart. Four days later, he got his donor's gift. Now for a long stay to heal from a constellation of issues that had developed. Clots caused a below the knee amputation of his left leg. Greyson took it all and recovered nicely! This is when my favorite song to sing was Brent's "I Will Take You Home." During this visit, I found some group called the Schwag. I talked to some guy in the band with really long dreadies, told him it was great to hear some live music but here's the heavy reason I am here, can you play Shakedown Street? He obliged me in the next set and I danced danced danced! I had no idea who I had just talked to. :) As well, I didn't know I was really starting my healing process. Now I had a band and a radio show. Very cool. This month, on the first day of Spring, Greyson turned 3. He is doing so well with his new heart and tie dyed prosethetic left leg that says "Smile, Mon!" I think the next songs for walks are gonna be "Wheel" and "Eyes." So to make a short story long, this is how the Grateful Dead helped and continue to facilitate healing for me from this huge experience of life. I always try to catch the Jerry Pranxsters in Lincoln, NE or Omaha to get a little live music. I still listen most Saturday nights to KDHX "Deader Than Ever" in St. Louis. I can see Greyson and I connecting, together, listening to some great music and singing lyrics I once sang to him. Gratitude. Indeed. A truly Grateful Dad, Eric Zeitner

In 1988, my 2nd son fell in the pool, was rescued and kept alive for 18 days on a ventilator. When they pulled the ventilator out, it was clear he would not survive. The ICU was full that night with all sorts of very sick kids. I know what a deathly waxy pallor looks like and I know now what a death rattle sounds like. He basically choked to death over three hours in my arms as I played all my favorite Dead Songs to drown out the horrible sounds I knew were as disturbing to the other children as they were for me. I had to put him on the bed finally, he was dead weight. When ESTIMATED PROPHET came on, "like an angel standing in a shaft of light, rising up to paradise, I know I'm going to shine" was playing when he took his last breath. I felt his energy leave shining bright and knew he now was that angel. My heart was comforted.

karen compton I am a San Franciso born and bred, spent my youth in the Haight and Golden Gate Park and was proud to display my Grateful Dead poster. In 1982 I moved to Chicago where I lived for 18 years but the west coast was in my blood. I did see the Dead in Chicago and they were as amazing as I knew they would be...the music was in my soul. Ten years ago I was lucky enough to transfer my job to California. I was let go from my job in 2006 after 25 years. I was feeling bummed about that. On Dec 7 2009 at 2:30 in the afternoon I had a near fatal car crash...my car went into a ravine on a mountain road. I hit a rock and flipped into a tree, landing in the backseat. The jaws of life cut me out. I awoke in ICU but did not remember much about the accident. I had broken my back in three places, my sternum, ribs and head. One month in recovery and returned home in a body cast. 7 months later I had major knee surgery, another month in recovery before returning home. 2 months after that I thought I was well enough to take a bus to Clear Lake to visit my friend and tripped and shattered my femur, I had a 3 hour ambulance ride back and surgery with 10 pins put in my thigh and another month in recovery. I am still trying to heal...after 5 months. I had not really been on facebook but decided to give it a go....there are so many wonderful deadheads with great bios that love music, peace, unconditional love and kindness towards others....all the things that I seek. Now my healing was going in a stronger directions...all those that understand how GRATE the music is....my funk is disappearing and each day has become better. THIS moment now is the real moment of healing to be able to thank you for the music that you have brought to us all and how it soothes the soul and brings us together. For those who need healing, I am here for you and so is the MUSIC.

A couple years ago, soon after my first (yes, I said first) transplant, I was a mess physically and mentally. A physical mess is understandable given I had fought a progressive disease for some years, and required supplemental oxygen 24/7. But mentally, it seems that had been on my brains were scrambled. About a week after the surgery, I suffered a stroke. For a couple days I was a real jelly head. Nothing registered. Lights were on but no one is home type of deal. After that I began to respond to people and my environment. Although I was much improved, I was still in a deep thick fog cognitively. I was quite confused about everything. A friend gave a message to brother, who was staying at the hospital with me, to pass along to me. And after he relayed that message, I was to be asked the band and song from which the words of that message came. I immediately knew it was the dead, but at that time, I had to cheat to recall the song. I knew how messed up I was when I realized it was one of my favorite show tunes. As it is often said that Grateful Dead's music provides the soundtrack to the lives of many Deadheads. And this is the case with me in gneral, and for this moment in time specifically. Whenever I hear those words, it takes me to the early days of that struggle. And the message? "When you get confused listen to the music play."

I have little memory of life without pain. At the age of 11, I was diagnosed with a bone disease in my spine and have been in pain every second of every day since that time. This is my 43rd year in pain. Nothing can be done to relieve it, but I often ease the pain with some sweet music from the Grateful Dead. The pain is still there, but it just doesn't seem as overwhelming when I'm listening to Franklin's Tower or Friend of the Devil. Thank you to all of the wonderful souls that have lived under the moniker of the Grateful Dead.

In 1985 the Grateful Dead played the Spectrum in Philadelphia for three shows in April during Easter weekend. My friends and I loved when the Dead played the Spectrum for us locals and we all always had an intensely good time in Philly. We always had a corner in the parking lot and the Philly police would leave us well enough alone-even with the police barricade a-frames we burned for our fires. I had really looked forward to these shows ever since my Mom had died in October; as these things happen to us all. On Easter night they said it all, they began with Phil singing Why don't we do it in the road? It was so true at the time; the Bird song was very important to me, more than words can tell; one of those THEY KNOW moments. An amazing Gimme some Lovin' told me it was ok that I missed the first Easter family dinner without my Mom- (the first days are the hardest days) and that having a healing time with the boys was good for me. Those three shows will always be some of the most important shows/experiences the Grateful Dead have given me in my life. If I told you all that went down it would burn off both your little ears. Never had such a good time. Thanks

My story of healing is quite literal. In 1994, I did the entire fall east coast run. It wasn't a particularly hard tour- 18 dates across four cities- but it was by far the longest run I had ever done and when it was over I was exhausted and nine kinds of sick. The hard living ravaged my immune system and the communal food and sleeping left me with what felt like a malingering low-grade flu I simply couldn't shake. About a week after the shows, I received a visit from a fella I'd met on tour and he brought me a soundboard cassette from a '67 Dead show. For the life of me I can't recall the date, but it was the first show I had ever heard from that year and also one of the few soundboards I'd encountered outside Cornell '77. I was lying in bed, amazed at the clarity of the sound and the seperation of the instruments, when they broke into "Cold Rain & Snow." I was familiar with this tune, but the style in which they played it- an uptempo blast of go-go boogie led by Pigpen's Hammond B3- literally snatched me out of bed and made me dance around my room. The song triggered a release of endorphins and dopamines that jumpstarted my stalled healing process and within a day I felt wonderful. For years afterward, when I found myself down I reached for that three-minute shot of goodness for the briefest of dance parties, something I still do today.

This one is for Bob Weir... I was 40 years and still skateboarding in 1989 when I fell off my skateboard and tried to stifle my landing by using my right arm to stiff arm the ground. The result was that I my radial head exploded into a hundred pieces. The radial head is the end of the radius in the elbow that allows you to open and close doors using pronation and rotation. I had to undergo emergency surgery where the radial head was totally removed. The bone was sawed off an inch and a half below the right elbow and the ligments and tendons were re-attached. I was informed the next day by the surgeon that I had a 15% chance of gaining full use of my right arm. I am right handed. After eight months of intense physical therapy, my right arm was still useless and unusable. The surgeon's estimate was slowly coming true. I felt doomed. At that time, my friends bought a ticket and took me to a Grateful Dead show in Oakland. During that show I watched Bob Weir play guitar realizing he had suffered a broken shoulder about a year previously from a bicycle accident. There he was on-stage playing away. That gave me the inspiration to focus on my arm during the show. To the amazement of myself and my friends, I motivated myself to start snapping my fingers and move my arm slightly. By the end of the show, I had regained rhythm in my right arm. During the year following that show, I regained 100% full use of my right arm. That's inspiration! Thank you Bob Weir.

So, in the last four months I have lost four loved ones, one each month. I was very close to all of them my best friends mom, friend who is the same age as me, still in his early twenties, and two of my aunts. Needless to say its been a bit rough. Two songs recently have really just hit me hard and washed over me and after an initial reaction wanting to weep it felt very healing. One recently when listening to Black Muddy River from 10-20-1988 and the other not the Grateful Dead but listening to Furthur from 3/6/11 playing We Bid You Goodnight. Both of these songs recently just hit me hard and have really helped heal my grief, it was tough not to start weeping in the middle of my college's food court the other day and look like a crazy person. Got on the bus half way through sophomore year of high school three and half years ago having now seen Furthur, The Dead, and DSO having listened to 200+ shows I only await the day I get to see them again. So very Grateful. ********************************* Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right. Peace and Love

Don't know is this a healing story as such but what i remember is when the country was in deep political and social turmoil across the board and on campus, as I was, the Dead put out Workingman's Dead and American Beauty-it was like putting calming oil on the waters-other groups were fanning the flames at that time but the Dead were trying to calm people down-by music and example-I'll never forget that. I really appreciated what I thought they were trying to do. We all look back and know who were the "fanners" at that time and we know they were all about money. Boy-what an old timer-huh?

I was 15 when I saw my first show. It was Alpine Valley 7/6/84. I made it a point to see the boys as often as I could. If I lost track of my friends I knew I could always find them 'Phil Side' toward the back during Drums/Space. I managed to graduate high school and college. Over the years I was one of the kids that went for the 'Easy Answers' and the easy money. After the Vegas shows in 95 my friends and I were pulled over in Sevier (no shit...pronounced severe) County Utah. While I 'spent a [month] in Utah, in a [jail] up in the hills' for some mushroom dust in a baggie, the guards and inmates were amazed at the way I walked around with a huge smile on my face. I told them I had seen 3 incredible shows and the boys were carrying me thru. I obviously hadn't learned much since 3 years later my house was raided by the local Drug Task Force. During my 6 1/2 year incarceration for drug charges the only things that kept me sane in such an insane place were letters and visits from my family (blood and Dead alike). The highlight of each week was a two hour Grateful Dead Request Show. Every Sunday several friends would call in and request different tunes and deadicate them to me. It seemed like they always knew what tunes I needed to hear. If I got confused, I listened to the music play. I have been out of prison since Sept 16, 2004 and off parole since 2006. My life is slowly getting back on track. Whenever things are tough I can always turn on some Dead (or Ratdog, or Phil and Friends, or JGB, or etc) and I know 'everything's gonna be all right'!!! I Love You Guys!!!!!!!!!!Your music really has healed my heart. Love and Miss You Jerry, Pigpen, Brent, Kieth, Merl, Bear, Tim, Janis, Jim, Jimmy, Cass......

I got on the bus in 78 at age 18, but jumped ship in 94 because my relationship with the bottle and coke had ceded to full time slavery on my part and looking back it seems like the scene hit its bottom at about the same time that I did. I needed to go away to get better and that's what I did. 12 step programs aren't for everybody, I get that, but I finally found what I needed there and managed to get and stay sober by attending thousands of AA meetings, getting a sponsor and working the program. Near the end of 2000, I rediscovered the scene that I had left behind, at the old GD web site, Dead Net Central, where I made a lot of new friends, right around the time that Phil was getting rolling with his arrangement of Friends that came to be known as the Quintet. Over the next couple of years, I caught a couple dozen shows by this band in places like Red Rocks, the Greek in Berkeley, the Frost Amphitheatre on the Stanford campus, places I had heard about, but never had the chance to visit while the GD were touring, but then I had a personal crisis in 2002 that led me to a time of deep depression that brought me to the brink of economic oblivion. What came out of that experience was the idea that my deep unhappiness (which had dogged me for as long as I could remember, even in sobriety) was the result of my trying to live my life by other people's standards. I managed to break through this way of thinking by getting busy figuring out what it was that I couldn't live without, rather than what I could live with, which is what had made me miserable in the first place. For me, the answer was reading and writing. These are the two things which had been with me for as long as I could recall, they were both good and true in my estimation, and, to get right down to it, they're both a lot like magic. When I read a text, I am transported to another place, another time; I am lifted out of myself for a time. So when I considered what I wanted to do with my life, it came to this: I wanted to be the magician. Once I realized this, I set myself the goal of getting back into school to learn the craft of writing and to get a college degree so that I could teach what I had learned. That was about 8 years ago, during which time I've received an AA degree from my local community college and a BA from my local state university, where I'm now enrolled as a graduate student and on track to publish my thesis this spring, which is a full-length play titled Waiting for the Show, that's set in front of the Warfield about an hour before the doors open for a concert by an uncommon band, many of whose fans come to these events prepared to participate, as much as they come seeking to be entertained. What I've learned from this is that healing is a process, which, once set in motion, there's no telling where it will lead.

The Grateful Dead have been such an inspiration to me all my life. The music has connected me to some of the most grateest friends. I love all members of the band and all the other ones, their music heals me. Good friends and a Grate Band you can't ask for more. In Lovingkindness Always, ----------------------(-----@ SherBear

When my son was born he was very colic. I tried everything from old wives' tales to perscriptions. After 2 months of trying everything and little to no sleep for our family, one day I busted out my old Dead Cd's for a much needed mommy take-a-way moment! Just sit back and relax with the crying baby!So a little "Box of Rain" song came on and after the first 10 seconds he was soothed......It was a shocking to say the least. We walked around the living room rocking and dancing to the sounds. From there on out the "Dead" soothed my son and still does. He is now 6 years old and still loves the music. We sing "Box of Rain" as a goodnight song together! He has decorated much school activities with the Dancing Bears! He's a true Dead Head at the age of 6! Mamma is so proud! Love the music, love the soul

Hi, Mike Edwards -- I don't know if this is a change, but above it says: Submit your personal tale of "gratefulness" in the comments of this page and not only we will pass along your anecdotes to the band, but you may just win a copy of The Music Never Stopped soundtrack and a t-shirt from the film. 10 winners will be selected at random. So maybe it does go here. This after spending about an hour at dead.net looking for it. Larry Cafiero

I'm a recovering addict. I wound up in treatment on August 1st (how ironic) 1984. I had brought my walkman and a few bootlegs tapes with me one being Ventura County Fairgrounds 7/18/82. I was about halfway through treatment and I knew I was in the right place but still needed that spiritual awakening to seal the deal. I was laying in bed with that tape on and "Wharf Rat" came on. During the gospel bridge up through the refrain "I'll get up and fly away" I had the first of was has been many spiritual awakenings regarding my recovery. Wharf Rat quickly became my anthem. A couple of years later I started a newsletter for recovering Dead Heads on the east coast called "Wharf Rat" The rest is history. I realize the same thing was happening on the West coast. The two merged to become The Wharf Rats. Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous. I'm still clean 26 years later and last visited a Wharf Rat table in Broomfield , CO for the Furthur shows. I'll Keep Coming Back!

A little over a year ago my close friend's house was raided and he was arrested. He has no family near us and had absolutely no help from anyone with his legal issues. He called me from jail and asked me to get him out, but I nor my friends had the money. That weekend we decided to raise money for him by selling x-boxes, televisions, movies, anything we could find to get him a good lawyer. Allan started writing me letters from jail with Grateful Dead illustrations and song lyrics strewn through the message. Before all this had happened we used to sing Box of Rain together in my car all the time. I started listening to it everyday and it helped me feel like he was right there next to me. Jail was hard for Allan and he started to sink into depression. He was tired and broken, his thoughts unclear. But in the end the love of his friends saw him through. Our lawyer got him off with just a year of probation and everything wiped off his record, he also charged us less than half his normal fee because he too was a Dead Head. Never underestimate the power of your grateful dead family.

My Dad passed away when I was 15. I was holding his hand in Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and 'Black Peter' was clearly playing in my head in the minutes before he died and also while he was passing and then afterwards in the hallway of the hospital. That same year I went to my first concert ever and of course it was The Grateful Dead. (I had been trying to go to a dead show since I was 13 but Dad said I had to wait until I was a little bit older before I could go see the dead by myself. Ha. Dad was wise) And of course the guys did "Black Peter'. It sounds corny but it really did make it feel like things were going to be alright. I love the Grateful Dead. Many years later Phil wrote "Searching For The Sound". I went to that book signing and a few days later this girl in Eugene looks me up and says " Hey Matt they kind of mentioned you in the Oregonian yesterday. They were writng about Phils book signing and the crowd Phil pulled in and how diverse it was and they started describing a guy with purple hair and I knew that they were talking about you" And she was right. I did not get a name mention but I was that purple haired guy looking intently at the best bassist to ever rock and roll. I love The Grateful Dead. Those guys and their music have influenced me and my life greatly and I am so lucky to have lived and shared in some of those great musical moments of the 20th century. Guys have fun tomorrow at Radio City. Much Love Always. ~ Matt T.

A few years ago I lost a very close friend of mine in a tragic car accident. Just as I do, Kyle loved the Grateful dead. Our favorite song was Touch of Grey. I had listened to this particular song thousands upon thousands of time. But after his death, it had an entirely new meaning to me. I know that no matter what had happened, I had to survive, I had to move on. I will never stop missing him, but hearing this song reminds me of the many great times we had gotten to share. It reminds me that yea, every silver lining does have a touch of grey. But we must always continue to push forward!

I guess the biggest or most noteworthy single instance was when I was at home alone on a rainy night with a fire in the fireplace listening to the second set of 11-21-71 from UCLA. It's a short set if you just look at the playlist, but the jams are UNREAL and I got good and lost in one of them -- and when the mist blew away I'll be damned if all the remaining bits and pieces from my childhood weren't resolved without benefit of twenty years of psychotherapy. Shit happens. My parents were nice people and well-intentioned. I grew up. In the span of a single GD solo. Major, massive resolution. I moved ahead with ease. It was a profound experience. Your mileage may vary. The only other music I can bring to mind with such transformational power might be the NBC recordings of Bruno Walter conducting Maher's Second. And let's face it, Mahler is just not as much fun as the Dead.

I'm a second generation Deadhead. I grew up my entire life with the sweet song of the Grateful Dead. For as long as I can remember, My mother would dance around the house to the songs while cleaning and cooking. I've always loved the Dead, but little did I know, they would end up being a big part in saving my life. In August of 2003, I was diagnosed with Lymphoma Hodgkin's disease, stage 3B. I was 18 years old, and about to start my education at the Maryland Institute College of Art, one of the most prestigious art schools in the country. My world was shattered. I began my 12 cycles of chemotherapy at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The road to remission was a long, bumpy one, with many set backs, including an allergic reaction to a type of chemotherapy that landed my in the ICU for 4 days, and nearly ended my life. But through the whole process, I stayed positive, thanks to the soothing songs of the Grateful Dead. I listened to them day and night. When I prepared for surgeries, I would listen to "Ripple" over and over. During my outpatient chemo treatments, I would listen to a different Dick's pick every time. The music and words of the band got me through the darkest and most challenging time of my life. To this day I have numerous health issues stemming from my battle with cancer. I had to get both of my hips replaced because of a disease called Avascular Necrosis. I also have it in my knees, but have not gotten them replaced yet. These setbacks never stop me from shaking my bones every time the boys come around! Thank you! ~*Standing on the moon with nothing left to do, a lovely view of Heaven but I'd rather be with you*~

After struggling for years to conceive my wife and I had our first child, Rosalie, named after the great rosa lee Mcfall jam. Say she passed away after few days of life, and when we listen to the song we named her for it's bitter and sweet and things about what happened seem ok now.