Grateful Dead

howdy high and welcome!

My name is Jay Schaefer, I am married, live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and work as a psychiatric nurse at a community hospital. I was "turned on" to the Dead by a high school classmate & bought a copy of "Anthem" in 1969 (the Caldor dept. store had 2 albums to choose from: "Anthem" & "Aoxomoxoa"...since I didn't have much money to spend I chose the earlier release). That got me hooked & I saw the Dead live for the first time at the Fillmore East in 1970 after I started college. With a lot of help from my friends at Dickinson College I got to a few memorable shows in the early 70s, including a couple of personal "acid tests". In the long intervals between concerts I listened to the Dead's music on LPs--still have a nearly complete collection of their studio albums (some on the Round Records label)--favorites then were "Anthem", "Aoxomoxoa", "Workingman's Dead", "American Beauty" & "Live/Dead". While living in Washington, DC (1973-81) I went to almost every show at the Capital Centre & Baltimore Civic Centre with my brother from 1976-81...a "peak" period for live shows, including JGB, Bob Hunter & Kingfish concerts. In 1974 I hitchhiked from DC to SF where I hung out for about a year & managed to get to one concert at Winterland in 1975, as well as saw the old "Mars Hotel" building before it was demolished. The last Dead concert I went to was in 1988 & by then I was collecting cassette tapes of live shows, mainly from the 1968-72 era. Skipping ahead to 2008, my interest in the Dead, their music & the community of Deadheads was revived by seeing Phil Lesh & Friends in Charlottesville this month! I really enjoy this new website & send greetings to you all!--Jay

Hi Jay,welcome aboard this train. It is a wonderful place with grate people! peace,pk

Howdy fellow dead heads! I'm not sure if this is the right place to say this, but i'll say it anyway (who cares, i'm new), so hello!

welcome aboard st.stephen4789 and jasia52, enjoy the ride : ) and really st.stephen4789 is there a wrong place to say hello ? (who cares im old) peacen'love

Welcome all y'all. (and Happy Birthday Jerry!)

one and alllots of grate people to chat with here!! Have a grate time :)

Welcome st.stephen! Come and join us and watch this garden grow! Wonderful people here with grate minds! peace,pk

I'm from Tennessee and have been a Dead fan for many years. Also listen to alot of blues, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn....and the list goes on. Been married for ever it seems. LOL..but have a wonderful wife who has stood by me through my worst times. I also have a wonderful daughter and two dogs who are very much family.Looking forward to meeting some interesting people.

Hey TNkabe, welcome. You have just arrived at a wonderful oasis of good vibes and grate people. Enjoy yourself! peace,pk

hey now TNkabe, just in time for our metamorphosis, hang on it's a little rough right now, but it'll smooth out soon like jack-on-rocks :) welcome aboard, peace and love abound

Hi All, My name is Bobby, living in Boston with my beautiful (and newly pregnant) wife. I've been a deadhead since my dad bought me the cassette of American Beauty/Workingman's when I was 12. I saw them about ten times throughout high school, and consider myself very lucky for that. As I've gotten older, and continue to have experiences, the Dead have been one of the few constants in my life. The music grows in intimacy and importance, and welcomes me home from the occasional cold, lonely walks that life brings. One of the real joys I've had has been the introduce the Dead to my best friend, who is four years younger then me, and watch him gradually come to appreciate and understand what this music is and how it can touch you. Don't have much more to say than that right now. I can talk about the Dead till sunrise so feel free to drop me a note about anything. I'm a psychotherapist so I love a good chat! ;-) Bobby

Welcome Bobby. Good to hear from you. Don't stop now, sunrise is still 12 hours away. Went to my first dead concert march 23, 1974 and it has also been a constant in my life ever since. It speaks volumes about it's reach and the breadth of their work. We are living in a wonderful time. Welcome Bobby, and please enjoy yourself, it is a warm place with grate people. peace,pk

My name is Kelly & I live in that hotbed of music, Iowa (lol) and have been a Deadhead since a friend gave me a free copy of Live/Dead back in '71/'72. I've been on the bus since then. Unfortunately only saw them live twice(Iowa City 8/10/1982 & Cedar Rapids 7/4/1984).I'm more than just a Deadhead though. I listen to & collect a variety of music. The collection's getting close to 2K CD's, LP's, etc., of which about 800-900 are the GD,JGB,NRPS,LOM etc. I guess I just love the music of my youth! Don't know what else to say...I hope to be rapping with y'all in various forums & such. I'll leave y'all with a saying I was introduced to several years ago in SD..."Have A Grateful Day!"

big ol'welcome to you, i am as a matter o'fact listening to 8/10/1982 right now as i'm typing, just going into "eyes" now, must be some cosmic connecttion here ! so glad you made it here, see you around and have a grateful day!!peace

Hi everyone...I'm a newbie to The Dead...hate to say it but when I thought I was serious into my music in the '70s and '80's I thought the whole Dead thing was crazy but here i am listening to my first ever Dead purchase- One from the Vault (Pt. Chester) and already I'm trying to figure out my next cd- should I get the whole Winterland run or the 76 Cow Palace show? As my fave band is The BLack Crowes- I follow them around and see multi shows and dig their jamming...now I fully understand the Deadheads view of things...anyways, great to be here and howdy everyone....

i saw the guys 26 times from 1992 until that last spring tour (4 nights in atlanta 2 on 1 off 2 on) i was mesmerized the first time i heard the fellows and they dominate my i-tunes to this day.i would love to hear jerry pick it one more time!

i found this site yesterday.i looked it up because after i got home,i found a grateful dead almanac sitting in my mail box.before all this i was driving home listening to a kick butt scarlet/fire (cornell 1977,i was at that show,i was only 3)so,as i laid on the couch with my laptop all these great grateful dead thoughts were in my head.so, i googled the Grateful dead this site came up.i think it is great that there is a site like this that pays homage to the best band i have ever seen in my life.the one,the only Grateful Dead! some are still playing here with us,and some are playing from the heavens!

Okay so I seriously started listening to the Grateful Dead and side projects about a year ago. Since then Ive listened to less mainstream stuff and more jam bands like Widespread Panic and more jazz, blues, and folk music. I get made fun of by friends who dont get it but I dont care I just like the music. Bluegrass is now a favorite along with country all thanks to the Grateful Dead. Also now know about Jackie Greene and his talents.

im a new grateful dead fan. I am stuck in highschool but the dead help the days be better. I have recently gotten some of the close people around me interested in them and that is really nice to have people to talk with about the music. This past year i wrote a paper on the Grateful Dead focused on Jerry's life and got a perfect on that, which was really nice considering it was my final score in that class. Then this summer i got to see both Phil and Mickey which was a highlight of my life.

It would be cool if you posted your paper so we can all read it! If you still have it.Congrats on the grate grade :)

that is a good idea i will need to find it. this year in sociology i plan on trying to study the dynamics of the Dead Heads if my teacher is down with it

Grate to have you here. Would love to read that paper. You have arrived at a wonderful place full of wonderfully diverse people with many views, all together with something very special in common, an experiance called the Grateful Dead. Welcome and make yourself at home! peace,pk

Hello all. I've been offline for 13 years, and it's really something too see how you all are keeping the music and the love alive. you'll find me moslty in the poets corner, where I will begazing at a dogwood blossom, and humming to myself. I'm friendly though, you can always share a word or smile with me. Can I take my shoes off in here? rock on, andy

howdeehigh andy, glad u made it! b lookin 4 u in the poets corner!peace

I'm tired of "peakin". I haven't done acid in over ten years or shrooms over five so it doesn't really fit anyway. But as you all can tell the effects still linger.I just liked it cause it reminded me of the mountains I have climbed. This one fits me much better as I am always (only?) happy when I'm hikin' down a trail.

coulda changed it to "puddin time" : ), that comes after "peakin",but then so do "happy trails"!peace, t

"puddin time" NOW that is funny, TC....better than Buck Owens song about "Crying Time" any time!...........gotta git on a bicycle ride & we're off on a road trip....talking to ya later......Gypsy Cowgirl Happy Trails..........to you...........

puddin time would have been great! or how bout "puddlehead"? love ya all

Next time the boy's get together we should petition for an accapella happy trails. That would be sweet! Welcome to your new name happytrails! Good to hear from you. peace,pk

Hey Remember!!! that show @ Shoreline Ampitheatre-they played Roy & Dale's version of "Happy Trails" after the show- think it was the Dead reunion tour or the 2nd one-it was soon after Roy Rogers had died-1998.......think my childhood ended then...... & yes, happy trails up yonder- the effects last a lifetime.......just has changed all our thoughts into what they are xoxoxo

My name is Rob, and I'm a sophomore civil engineer at Clarkson University. I wish i could say I grew up on the Dead, but I wasn't introduced to them until around '99 or '00. My stepfather, who had been a fan since the late 70's, brought home a DVD (I think it was View from the Vault I), which I watched in awe. I instantly became a fan, and started collecting music and whatever else I could find. I got to see the Other Ones in 2002, and the Dead in '03 and '04. Since then I have continued to explore Grateful Dead music, as well as the tranquility and relaxation that accompanies it. I'm glad to be here, among my brother and sister Heads.

Been Dead fan since 74 or 75...intro'd by friend in the dorm. Never went to a ton of shows but between the Dead, JGB, Weir and RatDog, maybe 30 or so lifetime? I've moved all over the US and always tried to catch the show when they came through. For my money, their most consistently good shows were early 90s at Richfield Coliseum in Ohio. I saw them a few times in the mid 70s, throughout the 80s and right up until Jerry died (saw them in Pittsburgh and St Louis on the last tour), and then the Other Ones and the Dead (2004?), too. Still see the Dog once or twice per year. Cheers to Bob for keeping it going. I listen often to DixPix and other live CDs. DixPix 20 (?) at the Capital Center in Largo, Md. was my first show and was a week after my 21st b-day...was a present to myself. Occassionally put in a studio CD and become re-amazed just how good of songwriters they were/are...the live music does not seem to showcase their technical writing skills so much. There is so much great music on "from the Mars Hotel" and "Wake of the Flood". The music seems as new today as it did to me in 1975. I'm grateful for that and hopeful it will remain that day.

Hey Now! My name is Steve and I first saw the Dead at RFK Stadium on 6-9-73. I didn't know what I was getting into way back then so I missed the 6-10-73 show. 22 years later I saw a total of 201 shows, mostly on the east coast. Living in the DC area allowed me to catch quite a few shows within a 300 mile radius. I only missed 1 show at the old Cap Centre (the Cosmic Charlie show in '77), I missed the 1 RFK show and was at all 6 Merriweather shows. My favorite venue was the HJK in Oakland, I knew I could find my friends in the bar downstairs before the shows. Phil is resposible for my current musical passion. He introduced me to the guitar playing and singing of Warren Haynes. Some of you may know me as a moderator at the Mule Army, I go by the same screen name there also. I'll be poking around here when I can so I'll see you around!

My name is Bill, my first show was JGB in '75,toured for a while,slowed down for a while to raise kids. Now I moved to Eastern Fl to be around them. I have brought the kids to see some offshoot shows. I am an ok drummer ( I have my moments).Used to jam with friends all the time but they live in Ct. .Enjoy 70-77, mostly and Coltrane. I really enjoyed the scene of family at the shows.Miss the scene and feeling of electricity in the air. I have been here maybe a year but just found this page.There is nothing like a Grateful Dead Concert.

What's up guys, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about my baby, the inaugural Chicago Bluegrass & Blues festival, this 11/22 at the historic Congress Theater, all benefiting the Saving Tiny Hearts Societies fight against the country's most common birth defect. www.cbgbfestival.com The first 10 folks that hit me up at michael.raspatello@gmail.com will get a pair of tickets mailed to them. We're excited for you to help us spread the word about this righteous endeavor

I am new here and to this format of forums. It says I am unable to start a new topic - do I have to ask a mod for permission to post something? I joined this forum to help spread the word about a Grateful Dead fan from 1995 who died and remains unidentified. I would like to post a police sketch of the victim, along with the details, so that if any other DeadHeads from the 90's recognize him or remember him, we might be able to get him ID'd. Thank you to anyone who can help me.

Deadhead Paratrooper My active bus years were from 84-91, god that was fun. I so miss it. Got on airplane Oct 91. Hey all my real name is Dwight. I have been in the Army 17 yrs now and have found a few other ol heads. After touring the country with the dead and seeing that the purple mountain majesty is for real and so many other things I/we did seen experienced and so on. I beileved in defending this great nation so that others could have or so closely have related FUN and life. I joined the Airborne and love it jumping from a perfectly good airplane is an experience, like charging the gate at red rocks or jumping the wall in the meadowlands, getting that last second ticket for free. I think that military heads may have a greater appreciation for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and FUN. I am dissapointed that I missed quite a few shows from 92-95 but I was doing a job. I will retire in three years and plan on hitting the road again for a while. I do get to catch some fests now and then. But just not the same. Anyway If there weren't those that do what we do others would not live the way they do. peaceful and free. There are those that are so anti military radical that they forget where thier right to be as they wish and say what they want came from. So for all grateful people everywhere wave that flag. Wave it wide and HIGH

Hey Y'all! My first Dead show was Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City '76. The show that changed my life forever was Englishtown, NJ '77, with The New Riders and Marshall Tucker. The most memorable for me was Lewiston, ME '80, with Roy Buchanan and Levon Helm. I've been hosting a Radio Show for awhile now, based in Northwest New Jersey. It is called "Signpost To New Space", and as you might guess, it is very Dead-friendly Radio, amongst other great music. Some of it is downloaded and some from my own collection, as well as our Radio Station's. It is Internet-only Radio, and we go by the name : www.HomegrownRadioNJ.org As for my show, "Signpost To New Space", it airs on Tuesday Afternoons 3 - 6 pm (EST) But tune in anytime! We have 50 Volunteer DJ's , and If you stream us, you will like what you hear (we even have one 3 Hour Program dedicated to Railroad Earth! -- that's Thursday nights.) So, Tune In and Turn On a Friend, as we like to say! And if you do, send us an IM so we know you're there @ HGRNJ... Peace & Love DJ Easy Wind

Since I've been a member for over a year I suppose introductions are not only in order, but long overdue, so here goes...HELLO! I'm a deadhead too & would love to rap with y'all about all sorts of stuff. I'll be checking out the chat room occasionally, but mainly I'm a forum kind of guy.Have A Grateful Day!

Hello one and all i am chris i am from Tennessee (jed) i am 27 i have been a fan for 15 years now and going strong.I write alot of poetry and play guitar-mandolin/harmonica/ and sing. I have been on this site for awhile so i decided to join up after i seen how cool this forum is.About time bands like this start getting cool things like this on the web.Also i know the dead are all about letting you get their live stuff where do i go to download full shows? chris

Hey welcome aboard the bus! Take a look around and enjoy yourselves. Wonderful people here. And can post, just not start a new topic, but marye who is our moderator extrordiniare, is very helpful and extremely wise, she may be able to help you out. Good to have you all here on this monday, a holiday by the way, umm National Grateful Dead Day....ohh umm Columbus Day,sorry,all caught up in the big day! peace,pk

Hello everybody. Have been a huge music fan for my entire life, but only VERY recently decided to start listening to the Dead. I've been listening to a few concerts I found on-line, but would like to start hearing the officially released, higher quality stuff. The only thing is.....where do you even think about starting? There is so much stuff out there and a lot of it looks great......it's pretty overwhelming. Any of you long time fans have advice for a newbie?