Grateful Dead

I really am not sure that if you really got on "the bus" that you can get off - the life we chose when we put on tie-dye & patchouli just keeps lurking in the back ground, waiting to jump out - the Dead "sub-culture" was and is real, as much about the music and lifestyle as about how we choose to pass our time this time around our ole world, huh? Even now I see a steal-ur-face or a show dye its a signal that "here is someone I can relate to, talk to, be friendss with - I did shows from 1967 to 1994 - never felt alone, I was always with friends & (dead)family.

Portable MP3 players and free downloads are possibly 2 of the best things to come from the 21st century so far. Just like Jerry travelled across the country with an old tape recorder one summer to record his favorite bluegrass artists, the tapers preserved Grateful Dead music for eternity. Now it's available on the web even if you have nothing to trade. The spirit remains. After Jerry passed I put together a new stereo system to reproduce the wonderful sound quality of a live show. I enjoy the DVD's even more, too bad they are getting hard to find if ya know what I mean. That inspired me to get a guitar. So yes, I have moved on. Like Mickey said , thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed the show, now take a it home with you and do something positive.

For me, being a Deadhead is a lifestyle. The music is the foundation of that lifestyle, and live or not, the music will always exist. The band and the people around them created a subculture, a modern-day tribe, and I'm a part of that tribe. I'm married to a Deadhead; most of my friends are Deadheads. I still spend most of my free time seeing live music--some of the old bands, some of the new. Life is good. Of course I still miss Jerry, and I occasionally wax nostalgic for the good ol' days--what middled-aged person doesn't, in one way or another? But I'm not living in the past. The music is still alive, it still speaks to me, it still moves me in a way nothing else ever has. It's okay if other people don't get it--I don't need them to. Finding this music and my tribe was a turning point in my life, after which everything in my life began to solidify. It was, I imagine, the way some people feel when they become born again or find god or whatever; the change in me was that profound and that personal. Not that I worship Jerry or the band, that's not it at all. When I went to my first show (I hadn't listened to much GD before I went to a show), it was immediately crystal clear that this community was what I'd been looking for my whole life. I had never felt so free or so safe in my life. And the music..well the music grounded me, took me out of my head and put me firmly into my body, and it spoke to me on a deeply personal level. Again, it's okay if you don't get it, or if your experience is different, or if you disagree completely. I don't need that feeling to be validated by anyone else. And, it's okay if it's over for you. It's okay if it ended for you when Jerry died. I have plenty of friends who never went to another Dead-related thing, who took Jerry's death as a sign that it was time to settle down, cut their hair, focus on their careers, have some kids, move to Europe, etc,, etc.. They might still listen to the music now and then, but they don't go to shows or consider themselves Deadheads anymore. They got off the bus and that works for them. I stayed on, and I'm happy here. To each her own...that's what it's all about anyway, right?

The Dead is always a part of my life. The spirit is in my heart and soul. I still consider myself a Deadhead and always will. It's not like Jerry died and the next day I transformed into "The Man". The only thing constant in life is change and the fact that I'll be a Deadhead until the day I die. The Dead is a part of me, I couldn't change that if I wanted to. After Jerry died, I still did tours (Phil & Friends, Phish, The Dead, Gov't Mule, etc.) Eventually, the touring lifestyle began to wear on me a bit. I fell into a job that eventually turned into a career that I love. Did I cut my hair because of the career? No. My hair is thinning and receeding (getting old) and long hair on me just doesn't work anymore. So, my beautiful wife and son and I have just bought a split-level house with a nice yard in suburbia. I haven't gone to a show in a few years. I barely have enough time to jam on my guitar (although I do drum circles with my 3 year old). I've gained about 30 lbs. since my touring days. If you compared a snapshot of me 15 years ago, compared to one today, it's night and day. Totally different. Does that make me any less of a Deadhead? Impossible. The Dead is and always will be a part of me.

I will always love the Grateful Dead. I miss the shows and the scene and nothing has ever really replaced that in my life. But that is not to say my life isn't full and satisfying today. I still play music, I still listen to the old tapes, and I really love this web site. Tomorrow I am going to go and see Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs and I know it will be great. But it won't hold a candle to those Dead shows. Unfortunately the Grateful Dead trip is all nostolgia now. But what amazing times they were. Great memories.

Oh yeah, and I really miss tripping at those shows. What a blast.

I went to two Dead shows in the late 80s, but not because I was interested in the music as much as I was scoring something. I had a friend that worked so hard to get me hooked on the music, but my head just wasn't there yet. Who knows why. It's all timing. Fast forward almost 20 years later and another friend re-introduces me to the Dead and man, something just clicked. I don't have the answers as to why it hit me now, but it didn't then. But I what I do know is the music is timeless. It speaks to my spirit and brings me joy now, in 2007, as much as I'm sure it did 35 years ago to every man, woman, and child who felt the connection. Shit, life is too short to let go of those things that bring us pleasure. And if a person can find something that still, after all this time, can make their head bob and make their soul feel alive then who the hell is anyone to judge that?

1. No. I bought the first 'official' Dead album at a school record sale when I was in 8th grade. Even though people argue about it, I spent a month or so listening to it everyday (form the "Golden Road" collection) and love it even more - instant reverse transport ========> 2. When I wasn't blasting Good Mornin' Little School girl, I was switchin' to the Taj Mahal version on "Take a Giant Step" - a must listen. Around the same time I was stuck on "Unbroken Chain" from Mars Hotel - it was like I was hearing that song for the first time. Amazing. 3. I love my life now: I have an 8 year old daughter, I'm sober almost 29 years, and I actually have a job that's fairly respectable - I'm a psychology professor- but I love not only what the Dead (along with others) represent (to me), but more importantly, the music is just so incredible! 4. I'm hoping to celebrate my 50's (I'm now 52) by seeing some form of the Dead - I saw almost everyone else in the 60's and 70's but never the Dead. Hope I'm not too late and that I can take my daughter. 5. Of course, I am still an almost daily listener of Dylan (new and old - "Love and Theft is amazing), The Band, Leon, War, James Brown . . .

What does that really mean: "Get on with your life." Are they saying, stop being a Deadhead, or stop listening to their music? Because the music never stops and the music never dies. For all of those people, self included, who were and are touched by the music, there is no "getting over it." It is a part of who we are. It's wrapped in our life experiences, part of our bones, our tissues, our memories. For me, the Dead has become the figurehead, the icon of a lifestyle. It is keeping music alive and loving the experience and magic that occurs when like-minded people gather and listen to music. Grateful Dead is timeless, their music is timeless and I think they helped open the floodgate to so many other bands and festivals. Every time I get an invite to a fledging festival celebrating music, I can't help but hear the chords from Jerry's guitar jamming a happy grinning beat in my mind. So what if the "Grateful Dead" itself isn't playing music any more?? So many people are still listening to the music, being inspired by the music, and living their lives in the spirit of all the music stood for! New music is still being created in that same spirit. The wheels are still turning on that bus, baby! Keep 'em turning.

I think Offbeat Andy hit the nail on the head. Most of us, if not all of us are still grieving. The grieving process has a path and each of us travel that path in different ways and at different speeds. MOST IMPORTANT... is that ALL of us here are finally venting our feelings of anger,sorrow,denial,finality,loss,etc. I know I'm going thru something. Ihave a large,beautiflly framed litho of Jerry over our bed, a picture of JG playing and"8/1/42 -- 8/9/95" typed beneath sitting on a table in my hallway,and my lic. plate frame says --" 8 - 9 - 95 " on the top and "... Then He Flew On " on bottom. All this came after Jerry died and before that day I had been to 130 or so shows and didn't even own a tie-dye shirt. I think Andy is right and perhaps we are finally dealing with the grief - out loud.

We all know The Dead has marched on to a new place. If the boys are still willing to play, then I am still willing to go and enjoy what they have to offer. It's not the same, but that is ok. Life is all about change. Let's just enjoy what we have and run with it!

We Listen.....If It Feels Good We Shake

There isnt a day that goes by the I dont listen, hum or sing a Dead song.....Its not just the music its a way of life ....Hell my two year old son dances when he hears the Dead.....Does that mean we should all give up on life too, If were willing to give up on the music weve been raised on? "Life isnt measured by how many breaths you take,But by how many moments that take your breath away"

No my love will not fade away.

So what? Oh, we won't give in, we'll keep living in the past. - Jethro Tull, "Living in the past"

I think Cornsmoke did an excellent job of explaining the way many of us think abot this subject. I stopped going to shows in '82 and felt that the Dead would always be there. I took them and their gifts for granted. When my wife and I had a daughter I told myself that I'd take her to a show someday . But when Jerry died it hit me a much harder than I thought it would. I had not bought or really listened to much music as much of it reminded me of the dear friends I'd lost in the late '70 and early eighties. Anyway after Jerry died I started listening again and on some days it was like a time machine and I could remember clearly things I hadn't thought of in years. I felt like I came out of an emotional coma! I now listen to Dick's Picks or downloads of older shows almost every day. I don't think it's over, as it's still the soundtrack to mine and millions of other's lives. We didn't get locked in a time warp, we continued to live and love and to work, start families and to get old, but I'll tell ya, my heart still soars and it makes me feel like a young man again when I listen to the Grateful Dead!!

Just because a band or musician doesn't tour or release albums under a certain name or not anymore at all does not make them less relevant. People today still listen to and play music from composers dead for centuries because the music is timeless. I'll still be playing my Dead records, tapes, and cds long into retirement.

Plain & simple, NO. There is no "getting over it". One look at the crowds at jamband shows, youth and old heads, tells us that music that opens up and leaves the "pop" and todays so-called "rock" in its dust is still alive and well. We're fortunate to have one of the major jamband influences at our beck & call, even tho Jerry,Piggy,Brent,& Keith aren't here. Whenever you get stuck listening to a radio for a while, just reach over, grab a tape,cd or iPOD, pick the show or tune of you choice and you'll instantly start to smile, relax and lose that FM tension. Go to see Phil, Ratdog, Micky & Billy, Dark Star Orchestra, Splintered Sunlight etc, and feel the vibe come back. Yes, it will be a little different, but isn't why we went to the shows? because the Dead (and us) were 'different"? So again, get over it? No. Bring it on!!!!!!!

never over! music & vibe is necessary in life.

When i read comments or talk to Deadheads who have not ever checked out any of the Dead's post-Jerry bands, all I can tell them is that they are missing out on some great music. I have seen The Other Ones, The Dead, Ratdog, Phil & Friends and even the DSO multiple times each and have witnessed some amazing shows. In particular, the first nite of a 3 nite stand for Phil & Friends at the Orpheum in Boston back in '03 was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Perhaps the finest version of "Mason's Children" EVER! On a personal note, last summer I saw Bobby and Ratdog at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City. A wonderful outdoor venue. My gf at the time and I had just got back together and were in a difficult long distance relationship. We have since broken-up for good but I will never forget the feeling of slow-dancing under the stars with her on a perfect summer evening listening to Bobby and the boys play a beautiful version of "Stella Blue". It's a song that has always been special to us, as we used to cover it when we played together as an acoustic duo. We were both in tears and smiling at the same time. All i can say is "thank you Bobby" for a moment I will cherish the rest of my life. So, to me there is nothing to get over. Just great music to still be enjoyed and cherished.

The music is timeless. No past, present or future. Just forever

On my Birthday I woke up, excited to enjoy MY DAY......I worked in a little bead/head shop in Reno, Nevada called Beads Etc. and I was gonna have a kick ass day. Not long after waking up, I heard on the radio...."Jerry Garcia dead at age..........." Needless to say, it was a surreal experience. My world had been the Grateful Dead, I used to call myself the "Party Director", I was the one in my close knit group of friends, that had that ESP radar, I just knew when to call the hotline to know that tickets would be going on sale, I would then coordinate the Motel reservations, and put the info out for my friends.....I never really had much in the way of valuable posessions, my tapes!, my t-shirts, what more did I really need? So when it all stopped, so did I. I couldn't fathom going to any other sort of concert, so I just didn't. It wasn't until this past summer, what?...12 years later that I went to my first Dead Family related concert, it was Melvin Seals with JGB up near Squaw Valley, years earlier I did attempt PHISH, and String Cheese.., but it just didn't cut it for me. Needless to say, the music was magical, I cried like i'd never cried before......I think just for the fact that Jerry died on my birthday was a grip of trauma for me.....But now, my ears are opening back up.....shit, I even listen to country, and that was never ever in the picture for me before. Thank you Dead Net for letting me speak......heidi

So now I'm 34, I have a real job and don't skip classes and summer jobs for the Tour but I still sport the SYF on all my cars and have yet to cut my hair, not that that means a thing but you will always find a bootleg playing in the office or on the road, and tears come to my eyes when summer tour is supposed to be upon us at RFK or JGB in Albany or MSG, Shoreline Amp. etc. where ever Life goes on and so do the Grateful Dead, Jerry will live inside of me forever, blind or deaf, I'll never forget his sweet music and incredible presence!!!!

I perceive a number of interwoven threads both internally and in the comments I've read here. Did the soul-shaking "Dead experience" as a experience to get in the world die with Jerry? Subquestions within that are whether Phil or Ratdog can supply that experience and whether other jambands can do it. The deeper question is what was/is the necessary ingredient? Jerry? Not just Jerry but those individuals known as the band? That type of music? That kind of community? Brewing underneath that question, ironically, is the hope that something that felt unique and magical when we had it was actually something formulaic and reliable! Another thread is whether or not "It" -- any peak experience, really -- is something whose purpose in our lives is to be repeated over and over as an experience. How do I get back to "It"? Listen to recordings of favorite shows? Attend other musical events, or Burning Man, and hope to feel the same things? Or is "Go out and do something with it" the best course? And, if I "go out and do something with it", will that bring me back to that feeling or to something else? A lot of weird thoughts went through my head the day of the Golden Gate Park memorial event. One of them was about my (skeletal) understanding of Martin Buber's metaphor of the "God-shaped void." I thought that day that perhaps the void isn't like a lock into which God fits as the key but a void carved by God that one can't fill and which is the place from which one's own creative impulses act. I felt the loss of Jerry as that incurable void, and the sense that whatever comes from it in my life will probably not look like or feel like attending Dead shows! Thanks for hearing the rambles.

Yes, I think someone on this thread hit it. The 60's $ 70's produced great jam bands, the likes of which, are almost non-existent anymore. I listen to a lot of college radio, and the music is great, but the songs are too short. Maybe when a good new band crops up that is intricate, enticing, but also can put some good lengthy arrangements together that will lure you in and claim your attention, I do not see the Dead going away. Man almost all the great bands of the 70's had at least one concert jammer: Outlaws: Green Grass and High tides Neil Young: Down by the River Springsteen: Kitty's Back Grateful Dead: Pick one Lou Reed: Heroin Etc. Etc. Etc I'm only too happy to download a good Phil Lesh and Friends just to listen to them jam out. BUILD IT, AND WE WILL COME! Greg SC

Anyone who says it's not over was never there. It's very, very over. And I'm so glad I was there.

The Grateful Dead will always be a part of my life. I tell my children about the dead, and I also have taught my students or turned them onto the Grateful Dead. It was the most incredible time of my life. I feel I have to pass it on! Of course my students are only in middle school so we made a deal... If I listen to your music, you have to listen to mine....So of course, I always play them a little of " the dead head culture! Peace to you all! Michelle

I don't consider these times "after Dead". The Dead gave us a huge library of phenomenal music, concert videos, great artwork, an unmatched legacy, stories, and a treasure trove of history, trivia and books. The study of this, our beloved band, can go on for a lifetime. It is like a never ending treasure hunt!!!!!! For starters, have we Deadheads ever gotten tired of listening to Grateful Dead music. The answer is no. Why not? The answer to that is part of the mystery that will go on forever. Fortunately we still have Bob, Phil, Bill, and Mickey left to carry on this most unique vein of creativity. Go see these legends when you can. It is wonderful to see them still creating and teaching. Recently I got a new book, "Grateful Dead Gear" which is another great read about our band. If you really want to have some fun, get a guitar, get some lessons, learn and sing some Grateful Dead songs. By doing that, you will move inside some of the songs, just exactly as our band did when they wrote, learned, and played the songs. You get the feel for the songs by playing and singing them. For a few moments you stand in the band's shoes and see from a very different and special perspective. Two closing points; first, unlike most bands, if you are a Deadhead, it truly is our band, it is shared, and given to us by them; it was so special they could not totally retain personal ownership of it. This is very different. Second, The Grateful Dead will never really die; it is that kind of music and a very complex and mysterious reality that takes on a life of it's own. How many Deadheads really believe that Jerry died compared to those who believe that he is simply a dimension away, still creating, still splashing color up in a sunset sky, still bringing music to those of us who listen for it? Generation after generation will continue to study our band and listen to the incredible sound, rhythm, and lyrics. This is a legacy that will fascinate our children and generations far beyond. If you are a Deadhead, be thankful for you hold onto something very special in human creativity.

Dead Forever I have a 3 year old who can sing Franklin's Tower and Truckin' word for word. He is now learning Casey Jones. How can anyone say to abandon the Band when Generations will discover them as they mature. The Beatles have been dead for 40 years but there are still countless hours of radio airplay dedicated to them. Until someone gives me something better I will be a DEADHEAD. Peace to all, share the music, share the LOVE Tony

First off, good music is timeless. Whether you listen to Mozart, Robert Johnson, or The Dead. That being said, if this was a site for another defunct band, say the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, I do not think the question would even come up. How many times a day can you turn on a classic rock station and here one of them groups? If you ask an average classic rock fan how many GD songs they know, they can probably name 3: Truckin', Casey Jones, and Touch of Grey. I think that the GD has a stigma attached to them, mainly from the "summer of love". If you tell people you are a dead head, you more often then not get the old hairy eyeball. People automatically think of "tune in, turn on, and drop out" and peace, love and harmony. Now, the tune in , turn on, and drop out, there is an argument there for and against, but I see nothing wrong with a little peace, love, and harmony. What these people don't understand is that even though the GD stopped being a relevant band as far as commercial success goes in the early 70"s, musically, they were giants up to the very end. If they don't want to experience the band ripping through a Jack Straw, listen to the fury in the playing of The Eleven, or experience the band going places where even angels fear to tread in a Dark Star or Playing in the Band, well that is their loss. I think, on the whole, most GD fans would not criticize someone else's choice in music, 'cause we've all been on the other side. As long as there is GD music to listen to, I will listen to it. We all should just keep spreading the word, and sharing the music with anyone that will listen.

My question is this. What is the ‘it’ that we are (or are not) supposed to get over? Looking at this wonderful discussion and also elsewhere on the site, people have expressed a vast diversity of ‘its’. I will attempt to list some of these. They are in no particular order; some are far more important for me than others (as would be the case with anyone else out there). Here goes… It….is a chosen lifestyle, freak flag and all that It….is the best dancing party you ever knew It….is a memory of wilder carefree times It....is a love, for Jerry and the whole family It… is cheerful tolerance of some indifferent albums, bum shows, dodgy songs, lost tickets.. It….is a grieving, both for Jerry and for what we personally have lost and left behind It….is an accompaniment for mind altering experiments and other chemical adventures It….is a collection of tiny musical moments that blow us away It… is an addiction, a need that is almost physical It....is transcendental experiences catalysed by music It....is a community, comradeship and shared experience It....is a simple appreciation of wonderful music played with inspiration It….is an obsession, collecting shows, tapes, tickets; even competing over these things It....is a trail of associations with people, places, events, experiences It....is a world of images, meanings and melodies that can’t be defined yet mean so much. It…. is a continuity over 40 years while other ‘its’ come and go Get over all that? Or even half of it? You must be joking! It would take years of therapy and for what? Its not a burden is it? Course not. We have all been so enriched by ‘it’ in our own way and that’s why we are here. This has been fun. What is ‘it’ for you? Can you express ‘it’ in one line?

I expect to see you all at Gratefulfest next week in Garrettsville, OH. Living proof that the Grateful Dead will never die. Tickets available at www.nlqp.com for probably the most amazing experience of my young life.

Well, after 13 years of living without the Grateful Dead...well...Reality has set in. And, the absence of the "magical mystery tour" really does seem to "vanish in the air". I think everyone was really tired when Jerry died. There is always that second wind where we could have all just took the leap. I think there was a point that things could have continued and not just continued but grew larger and brighter; some kind of new world that was underneath the ashes. But again, I think everyone was too tired. Some people say that the Grateful Dead didn't like the deadheads, didn't like the scene, and were only doing it for the money. It was just the other day that I was thinking about all this myself. I was watching a bunch of live footage of shows I had been to on youtube.com. Funny how it all comes rushing back. As I carused I noticed that old familiar thing happening; what people called the "dead phenomena". What came to the forefront in my mind was the realization that these guys couldn't have played all those songs over and over and over and over and over again...unless the songs were taking on their own life and becoming something new every night. No one loves money that much. The question is...Was the Grateful Dead destined to continue it's own life/reality? Was the Dead presented with that option? Yes. Do the Dead want to be dead to the world? Only they know. Do they feel they created a monster of Utopia? Has there been a killing of the beast? Did certain members want the spotlight just for themselves, and were thinking it is all theirs now with Good Ol, Jer out of the way? Did their road only lead to self obsession and ruin, so they burned the bridge? Were they just tired and wanting to sit by the pool? Were they comfortable enough to just take all we gave them and leave us with a few tunes and coy remarks ("do something good"). The fact of the matter is... to some, the Grateful Dead were a carnival where they would go home after all the excitement and wake up with a belly ache. To others...a magical door opened up to another possibility of human potantial, life, and spirit. To the later it gave people's lives purpose into spirituality and the possibility of a new and improved reality. Some people (lots of people) came from less than sufficient family structures and lifestyles...I can't even tell you how many people's lives have been changed and turned around because of the Grateful Dead. To some, it was the beggining of breaking through the generic depressing reality that was forced upon everyone. It was a railway to different realities. A station where you could hitch a ride into the future or a way to get back to past lives. To me, it was a magical vehicle of transcendence. I could never be grateful enough. Could the Dead have given something back to us, can they still now? What I mean by this is... we gave them all their money. Their car, houses, boats, food, drugs, hell we gave them theirselves, the band, everthing they experienced, and have. I know they say this all the time...but do they mean it...the Grateful Dead would have been nothing without the deadheads, the fans. Could the Dead have given something back to us, can they still now?

I continue to love the Dead's music. I have a life, a family, a good career, and listening to Dead music is still part of my life. There is still that same purity that drew me to their music in the 1st place. I still remember buying SYF when it came out, and I was drawn to the pure sound of the music. At that time I was into Led Zep, but I couldn't believe they could make a Johnny Cash song sound so COOL! I know SYF is not the best of their releases, but it got me on the bus, so to speak. I never got caught up in the band member worship thing, it was always the purity of the music for me. I imagine the last song I listen to on this earth, if it's my choice, will be a Dead song.Peace!

...grateful but NEVER dead.

well...things change and so do people. i think you should dig whatever you like and if the dead "scene" or whatever was a phase for folks and they move onto opera or classical or whatever that is ok. for me it is just part of my life. the music has become entwined in the mosaic of my life.15 years of shows that mean a lot to my being...my well-being. i think the world is way to overly serious and regemented and the dead's music and stories have helped me relax and given me dancin' insight beyond words. i have many musical tastes that go in lots of directions. i really like many many new age artists and songs. i also love the blues and newish jazz. i haven't "gotten" the old jazz bug yet but i am open. ottmar liebert, pat metheny, van morrison, and so many other great artists and sounds, yet i keep coming back for another heaping helping of home-cooked dead. took a hiatus myself once or twice. i got the train runnin' to fast a couple of times and had to take a break. took a full year off after a good run from '86-'88...i just had to slow it down and i did and managed a healthy return for a few more saturday nights. i love being able to check in here and connect through other posts. i may have slowed down but i still love the hot jams and the wonderful sets our friends left behind. the music is still on the road coming to town for more dancin' celebrations. "sound of the thunder with the rain pouring down"

I miss the boys more and more as each summer passes, so many memories. As long as the desire is there to hear and perform these songs, the music will and has lived on; Ratdog and Phil & Friends sound great, not the same, but still great. DSO is pretty cool and The Dead tour from 2004 with Warren Haynes was absolutely fantastic and possibly some of the best music since 1990, the revival of Brent's songs sung by Warren was worth it alone, never thought we'd hear those again. In fact I bought all 36 of those shows as new energy was injected into the music the performances were great. Life goes on, we evolve, we adapt, but never forget, you don't stop being a Deadhead just because the bands' all packed and gone...

I bet this is the first time most of us have had a chance and a forum to not only talk about Jerry and GD but open up to friends who understand our words.We may not all agree on everything but then again we never agreed on the best show,the best EOTW,Phils singing,Drums too long/too short,etc. For the past week I have read everyones post here and I feel like"someone's been reading my mail" or my mind. I just love this shit. The bottom line is we are blessed. Blessed to be part of this long,strange trip and more blessed to have each other. The Grateful Dead will never die . It is alive in all of us.What we have is INCREDIBLE!

My brothers and a lot of friends rip me for still listening to Dead 80% of the time. My response t them is the subject above. I plan to see Rat Dog this Summer in Camden and can't wait. Yes I wish Phil, Mickey etc werre coming also but give me a break I just want go have good time and yes I will enjoy the Almond brother too. I saw 38 show before Jerry died. Some were beter than others. I have good and bad memories. I saw the darker side to scene and the lighter side(Ying/Yang). People can get what ever they want from the scene we really are/were a diverse group despite the stereo type. I still remeber the the young herion addict I hung out with for a few hours in Landover in the 80's I hypocritically tried to convince her she need to get help as I was burning with her. Conversations with Dr., Attorneys, heads in BMW's or a beat up VW buses, Ann Coulter is a Dead Head that dons't mean I believe in her BS. If you are into music you are into music. I will defend myself when ever some gives me a hard time about still listening and going to whatever event is comming to the Philly area when I have time. I have several friends that want nothing to do with the scene any more I don't judge them and don;t expect to be judged in return. aka Kegger

"Shall we go, you and I while we can through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?" Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) Walt Whitman-Song of Myself

I was reminded how special what we shared, and continue to share, is, when after eight years away, I went to a post-Jerry Dead show, and was treated with such respect, and gentle kindness by perfect strangers; I had forgotten what it was like to be among my fellow Dead Heads. It's not over for me, and won't be, ever, if I can help it.

an experience like the dead cannot be ignored ... just like holding your first born in your hand - when they grow up, that feeling of your newborn child doesn't go away and leaves you ... if you are in tune to it, then you will always feel it the dead's music can continue to be felt even if no new dead music will be made ... there will always be something there to enjoy, shake your head in amazement or to even cry to ...

Well...if the grateful didnt live on then we wouldn't be here now. I remember RH saying at Alpine at the Terrapin Reunion that the Dead live on through us. Its so true.

You might as well say that there are no true Buddhists because they were not graced by a Buddha, or that you are not a Christian unless you met Christ... ignorant. Just because your friends are burnt out, doesn't mean that we all gotta throw in the towel.

The songs are timeless and the Dead are woven into the fabric of our culture. The soundtrack of our lives. There is no end, just new beginnings. I hear the songs differently today than I did 10, 20, 30+ years ago, so they are always new in some ways. I just hope the vault never goes empty because I love it when each new release comes out.

Being a follower of The Grateful Dead and ALL of it's branches since the mid-80's, I can say from seeing them all that the new branches are just as much of a joy to me as The Grateful Dead was. I love to see Bob Weir and Ratdog in more intimate settings and Phil Lesh and Friends and The Dead during 03' and 04' and The Other Ones. I have tickets to see Bob Weir and Ratdog with The Allman Brothers Band in August and it still gives just as much excitement each and every time. The music will live forever in my eyes whatever branch of The Dead Family it is. The Deadheads are my brothers and sisters and hold a very special place in my heart.

i'll be 37 next friday. i got to see the dead a handfull of times in the late 80's - early '90's. some of those shows were stellar. i have some younger employees that never got to see them, but they love the music. i would give up everything for them to travel back in time to attend a killer show. it's like trying to explain a dream to people - they listen to my stories, but can they really feel the way i did? hell no! they might be jealous, they might dig the fact that i saw a certain song - there will never be anything for them to replicate the experience. i respect the fact that they love the music - that's all they have. they don't have the parking lot or the feeling of the band tuning up between numbers trying to guess what they were going to do. maxell isn't in their priority. searching through relics magazines looking for trades seems ancient. people born in the late '80's will not remember trying to get tapes through the mail. how many of us had cornell '77 on aud. before the betty's came out? i still have all of my old tapes. sometimes they still feel more comfortable to play than an upgraded sbd. how many crappy auds sounded good in your factory car stereo system or cheap stereo systems? the newer heads, well, i welcome them, but they just don't know the overall experience. i admire them though because it takes a unique individual to listen carefully these days. when you think about all of the deadheads in the world turning on new people - it's wonderful!!! take care all - chris

/me puts on a fine tape, and enjoys a pleasant afternoon.... whats over? :)

The whole Dead experience for me was.....just that....the whole experience.....it helped me become what i am today....don't know how you would stop that...ya just take it FURTHUR...i still see lots of live music and i DON'T try to compare it to Jerry...but ya know, sometimes at any particular show, i get that old feelin....in the strangest of places if ya look at it right...Peace.....just thinkin when i first took my first two children to see Jerry, they were like 8 & 10 at the time....RFK cause it was outdoors and stuff...and we're walkin the lot, seein the sights and my daughter says "Mommy, everyone is so Happy here!!" They GOT IT!!!later on they boogied standing on the seats singin every word to Box of Rain...chill bumps rememberin that.....

Love to read all the thoughts, takes and angles on this topic. I am still listening for the secret and searching for the sound....in my own way of course. I have taken to relearning what I can about the era of '71-'74. A time of extrodinary music that I often overlooked in my younger days. Reconciliation with reality can be extremely difficult at times. Even to this day. And this is from a guy who has worked in a white collar sweat shop for 20 years. Very close to where I was on 8.9.95 :( The music, in my head, never stops. Actually had my first dead dream the other night in a really long time. Bobby and Philip playing Mexicali Blues together, at a soundcheck or something of similar ilk. Peace be with all of you! “The Omnipotent Grateful Dead!”