Grateful Dead

Rolling Stone 02/13/2015 - Inside the Grateful Dead's Final Ride Inside the Grateful Dead's Final Ride On January 5th, just after his band Phish ended a four-night run of shows in Miami, singer-guitarist Trey Anastasio received an e-mail from Phil Lesh, the former bassist of the Grateful Dead. Lesh asked Anastasio to join him and the other surviving members of his band — guitarist Bob Weir and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart — onstage for reunion concerts this summer marking the Dead's 50th birthday and the 20th anniversary of the passing of founding guitarist Jerry Garcia. Anastasio recalls his immediate reaction: "It was a thrill and an honor." Still, he adds, "I thought about it for a minute, tried to think about the implications." Then he said yes. Jerry Garcia performing at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in June 1990. "Phil said all four of them thought it was the right thing," Anastasio says of the shows, to be held at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 3rd, 4th and 5th. Garcia last performed with the Dead at that 61,500-seat stadium, on July 9th, 1995; he died a month later, on August 9th at 53, of a heart attack. Anastasio notes that Lesh, in his message, "talked about the healthy relationships between the band members," that the reunion "was going to be a real positive experience. And Phil said, 'This is the last time I'm doing this.' He seemed pretty definitive about that." The Dead's July run — dubbed "Fare Thee Well" and featuring keyboard players Bruce Hornsby, who played with the Dead in the Nineties, and longtime Weir and Lesh sideman Jeff Chimenti — is on track to become the biggest single-act concert event of the year, and possibly the largest ever. Two weeks after the shows were announced, ticket requests via presale mail order totaled more than 400,000, well past capacity. Peter Shapiro, the New York-based promoter and entrepreneur who conceived the shows, says he and co-producers Madison House Presents are "looking at going 360" — opening up the seating behind the stage — and "going general admission" on the field "to accommodate more people and have more of a vibe." Shapiro estimates the cost of producing "Fare Thee Well" – and potential revenue — in "the multiple millions of dollars. But with this response, we can put on a show that takes the spirit of the Grateful Dead, what they were doing production-wise, and push it to the highest level." He promises vintage touches such as a tapers' section, specially printed commemorative tickets and "a safe, energetic lot scene." The demand for tickets ensures that "not everyone is going to get in," Shapiro warns. So he is working on simulcasting the shows around the country; Shapiro is already holding the dates at his venues, including the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, and the Brooklyn Bowl. The road to "Fare Thee Well" began in early 2014, when Shapiro made his first proposal to Weir, Lesh, Hart and Kreutzmann, based on returning to the site of their last concert with Garcia. The four received other offers from Live Nation and the producers of the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals for 50th-birthday performances. (The Dead played their first show, as the Warlocks, in May 1965.) But Shapiro, 42, had special qualifications. He "grew up on Dead tours," as he puts it; ran Wetlands, the New York jam-scene club, from 1996 to 2001; and since then has promoted many shows with the ex-members, particularly Lesh. "I believe in it," says Shapiro. "I'm a fan. I want to see it." Grateful Dead Anastasio's history with the Grateful Dead goes back to his first show, at the Hartford Civic Center in Connecticut in 1980. The guitarist regularly attended Dead gigs through 1984, when he began to focus on the launch of Phish. In 1999, he performed with Lesh in San Francisco at the bassist's first concerts after his 1998 liver transplant. Anastasio has also played with Weir and Kreutzmann. "The flow of the whole thing," Anastasio claims, "is in my DNA." Yet, he admits, "I never sat down and studied what Jerry played until the last two weeks. "It's really been unbelievable," he says, taking a break on a recent morning from his now-daily regimen of practicing Dead songs and analyzing the melodic purpose in Garcia's soloing and the musical genealogy inside his most iconic licks. "A couple of days ago, I started listening to 'The Wheel' [a Dead-show standard from Garcia's 1972 solo album, Garcia]. There's a line he plays after the first verse — it slides all the way from the bottom of the neck to the top. I learned it exactly, note for note. Then what I do, since I don't want to go out there and just copy Jerry — I play it in all 12 keys, so that I get it into my body. "The thing is, there is a lot more intent in those lines than people might think," adds Anastasio. "It was not just noodling. Based on the number of ideas Jerry had in any one-minute period, he was very much a musician first, a guitar player second. The music was coming out, and the guitar was a vehicle, a transparent filter." Garcia has also been, for Anastasio, a historical guide. Working through Garcia's "country-vernacular" playing in a Seventies version of "I Know You Rider" led Anastasio to a new passion. "All of a sudden," he says, "I found myself listening to Buck Owens, this Bakersfield-country sound," and particularly Owens' legendary lead guitarist, Don Rich. "That's what I've been doing, listening to Don Rich to get to Jerry." Anastasio and Weir have traded lists of Dead songs — 60 apiece — that each would like to play. They will meet "in a couple of weeks," Anastasio says, to "play a few things together and connect." The full band will "rehearse in June a little bit." Anastasio expects the singing to be largely shared by Weir, Hornsby, himself and the audience. "People have such lifelong relationships to these songs," Anastasio says. Then, a week after the Chicago shows, Anastasio will be back on the road with Phish. Asked if he is putting a lot of work and heart into an experience that will last only three days, Anastasio replies firmly, "No. To me, it's a labor of love. I'm learning so much. I kind of went away from this [in 1984]. Now I'm coming back to it, a little bit older, and rediscovering some great little gems. "I'm providing a service," Anastasio says of his role in what is likely to be the final live Grateful Dead reunion. "The cool thing is...it got me back inside the guitar. I thank them. And I thank Jerry."

Well I am really disappointed that after sending everything in and getting a postmark at 8:00 AM EST on January 20 I received my rejection notice yesterday. What a shame. Not a well planned out event. Reminds me of the days in the late 80's when after using mail order for well over a decade and getting tix 100% of the time the rejections started to show up. Just a bummer that after following this band for 40 years, seeing 150+ shows with Jerry and god knows how many post-jerry I will not be able to attend.

:)

no bad news on Friday the 13th, which is very good news, mail ran no rejection, seems like I'm waiting for a miracle

I was denied and had my money orders returned. I then cashed the money orders. I visited the USPS money order tracking site and entered the serial numbers of the cashed money orders. The site stated, "no information". I can therefore confirm that the site is either very slow in updating the status of money orders, or as the other poster mentioned perhaps it does not work at all. My thoughts on the show. Even though Phil, Bobby, Mickey and Bill have played together and apart more or less continuously since 1965 it seems like a lot of energy is focussed on the show. I hope it works out, I hope we behave, I hope the cops behave. History may judge us on how this works out. Not fair, but that is how history works. I quit going to shows a few years before Jerry died, it was not the band that caused me to stay away it was the audience. It seemed like the crowd was taking more than they gave. Good musical moments would be missed by the oblivious horde, while deafening cheers rewarded the bumper sticker worthy lyrics. Maybe the dark was from my eyes, but maybe not. I hope the finality of this brings out our best behavior and not our worst.

But it would have been a well planned event if you would have not been rejected right?

So we're planning our attempt for ticketmaster, and decided to go after Friday night tickets as that may be the least tough ticket of the three. And if that doesn't get us there then we'll look at options for a simulcast somewhere in the vicinity of Florida or Georgia. However it comes down it would be great to just be a part of it somehow. No small parts, only small participants, right?

Pink slipped. Times, sadly, have changed: http://www.gdtstoo.com/deadfile/newsletter23.html "In our experience, the bigger the production, the bigger the expense and the overall feeling is not as satisfying as a smaller scale effort." In the end it is all good and I am glad to have seen the band in the 70s and 80s. I've got crazy insane good memories of touring, the music, friends. A great part of my life. While it is an intense and personal decision, I'll skip the ticketron thing. Wisdom for me is knowing to seal that silver mine. So to speak. Rant of things that are wrong, can go wrong, will go wrong, etc omitted. Life's too short. One thing I hope for beyond the possibly endless list of on-stage guests.. t I hope the band trots out their supporting cast for long overdue applause. People that kept them moving, the office staff etc from 'back in the day'.

.. I'm working on building a couple of old school guitar amps this weekend. If you know your 50's and 60's Fender gear then you'll be familiar. I just finished up a hand built, from scratch copy of a Tweed Tremolux, will be finishing up a Tweed Deluxe copy, working on a VibroChamp copy, and will be starting one of a 60's Fender stand alone reverb unit. The music never stops around here!

I found a mint original 1965 Blackface Fender Pro Reverb couple of years ago. Still had the two prong cord. Had the caps and tubes replaced and put a 3 prong cord on it. It makes the sound of classic rock and roll. Those amps you're building sound pretty cool!!!

Would be cool to open with Brokedown Palace. Just get it out of the way.Option to sandwich at the end. But would prefer closing with My Sisters and My Brothers. Keep the faith.

the promised land. good call.

we don't have to worry....love one another Yes, that would make me beyond happy, good call! Thank you also to Velveteen and others from saving me the step of checking the PO money orders today.

7/4/15 Soldier Field One More Sat Night Tennesse Jed Peggy-O Cumberland Blues Althea Dire Wolf Cassidy Let it Grow China-> Rider Crazy Fingers-> Alligator-> Drums-> Space-> GDTRFB Truckin Terrapin Sugar Mags US Blues

thanks for pointing us to the rolling stone interview with trey. I quit reading the stone years ago, but this is an insightful read. So, this fiasco is basically Phil's fault. Or is it Jill's? No more Dead show due to Phil not wanting to tour...so what...get another bass player, let the old man retire and play out his days at terrapin with his family, if that is what he wants to do, let him, who cares, sure seems like he doesn't care about any of it anymore. I would love to see the rest of the remaining members continue the tour with someone else in Phil's place, Dave Schools comes to mind, Alphonso Johnson also took Phil's place back when he got his new liver and he did fine. (remember that Phil, we (the fans) bought you that new organ) Really, he's just the bottom line, the bass player, can be replaced in a heartbeat, after all, all we have left is "the greatest rhythm section in the world" and Phil's part really isn't that significant. He doesn't sing (thank the stars) and with this attitude of not touring anymore, he is no longer a viable entity to this group of musicians. So, in my mind, Phil is the poison "Pill" that has us all up in arms and disappointed and rejected and sad. In all future posts, "Pill" will be substituted for phil. The core 4 should now be the core 3 with a new and exciting person in Pill's place. I did see a glimmer of light at the end of this dark tunnel, Trey is going to practice and seems really hyped to do these shows justice, but remember...he ain't Jerry and this is not the Grateful Dead. I guess when you ripoff all of your loyal lifelong fans for one final paycheck so you can retire in comfort and style is ok, but it is not what the Grateful Dead were all about, hell even if they simulcast this thing, I ain't watching. This reminds me of a line in a song that we all know .... "hope I die before I get old"

Poopy talk. Just take what the waitress brings and always be full. And shut your stupid poopy talk along the way.

I don't blame him one bit if he doesn't want to tour. he's done it for decades. let the man chill.

I was reflecting on how the boys might cap this off- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue perhaps? Or Box of Rain? I have to admit, the thought does choke me up a bit.

Damn, Unkle Sam...rough Saturday morning? Still not sure if it was a joke or a serious post; either way, this sounded like the rantings of a 12 year old.

When Phil's on the band is on. Bass players often get overlooked for their role in song structure and maintaining a jams direction. Anybody who plays in a band, is familiar with playing music or knows anything about performing music knows how important the bass player is. Can't build a castle without a foundation, even if it is just a castle made of sand. Not to mention Phil invented his own way to play the bass around what he knew about composition and music theory, so ya guy deserves some positive regard. I think UnkleSam may actually be Kanye West.

What kind of a band do you think the Grateful Dead were/are? How do you think Jerry paid for his BMWs and chili dogs? Jerry is completely ok with whatever these guys do and is smiling down. Its only money. Phil has had how many people sign up to be donors with his raps? Thousands? Tens of thousands by way of connection? Rex Foundation benefits. They put food on the table for thousands of extended family members from crew, vendors, deadnet etc etc. That seems like a good thing to me. His voice is also like a fine wine. His Box of rain, Unbroken Chain, St Stephen, Dark Star and other chorus he sings are lovely. Better with age! 75 and standing the whole show smiling and jamming. He owes us nothing. This band owes us nothing. Yet, they keep on giving. This band is and always will be the Grateful Dead until the last man has gone on to the long long sleep. I can not wait for these shows, Phil at Lockn, and whatever else is to come! If the show is fun for you get tickets and come, if its expensive for you save up and get the cheapest seat in the house. Stream the show and find some peace in nostalgia and the stories of yore. Go volunteer at the local hospital in the name of Jerry. Or something positive. We live in a society governed by the all-mighty-dollar but that doesn't mean we have to be dicks about it, hate filled. Its just the way it is. A few hundred to have a grate time at a grate show is nothing for some people, and that money does eventually help many many more then just this band. I say donate what ya can, get your piece of the pie, help as many as you can along the way. Just don't quit your day job.

Would love to see some posts about the good old days! Less anger and more love today!

them theres fightin words unkle douchebag

Kanye West...Thats funny shit right there. We need more humour around here me thinks. unklesam"s remarks show just how heads are divided about this. Most love it I think, but some don't. and it's all good. Just different ends of the spectrum I guess. Negativity sparks debate and adds a bit of flavour to these posts. That being said...I for one think these shows are gonna be great and I'm sure everyone will have a real good time. I WILL watch if it happens to stream or ppv. As far as Phil....Phil is fkn King and STILL sounds great. I admire him most out of the four. It wouldn't be the same without him.

...is a way of life! Why, back in the olden days when rock was young, to see a band play live was a treat, an event. We would get our best "Sunday-go-to-church" tie dye out, polish up the sandals, spend our last three dollars to fill up the gas tank on the old bus, and away we'd go, laughing all the way. To get a ticket to the show we would buy the San Francisco Sunday Chronicle on Saturday night just to get the pink section. Open it up, and there it was for all to see: Bill Graham was putting on another Grateful Dead concert! A Day on the Green meant multiple acts and a sunburn. A New Years Eve show meant three days of rockin it in Oakland or SF. Mardi Gras meant a parade and shows at the Kaiser. Whoopeee! Time to call the hotline every other day to get mail order instructions. Time to save up for the trip. Time to laugh, time to smile, time to love. And now we have a chance to do the same. The Boys are back in town, in Chicago. The process has changed but the preparation is the same...time to laugh, time to smile, time to love. Yes, we are all twenty years older. The band was always better, the women always prettier, the scene cooler "Back in the Day". I say, if you survived "the Day" and are here in the present, learn to rejoice in it all. Many of us did not. This will be the return to the good old days if you let it be; for in your mind the universe dwells, those doors to perception are your two eyes and ears. Go listen to "The Last Lonely Eagle" by the New Riders of the Purple Sage, one of Jerry's early bands (NRPS to us oldies). We're about to "go down round the bend in the river, you're gonna find a few changes been going down there." Many here, and there, "have forgotten their dreams and they've cut off their hair." Let's go on this journey together and celebrate life. As the New Riders sang, "remember the peace that you had on the mountain; come back to the love that you had here with me." Strive to enjoy the journey, friends, for this is your life. Whether the destination on the 4th is Chicago, a theater, your couch, or the lake, the bigger part of it is the experience of getting there. Let it be grand! Okay? Okay!

Love the stories! I know there is a lot of pain for people who have already gotten pink slipped but it is great to hear about all the joy that knits the Dead Head family together!

Another week of no mail would b pretty sweet. If we can last another week we might b golden! But we must not get our hopes too " high ". For the dreaded rejections will still be flowing heavily this week. Tensions will b high and some will b blistering with anger. Can't wait to read the posts this week. It's entertaining. I take no sides, love everything about it! Have for years. The good and the bad keep it exciting. Don't know how I'm still in it. My luck usually falls off the bus on the first bump. Keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck this week everyone.

were the days.

RIght on Big Daddy. By my math, from what has been verified info, I think the last rejections could very well have gone out yesterday 2/13. If there are some left, I would think they are working 7 days and final rejections would go out Monday. I'd say whoever's mailbox is still empty this Thursday 2/19 is looking pretty darn good. You get to next Sunday and I think it's a done deal. I think it's highly likely they said they're behind schedule because they know it's going to take a long time to distribute seats (as opposed to rejections, which they probably knew were almost done at WSJ article), which have been changing, cash money orders and data entry 16-18,000 email addresses for the coveted "congrats" email. Then again, I could be totally off! Me…I'm still alive...

Hope u r right Playn_nMy_Band........ Each day after 216 makes everyone look very good for "the golden ticket". No mail is good mail; I say. To all the positive posts; keep the energy going. GDTS procedure is as perfect as it gets. The cats r righteous dudes. You can't please everyone. Luck and a dream; I say. I say peace and some of the Irish Luck to all. Still waiting and chilling in NYC.........

This is a theory that I remember of why some orders post marked the 1st day get filled while others do not. All of the orders post-marked and mailed early on day 1 get into the pipeline and come-out first (onto the bottom of the sorting pile). Those other orders post-marked Day 1 and mailed at the Post Office at the end of day 1 go into the pipeline later and come-out on top of pile for all orders received Day 1 and are opened and filled first. It is Saturday 2/15/15 and I have not received any mail back from GDTST. I barley made it to the Post Office in time to get that Day 1 postmark. Go figure, Huh?

Interesting LIFO inventory theory, cub…but if that were the case, 80% of the stadium would be East Coast people. I suspect the entire process was completely random, especially considering it was mentioned that bins of letters were scattered around her son's bedroom and all over the house. I don't think any "neat' piles of chronologically received mail existed. About 75-80% of mail orders will be rejected- the odds simply weren't good, and 4 out of 5 people are/will be disappointed. Just the numbers and luck of the draw at the end of the day, IMHO.

Good read.....thanks for posting Garchia.(Rolling Stone 02/13/2015 - Inside the Grateful Dead's Final Ride) I appreciate Trey's humbleness around these shows.....reminds me a bit of how Jerry was so understated about his own role and playing. Just a few thoughts on that.... Part of what made Jerry's sound so amazing to me was his mix of musical influences which this article touches on. He started out as a folkie and banjo player, he was a "picker and a grinner".....listened to Buck Owens, Miles Davis, country, blues, jazz, and everything in between. His father was a trumpet player. Throw in LSD and San Francisco in the 60's and his sound reflected all these various influences and is partly what made him so unique. Life and experience is what makes all of us unique. Listen to a tune like Jack-A-Roe, Race is On, or the spaces between Tennessee Jed, Dark Star, Morning Dew, Stella Blue. I mean Wow....never to be duplicated. From what I can tell Trey is a fine musician, understands the gravity of the moment, will do it justice. If I'm fortunate enough to get in I believe these shows are going to be very good musically. And to see the tribe together again one last time is priceless. A special moment in time.....

Well it's been entertaining to say the least! Angry people ( who been mail-ordering since it began) getting rejected,long time heads,new heads,everybody holding on to hope waiting for their tix(all the theories,math calculations)Final shows!!! Everybody wants to make the scene one last time,shit I considered it.Not saying GD aren't the pinnacle of bands! But as Uncle Bobo said,They're not the best at what they do, they're the only ones who do what they do! But wake up people ,there is a lot of great music still happening out there( I'm not talking about jambands either). Myself, I would rather go see the Austin Psych fest(3 days of new psychedelic music)in May ***13th Floor Elevators**** original members(except Stacey who has passed) . Pretty sure all these younger kids probably never heard of them. Do yourself a favor & go out a buy their 3 albums!!! I kind of liken this event to all them old rockin' rollers out there, Rolling Stones, what's left of The Who, mere shadow of a once mighty bands(but still out there giving it their best) ,there's no doubt the guys are senior citizens, I remember ( being late for the bus) seeing Miles Davis,BB King& countless others,past their prime ,they played but with less enthusiasm ,don't get me wrong it was still great to see them( legends), but you knew it was only a shell of what it once was. I almost rather let, or hope ,the younger generation will be the ones who get in, so they can experience it one time,it would be more meaningful to them. No self righteousness fans who been on the bus for 40 years always doing mail-order, expecting or believing they deserve to be there before others. Mail-order is a LOTTERY !!! Odds are based on participants,just so happens many more want to see this show. On a side note ,when I did mail-order it always seemed I got great tix for DC area shows(don't know why,just happened,luck of the draw???) I understand the anger,disappointment (nobody wants to be left out) part of the human psych, I hope everyone that has desire to make there it does,with or without tix, like others have said ,just don't pay the high price of the scalpers( supply & demand) with no demand their supply is insignificant . When there is a will there is a way,all who really need to be there will be there. I, huge fan of Darkstar, showed up to The Greek(84) with no tix & minutes before the show,a woman (probably connected to the GD family) parked in a lot right next to the venue, came over & asked if I needed a tix(thanks whoever you were) it was just meant to be. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, but let us remember the good times , good friends, & most importantly the great music they gave us over these 50 years! God Bless The Grateful Dead !!!!!

Had that playin in my car stereo yesterday, the version from Dave's 13. Just a splendid take on that tune. I hava giant sob woofer in my car and Phil just absolutely destroys it. It gave me little pang in my heart as I was pink slipped a week ago. I never did get to see the Dead when Jerry was around but have seen a fair amount post Jerry. I'm getting married on July 25th and this was gonna be my fiance's very first Dead experience. Money is tight as we have our wedding to pay for but we're gonna try the ticket master thing. After market scalping prices will be out of the question however. Back to Phil though. Man do I love Phil! He dropped these bombs during the Sugar Mag Jam with Furthur at their first NYE run at the Bill Grahm Civic. If I bring myself back to that space I swear I can still feel my bones rattling. For those who make it to Chicago, I hope you get plenty of Earth shattering bombs from Phil. You won't get too many of the earth quake type ones though as I feel like he releases those only when the moment is just exactly perfect. Have a grateful day everyone! Beautiful morning out here in Nor Cal. May your hearts be full and your mailboxes empty :)

Listened to set 1 on cassette yesterday. WOW. crisp and rubbery and bouncy. GD86 is no GD72, but it still is a whole lotta fun. Have a magnificent day, everyone.

Lefty, thanks for the good vibes bro!!! And congrats on the marriage! And yes, it is a beautiful day out here on the east coast as well. It's 0 degrees out here with 15 inches of snow on the ground with the sun shining! But what makes it most beautiful is no mail today. No one receives bad news today from their mailbox. I think everyone with vibes like you deserve to b their. While I say a prayer tonight I will say one for u to man! Hope it all works out for u and your future bride. Keep the faith and stay grateful!!!

I've seen tickets for sale already on some scalper sites. Any way these are legit? Dead50 says no tickets released yet, but how does StubHub and the like allow postings without verifying? Aren't they liable for fake tickets? Forgive my nievity if this is a foolish question.

And now a word about scalpers I've seen a few comments on here regarding scalpers. Please, please, do NOT buy tickets from scalpers. Chicago is a huge town for scalping. As I previously mentioned, besides all the sports teams, there are concerts here almost every night, and at least one major band touring here once a week. During the first week of July, U2 will be playing a few shows at the United Center, and of course The Grateful Dead. Living in this town for as many years as I have, I can tell you first hand what total scum bags the "Professional" scalpers are. They will, for instance, advertise they have first row, what they won't tell you is that it is first row for a certain section, or first row mezzanine. They are scam artists, and many of them employ homeless people to dump the tickets they haven't sold the night of the show. Do yourself, and everyone else who needs or wants a ticket a favor, avoid these self proclaimed "Ticket Brokers" The night of the show, tickets do get released for a variety of reasons. Hold out hope, because when you buy tickets from scalpers, you are hurting everyone, including the band. As far as what tickets are available on places like stub hub, well, the one thing they don't have as of right now, is a hard ticket. So they are only selling a hope or dream that they might get a ticket. Don't buy tickets from anyone offering tickets right now. No one has them yet, not even the people who mail ordered and haven't gotten rejected. Now for something completely different. When I posted my three night set lists, I knew I was missing lots of songs, including some o my all time favorites. I realize that Me & My Uncle, the most ever played song by the Grateful Dead, was not on my list, along with personal favorites of mine Dire Wolf, The Eleven, Lost sailor/Saint of Circumstance as well as others. I was trying to be realistic, I was also trying to list songs I figured they play for the day it was sake. (Sampson on Sunday, Saturday Night on Saturday, along with Jack straw for the Fourth and Brokedown encore last night) I honestly don't care what they play, it was just a list, I felt a decent well thought out one at that. See ya at the shows!!

True words Joe, thanks for the pep talk. I needed it. When I started going to shows circa '88 I never did mail order, always camped out in the Dead line outside the Hecht store that housed my local Ticketmaster. (Warning: nostalgia onset..) Such good times, you knew where you were in line and we could actually have a pretty good all night celebration without the mall cops freaking out. The lot before the lot was one of my favorite dead rituals. Haven't got my SASE back, no mail on the holiday, one more day to keep hope alive. side question. I'm a big baseball fan, White Sox & Cubs are both in town that weekend with day games, Is mass transit a good option for a game/show doubleheader?

MadSwanDisease - yeah CTA is the only way to see the CrossTown classic. With everything going on that weekend it will be the only way to do anything in the Windy City! Hope to see you all here - will be lots of fun!!

35th Street on the red line for Sox, Addison for Cubs red line, right next to both parks Roosevelt station for Soldier Field (With a short walk)

http://www.wsj.com/articles/for-grateful-deads-final-shows-long-strange… Not sure if this was posted on this thread. Fun read. Very cool about GDTS. Federal Holiday today. No mail still is good mail. Still waiting and chilling in NYC..........

Not sure whether to be happy or sad about the lack of mail today...I just need to know. Regarding the last night, no doubt there will be a Brokedown, but the final send-off has got to be Box of Rain.

Help please. Live Pigpen era I think that starts with a police sireny sound. Cheers

i want to know one way or the other, don't want to b rejected but i don't enjoy the wait, just listened to Phil and Friends from Essex junction Vermont 7/12/06, doesn't seem 9 years ago, the Viola Lee Blues in the 2nd set with Trey is excellent would love to hear it again, i'll b 62 on the 8th of july looking for an early birthday i hope its in Chicago

On July 7 1953I was serving time for armed robbery About three o'clock in the morning I was asleep in my cell I heard a whistle blowing, and I heard somebody yell There's a riot goin' on There's a riot goin' on There's a riot goin' on Up in cell block number nine This was sung by the Beach Boys with the Dead on 27 April 1971

No matter what I'm forever Grateful!!!!

I played the beginning of one version of every song that Pigpen sings (that I have, which I believe is just about all of them, if not all of them), and I can't find one that starts with anything that I would describe as a "police sireny sound." Can you give any additional info?

Just a big 10-4, and reply #800 on this thread....hey, you gotta get your fame where you can. Also, wishing for empty mailboxes tomorrow for all still in the mix for mail order...peace g