Grateful Dead

Congrats Tedd!

Those hating on Trey are really insipid and uneducated. It's one thing to say I don't like his style, or I don't like Phish songs because of [fill in the blank]. To say something negative about him because he had a pill problem is basically saying something negative about the majority of guitarists in most top 10 lists. I mean, Jerry was the worst junkie of them all, and his drug use had a negative impact on many people. To say Trey or phish are "gravy training of the dead scene for 20 years" is also moronic. Though both are jam bands and Phish was the best band standing after the GD stopped touring, their music, style, and especially their persona is much different than the GD. A typical dead head, and I know a lot, would have to love Phish for Phish not because they're a jam band that sounds like the Dead. They sound nothing like the GD. I personally think Panic is a god awful band that wanted to be the fill in for the dead, but I just don't like their music at all. If anything, DSO is riding the gravy train of the Grateful Dead but they openly admit. They also do a damn good job, and I'm happy to pay to see them play. The Trey hating for the sake of hating is really embarrassing to the Dead community. It's make dead heads sound like uneduacted, old men that refuse to let go of the past and evolve. Kind of southern segregationists.

Watch the video...it's tongue in cheek....created by heads for heads...if you or anyone can't find humor in the clip...I don't know ...I happen to respect Phish for what they've created....please watch the YouTube video and if you still think it inappropriate then shame on me...but I didn't make the video, think it's hilarious and it has helped to ease the pain of many heads, Dead and Phish who got shut out....at least Donna isn't supposed to be there!

Just got my rejection letter. Post mark 3/3. Bummer. Must of been my art work; kindergarten level. Not the end of the world. Scored two with TM. Goal was two and will do it up in Chicago. First show post Jerry. Looking forward to see what the boys could do. Peace out from NYC........

Has nothing to do with it...or not everything...plain envelope request for 3 days honored for a number of lucky ducks.....I am sorry for your rejection though.....hope you get a miracle.

i love both of these bands for very different reasons. i saw my last dead show and my first phish show two days from each other- i was only seventeen. phish did not replace the grateful dead for me- NOTHING can replace the grateful dead. they were a different musical spectrum to see through. zappa, the beatles, and the talking heads were much bigger musical influences on phish than the GD. also, imho, the greatest post jerry GD musical celebration happened at the warfield in april of 1999 and trey was a huge part of that. the amount of musical risk taking and improvisation that occurs in those shows is nothing short of mind-blowing. if you don't like phish, i get it. if you don't like trey, i get it. but please don't be incessantly bitching during this run. if you want to see warren, go see warren. if you want to see j.k., go see j.k. stu allen, etc. let's all try to bring our best selves.

oh Peggy o Peggy o!!!!!

Don't worry! For $79.50 per night you'll be able to watch from the comfort of your living room!This is going to be the biggest cash out in history for a band. Such a shame they couldn't go out in style!

Ladies and gentlemen, not the Grateful DeadBy Stewart Sallo It has been almost 20 years since legendary Grateful Dead lead guitarist Jerry Garcia transitioned to the big acid test in the sky. And since Jerry left us the debate has raged over whether the remaining members of the band — Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart — could call themselves the Grateful Dead. That question was answered definitively with a resounding “NO” this past weekend as some 500,000 fans logged on to the Ticketmaster website in an attempt to purchase tickets to the “Fare Thee Well” shows, scheduled for July 3-5 at Soldier Field in Chicago. You heard it here first: Even if these shows go down as the greatest in the history of rock and roll, this is not the Grateful Dead. Many of the 500,000 hopefuls had already engaged in the ultimately futile exercise of participating in the mail order presale, thinking they were participating in a revival of the beloved tradition that marked the band’s commitment to its fans by selling tickets directly, rather than through third-party agencies. Unbeknownst to the true Deadheads who put their hearts and souls into decorating their envelopes and sending off large sums of money on Jan. 20, back-room deals had already been made with big music industry players, such as Ticketmaster and a Philadelphia-based V.I.P. package provider called CID Entertainment (with options ranging from $519 to $2,198, plus “service fees”), to cash in on the genuine love and appreciation that is still alive and well among those who have never been able to replace the Grateful Dead as a source of joy and inspiration in their lives. The capacity of Soldier Field for these shows is 210,000. According to Grateful Dead Ticket Sales, some 60,000 mail order envelopes were received representing 300,000 ticket requests, more than the capacity of the venue. However, based upon those numbers, odds were favorable, as about two-thirds of the requests could have been fulfilled. But rather than announce that the on-sale date to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster had been cancelled, due to the shows selling out through the mail order, the on-sale date was postponed to Feb. 28. The explanation on the dead50.net website read: “In order to give the good folks at GDTS (Grateful Dead Ticket Sales) TOO time to sort through the 60,000 (!) envelopes received so far the new public on sale is Feb 28th @ 10 a.m. CST via Ticketmaster.” Huh? You’ve received payment in the form of money orders from true, envelopedecorating, tradition-following fans for 300,000 tickets, have only 210,000 to sell, and you’re still going to be selling tickets online through Ticketmaster? In other words, you’re going to sell some of the tickets that have already been purchased by true Deadheads so that Ticketmaster can receive its cut. Nope, this is not the Grateful Dead. But it gets worse when you examine just how many tickets were held for Ticketmaster and other middleman partners to sell. It was announced through multiple sources last Wednesday, including the Chicago Tribune and Billboard Magazine, that only 10 percent of the mail orders are being filled out of deference to the need to save tickets for sale through Ticketmaster, et al. Let’s do the math: 300,000 tickets were purchased through the mail order, but they’re only going to sell 30,000 of those tickets so they can sell 180,000 tickets through other avenues that more generously line the pockets of big music industry players. Most suspicious of all is the way tickets mysteriously became available on eBay-owned StubHub immediately after the Ticketmaster sweepstakes ended. As of press time, literally thousands of tickets are available through StubHub in virtually every section of the venue for prices ranging from $600 (behind the stage with no view) to $3,500. Where did StubHub get all these tickets? They certainly didn’t get in line with 500,000 people to buy them from Ticketmaster! And if the inflated ticket prices on StubHub are unaffordable, you can purchase a parking pass for the modest price of $180 and enjoy the show from the parking lot at Soldier Field. Once again, where did StubHub get parking passes to sell? One answer may lie in the inexplicable choice of Chicago as the site of this quickly souring last stand. Despite having developed loyal followings across the country and even internationally, the Grateful Dead were first and foremost a West Coast band. The band members lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, as did the most longstanding fans of the band. Against that backdrop, why Chicago? That question becomes amplified when considering the fact that the Chicago Park District’s agreement with Chicago Bears season ticket holders entitles them to purchase their seats to all events that take place at Soldier Field. This may explain the sudden appearance of thousands of tickets on StubHub. The massive hype behind these shows had reached the radar screens of Bears fans, most of whom couldn’t care less about the Grateful Dead, but who saw an opportunity to make bank by turning a $199.50 purchase into a $3,500 trip to Puerto Vallarta. The party line that Soldier Field was chosen because it was the site of the last Grateful Dead concert on July 9, 1995 rings more hollow with every passing scalped ticket purchase. And then there is the perplexing choice of Phish lead guitarist Trey Anastasio to join the band. Since Jerry Garcia’s death, several notable guitarists have performed as a substitute for Garcia in various post-Grateful Dead bands, such as the Other Ones, The Dead, Dark Star Orchestra, Phil Lesh and Friends and, most recently, Furthur. These include Widespread Panic lead guitarist Jimmy Herring, who was a founding member of the group Jazz is Dead, and who played in The Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends; John Kadlecik, the founding lead guitarist of the Dark Star Orchestra who has been playing in the band Furthur; and Warren Haynes, who has played in the bands Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brothers Band, and who has been a part of The Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends. In many ways Haynes was the sentimental favorite, due to his creation of the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration concerts, in which a large portion of Garcia’s musical compositions were committed to score and performed nationwide with a rock band, featuring Haynes on lead guitar, and backed by local symphony orchestras. All three of these fine musicians have studied Jerry Garcia’s music in a way that qualifies them to fill his enormous empty shoes. Not so with Anastasio, who has made appearances with Phil Lesh and Friends but was quoted last month in Rolling Stone as saying, “I never really sat and studied what Jerry actually played, until now.” It now appears that the choices of Chicago and of Anastasio were not made in the spirit of providing the truest Grateful Dead experience for the fans but, rather, to fulfill the highest possible financial gain for the promoter, Peter Shapiro in association with Madison House, and their corporate cronies. Centrally located, Chicago offers the best combination of logistical convenience and the big-city trappings that are needed to attract an audience who can afford “secondary market” ticket prices. And the addition of Anastasio piles on the interest of an auxiliary audience of “Phish-heads” to the mix, thereby increasing the available pool of wealthy spectacle-loving (as opposed to music- or Grateful Dead-loving) ticket buyers who can chunk down $600 to $3,500 for tickets that were originally priced from $59.50 to $199.50. All of this reveals a brilliant, even diabolical, marketing strategy. Choose a central location and a musical line-up that attracts the widest, wealthiest possible audience; create huge buzz through the Grateful Dead mail-order process to establish unfulfillable demand; and then let our friends at Ticketmaster, StubHub and other players in the “secondary market” (talk about euphemisms; we used to call it scalping) have at it. And here’s the kicker: Now Shapiro and Madison House are planning to create an entire industry around this weekend, including after-show concerts, audio and video recordings, and even a “pay per view” cable TV event. In short, get hundreds of thousands of people excited about an event they can’t get tickets for, sell their tickets to people who can pay aftermarket prices, and then charge the “losers” to watch it on TV. One of the most fundamental truisms of life is that we are remembered for the most recent thing we did. It’s worse than a pity — it’s an outright tragedy — that perhaps the most beloved band in history has put itself in a position to be remembered for participating in what may go down as the biggest money grab in music history. On June 7-9, 1977 the Grateful Dead played three shows at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco to close out their legendary Spring 1977 tour, a period many Deadheads believe was the best in the band’s history. On June 7, having already purchased tickets for the closing night but with the thought in the back of my mind that there was a show that evening, I suggested to my sister, Janet, that we drive up to San Francisco from Santa Cruz to see if we could get in. About five minutes prior to the 8 p.m. showtime, we arrived at Winterland, walked up to the box office, purchased two tickets for $5 each and entered just as the band was playing the opening to “Bertha.” That was the Grateful Dead. And that’s the Grateful Dead I want to remember, not a cover band that happens to have some of the original members, and certainly not a musical spectacle that serves big-moneyed interests, such as Ticketmaster, StubHub, eBay, the City of Chicago and whatever other corporate entities are in on this colossal rip off. The Grateful Dead built their brand on their commitment to the quality of their music and to their fans. They became famous and enormously successful for innovations such as their focus on touring and live performances, rather than selling records; building their fan base by allowing fans to tape and freely share their performances; and by creating their own ticket agency, rather than allowing corporate middleman entities to control their scene, as has happened with these “Fare Thee Well” shows. In a 1967 interview with the Grateful Dead, conducted by CBS’s Harry Reasoner, Jerry Garcia said, “What we’re thinking about is a peaceful planet. We’re not thinking about anything else. We’re not thinking about any kind of power; we’re not thinking about any of those kinds of struggles; we’re not thinking about revolution or war or any of that. That’s not what we want. Nobody wants to get hurt; nobody wants to hurt anybody. We would all like to live an uncluttered life, a simple life, a good life, you know. And, like, think about moving the whole human race ahead a step or a few steps, or half a step, or anything.” With each passing day since these shows were announced, it has become clearer that the “Fare Thee Well” concept bears no resemblance to the Grateful Dead. There is nothing peaceful or forward-thinking about misleading people with hope in their hearts, and thousands of loyal fans have been hurt in the process. As difficult as it is to articulate the Grateful Dead philosophy, it’s not difficult for anyone who loved the band to come to the conclusion that this is not the Grateful Dead.

Has no one seen the YouTube video I referenced???? Trey n Phish are a fine band and the next in line so to speak, but they are no Dead just as Garth will never be Johnny, Willie,or Hank.... It all starts somewhere.... Happy that Trey is on board....

IF that's the video yes, its very humorous. Saw another good one today have to go back and look who it was but called Headier than Thou.... Thank you to Stella Moon for your sharing your well written outlook and thank you Geo for sharing your open-minded positive views! Heady Brosevelt and Svengali thank you for saying everything I am too tired to articulate about Trey and that whole scene. Does anyone else find it humorous that Jimmy Cliff is playing for the Garcia tribute at Merriweather. He'll have to do Sitting in Limbo.

When you guys refer to videos can you please post the links so we know what you a talking about, and see them. Thanks in advance.

When you guys refer to videos can you please post the links so we know what you a talking about, and see them. Thanks in advance.

Where did you find this? Please post attributions, sources, etc. ASAP.While I do find myself in agreement with some of his argument, if true these allegations might result in legally actionable charges. Without any substantiation or proof you are merely feeding the ugly rumors and tinfoil hat crowd some more ammunition.

Let that go and just enjoy the show. I am now home after a long week. Gonna sip a fine ale then brew some potent( Ya you know) hot chocolate and fire up the Sunshine Daydream dvd and forget about all the Fare Thee Well hubub for a night. Gonna lose myself in some field in Veneta. Ya'll enjoy your weekend!

I had read this in the Boulder Weekly. Don't know if that is where it originally appeared.

Yeah man! That hit-ler video was totally LOL funny! Thanks for that....

Wow, some valid points made there but man what a killjoy this Stewart Sallo is. Really a gallant effort to bring us all down. Might work for some of us but there are some that you just can't break their spirit no matter how hard you trey.

...on the top of the maintain at Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe, CA). Great show!

So Klangstone, you mean to tell us that you have such a rich history of seeing Jerry and I presume the GD and have never created an account on this site until about a month or so ago.... So who's paying for your pom poms hahaha

Got side tracked on my trip to Veneta. Headed down south to the Shrine, 68'....Epic! Now on to Veneta. This is turning out to be a field trip. Really kickin in.

I have seen the band over 70 times including Europe 90 but never bothered to join here until these shows got all messed up last weekend. I have 3 hotels with 2 rooms each with 2 double beds booked but may have to give them all up because alas I have no tickets. Not paying scalpers fees.

Last dead show I attended no phones or computer s in my world... 50 yrs reunion is bringing us all back together

My comments were directed at Klangstone - the rah rah was a little too much for me especially since many heads like yourself Direwolf are having such an awful time. I wouldn't put anything past this production of having some "drivers of conversation" - well it really doesn't matter I guess if you can't see what it is - you might as well put your hands up on the roller coaster ride.

I know many of you are tired of hearing about MOs and status (fair enough, please skip this message). My limbo group on FB got hit like a ton of bricks today. Probably at least 1,000 rejections received. Stinson Beach hit Illinois like a heat seeking missile today. What gives? Why burn the locals' dreams so late in the game? Just very very sad for lots of folks with a dream and hope to attend with tickets to this event.

Sorry...still have friends and family in NY sitting in limbo...miracles do happen.

Your interpretations of LOFL lifted my mood immensely. Thank you! LOFL.

Thank you, still holding on to hope for a miracle but getting a little harder every day with the group of soldiers getting smaller.

OK, SO... I almost feel guilty about posting this but .... Have to share some joy!!Although I am still in limbo on my mail-order, I have been fortunate enough to score 2 TM tix belatedly for Friday night! My daughter got through on her phone to the automated phone line on ticketmaster whilst I was staring at the hypnotic spinning wheel afraid to refresh. I told the robot all my information, spelled it all, repeated it all because my last name is long & stuff, then I read off the credit card info and I screwed up on the security ode as I was looking at my BF's credit card that I was unfamiliar with and said "oh wait , No! , it's - - -". Then the robot paused and told me it was sorry it could not process my card at the time and had to release my tickets. Oh My Goodness, was I ever mad at myself! Fast forward to Tuesday night, the BF shows up at my dtr's band concert and & says that his credit card was charged $440.00, long story somewhat shorter, 2 days later I find out I have the two seats it said it released!!!!! WHAAAAAT!!!!!! Utter JOY!!!!!!! SO GRATEFUL, and they are in the backest most corneriest corner of the stadium and jimmy crack corn & I don't care because I will likely be spinnin in an entrance tunnel thingy majig :-)somewhere Now my latest reflections on mail order...if Art didn't matter, they should've said decorated envelopes are "entertaining" not "appreciated" & I started getting kicked to the operator finally on my MO, and the lady I talked to dutifully asked me if I had started an inquiry or whatever they call it, and I said no & when she said that she validated my MO, and I was like "so it's still in the system then?' she said "Yes, Ma'am, it will remain in the system until it is c...dead silence" like she cut herself off at the last moment from saying cashed. Then said something else that didn't tell me anything at all and we hung up So, I believe mine are not cashed. I still gotta have a little hope though after what happened with TM. I am grateful to go to one show for sure, but would love to go to all!

Oh hell yeah, the Hitler series of video's are funny as shite. That's comedy, and comedy can make fun of anything in my book. Funny is funny regardless who or what it pokes fun at. I thought the recent post referencing Trey was serious, and there has been a boat load of anti-Trey sentiment in general (not just here). So, I'm glad that was a joke, but I do stand by my statement to the anti-trey dead crowd. :) Can't wait for 4th of July weekend. No pinky, still a bit of hope.

I believe in miracles! You are in the building. Congrats, congrats, congrats, love this news. Peace!

Thank You!!!!!! I'm glad I posted now :-) Peace back atchya!!!

I think the reason they do not post youtube links is that the forum spam detecting robots do not like that. If you search hitler grateful dead GD50 or something like that you should find the hitler video. warning there are lots of "hitler reacts to X,Y or Z" videos on youtube, it is sort of a thing. In the interest of filling the internet with cat videos, I made a video of my cats reacting to the announcement. A youtube search for "Tom the Cat Whisperer" should find it.

Yes I am a new member here as I was hoping to get a better perspective on these shows. I am not new to this site but I am a new member. Sue me...

Don't let my banter fool you I am in the same miserable boat as everyone else without tickets. I was just in a cheerful mood today, but if some people want to make fun of that it's cool. Just gonna let it roll off. PEACE and happy Friday!

I hope the best of luck for you to get tickets if you are still trying to go!

BIG CONGRATS! Say hi to Trey and the boys... {(:-)]

Both pinky letters came in this week. Bummer. Going to frame one and hang on my wall. Why, tons of reasons, but it has been a strange and wonderful trip starting on 1/20 and ending 3/6. FYI: WU MOs just write on back of MO "not used for intended purpose" and deposit in your bank account. No worries. Same goes for USPS MO. Done waiting; just chilling in NYC. Peace out, till Chicago...........

The dude's screed hit it out of the proverbial park. IMO, it ain't negativity, it's truth. Call the upcoming event in Chicago what you will, but it ain't the Grateful Dead. As band mouthpieces Gans and Lambert said on their satellite radio program, 'this franchise is ending'. That's old news. It ended twenty years ago. Jerry supposedly confided in close friends that one of his Big Fears was the whole scene turning into a hippie version of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. I'll leave it to you to decide if his fears have been realized. If you go, I hope you have fun, and 'If mercy's in business, I wish it for you, and more than just ashes when you dreams come true.'

It's all good.... Enjoy your weekend....

Sooooo glad I did not get tickets for this ripoff. Jerry fest and any other show they come up before these three shows will be the shows to be at, not this one. So, you saw the kool aid, said, oh boy, can't wait to revisit my youth, and bought behind the stage no view tickets for over 200.00$ I can't stop laughing. You have all just been pranked, the final prank to end a great career.

This is the article he wrote for the Boulder Weekly, just one opinion but it seems to be shared by many. Ladies and gentlemen, not the Grateful Dead By Stewart Sallo It has been almost 20 years since legendary Grateful Dead lead guitarist Jerry Garcia transitioned to the big acid test in the sky. And since Jerry left us the debate has raged over whether the remaining members of the band — Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart — could call themselves the Grateful Dead. That question was answered definitively with a resounding “NO” this past weekend as some 500,000 fans logged on to the Ticketmaster website in an attempt to purchase tickets to the “Fare Thee Well” shows, scheduled for July 3-5 at Soldier Field in Chicago. You heard it here first: Even if these shows go down as the greatest in the history of rock and roll, this is not the Grateful Dead. Many of the 500,000 hopefuls had already engaged in the ultimately futile exercise of participating in the mail order presale, thinking they were participating in a revival of the beloved tradition that marked the band’s commitment to its fans by selling tickets directly, rather than through third-party agencies. Unbeknownst to the true Deadheads who put their hearts and souls into decorating their envelopes and sending off large sums of money on Jan. 20, back-room deals had already been made with big music industry players, such as Ticketmaster and a Philadelphia-based V.I.P. package provider called CID Entertainment (with options ranging from $519 to $2,198, plus “service fees”), to cash in on the genuine love and appreciation that is still alive and well among those who have never been able to replace the Grateful Dead as a source of joy and inspiration in their lives. The capacity of Soldier Field for these shows is 210,000. According to Grateful Dead Ticket Sales, some 60,000 mail order envelopes were received representing 300,000 ticket requests, more than the capacity of the venue. However, based upon those numbers, odds were favorable, as about two-thirds of the requests could have been fulfilled. But rather than announce that the on-sale date to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster had been cancelled, due to the shows selling out through the mail order, the on-sale date was postponed to Feb. 28. The explanation on the dead50.net website read: “In order to give the good folks at GDTS (Grateful Dead Ticket Sales) TOO time to sort through the 60,000 (!) envelopes received so far the new public on sale is Feb 28th @ 10 a.m. CST via Ticketmaster.” Huh? You’ve received payment in the form of money orders from true, envelopedecorating, tradition-following fans for 300,000 tickets, have only 210,000 to sell, and you’re still going to be selling tickets online through Ticketmaster? In other words, you’re going to sell some of the tickets that have already been purchased by true Deadheads so that Ticketmaster can receive its cut. Nope, this is not the Grateful Dead. But it gets worse when you examine just how many tickets were held for Ticketmaster and other middleman partners to sell. It was announced through multiple sources last Wednesday, including the Chicago Tribune and Billboard Magazine, that only 10 percent of the mail orders are being filled out of deference to the need to save tickets for sale through Ticketmaster, et al. Let’s do the math: 300,000 tickets were purchased through the mail order, but they’re only going to sell 30,000 of those tickets so they can sell 180,000 tickets through other avenues that more generously line the pockets of big music industry players. Most suspicious of all is the way tickets mysteriously became available on eBay-owned StubHub immediately after the Ticketmaster sweepstakes ended. As of press time, literally thousands of tickets are available through StubHub in virtually every section of the venue for prices ranging from $600 (behind the stage with no view) to $3,500. Where did StubHub get all these tickets? They certainly didn’t get in line with 500,000 people to buy them from Ticketmaster! And if the inflated ticket prices on StubHub are unaffordable, you can purchase a parking pass for the modest price of $180 and enjoy the show from the parking lot at Soldier Field. Once again, where did StubHub get parking passes to sell? One answer may lie in the inexplicable choice of Chicago as the site of this quickly souring last stand. Despite having developed loyal followings across the country and even internationally, the Grateful Dead were first and foremost a West Coast band. The band members lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, as did the most longstanding fans of the band. Against that backdrop, why Chicago? That question becomes amplified when considering the fact that the Chicago Park District’s agreement with Chicago Bears season ticket holders entitles them to purchase their seats to all events that take place at Soldier Field. This may explain the sudden appearance of thousands of tickets on StubHub. The massive hype behind these shows had reached the radar screens of Bears fans, most of whom couldn’t care less about the Grateful Dead, but who saw an opportunity to make bank by turning a $199.50 purchase into a $3,500 trip to Puerto Vallarta. The party line that Soldier Field was chosen because it was the site of the last Grateful Dead concert on July 9, 1995 rings more hollow with every passing scalped ticket purchase. ...............section omitted for copyright All three of these fine musicians have studied Jerry Garcia’s music in a way that qualifies them to fill his enormous empty shoes. Not so with Anastasio, who has made appearances with Phil Lesh and Friends but was quoted last month in Rolling Stone as saying, “I never really sat and studied what Jerry actually played, until now.” It now appears that the choices of Chicago and of Anastasio were not made in the spirit of providing the truest Grateful Dead experience for the fans but, rather, to fulfill the highest possible financial gain for the promoter, Peter Shapiro in association with Madison House, and their corporate cronies. Centrally located, Chicago offers the best combination of logistical convenience and the big-city trappings that are needed to attract an audience who can afford “secondary market” ticket prices. And the addition of Anastasio piles on the interest of an auxiliary audience of “Phish-heads” to the mix, thereby increasing the available pool of wealthy spectacle-loving (as opposed to music- or Grateful Dead-loving) ticket buyers who can chunk down $600 to $3,500 for tickets that were originally priced from $59.50 to $199.50. All of this reveals a brilliant, even diabolical, marketing strategy. Choose a central location and a musical line-up that attracts the widest, wealthiest possible audience; create huge buzz through the Grateful Dead mail-order process to establish unfulfillable demand; and then let our friends at Ticketmaster, StubHub and other players in the “secondary market” (talk about euphemisms; we used to call it scalping) have at it. And here’s the kicker: Now Shapiro and Madison House are planning to create an entire industry around this weekend, including after-show concerts, audio and video recordings, and even a “pay per view” cable TV event. In short, get hundreds of thousands of people excited about an event they can’t get tickets for, sell their tickets to people who can pay aftermarket prices, and then charge the “losers” to watch it on TV. One of the most fundamental truisms of life is that we are remembered for the most recent thing we did. It’s worse than a pity — it’s an outright tragedy — that perhaps the most beloved band in history has put itself in a position to be remembered for participating in what may go down as the biggest money grab in music history. On June 7-9, 1977 the Grateful Dead played three shows at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco to close out their legendary Spring 1977 tour, a period many Deadheads believe was the best in the band’s history. On June 7, having already purchased tickets for the closing night but with the thought in the back of my mind that there was a show that evening, I suggested to my sister, Janet, that we drive up to San Francisco from Santa Cruz to see if we could get in. About five minutes prior to the 8 p.m. showtime, we arrived at Winterland, walked up to the box office, purchased two tickets for $5 each and entered just as the band was playing the opening to “Bertha.” That was the Grateful Dead. And that’s the Grateful Dead I want to remember, not a cover band that happens to have some of the original members, and certainly not a musical spectacle that serves big-moneyed interests, such as Ticketmaster, StubHub, eBay, the City of Chicago and whatever other corporate entities are in on this colossal rip off. The Grateful Dead built their brand on their commitment to the quality of their music and to their fans. They became famous and enormously successful for innovations such as their focus on touring and live performances, rather than selling records; building their fan base by allowing fans to tape and freely share their performances; and by creating their own ticket agency, rather than allowing corporate middleman entities to control their scene, as has happened with these “Fare Thee Well” shows. In a 1967 interview with the Grateful Dead, conducted by CBS’s Harry Reasoner, Jerry Garcia said, “What we’re thinking about is a peaceful planet. We’re not thinking about anything else. We’re not thinking about any kind of power; we’re not thinking about any of those kinds of struggles; we’re not thinking about revolution or war or any of that. That’s not what we want. Nobody wants to get hurt; nobody wants to hurt anybody. We would all like to live an uncluttered life, a simple life, a good life, you know. And, like, think about moving the whole human race ahead a step or a few steps, or half a step, or anything.” With each passing day since these shows were announced, it has become clearer that the “Fare Thee Well” concept bears no resemblance to the Grateful Dead. There is nothing peaceful or forward-thinking about misleading people with hope in their hearts, and thousands of loyal fans have been hurt in the process. As difficult as it is to articulate the Grateful Dead philosophy, it’s not difficult for anyone who loved the band to come to the conclusion that this is not the Grateful Dead. Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com

I enjoyed it and agree with the overwelming majority. The world has changed, the entire silly planet. I deal with this on a daily basis and for the most part, it sucks! We had a good thing going before all this greed and violence got thrown into the mix. But those are the comments of a soon to be 55 year old fart. Age tends to make you recall your youth with fondness. No story there.At the end of the day I hope fans more than non fans attend. I hope they enjoy the shows without too much feeling of sour grapes. I hope the music is worthy. And I hope we don't see this become the norm.

Perhaps many have already seen it....somewhat appropriate for some though Headier Than Thou, Brokedown Hustlers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54RYG_ZdKF0

Hey guys and gals along with that $4000 secondary market ticket you can now buy Jerry Garcia's personal shaving kit for the small price of highest bidder! Oh man the guy had a beard! Though some of the art is pretty awesome. http://gratefuldead.auction/ In the words of Dr. Jones, "It belongs in a museum!"

Finally! Received email last night confirming our order was filled! If you are in limbo there is hope. Good luck to everyone. Fwiw, 3 nights, 2 tix each, envelope was not decorated, mo's for one price level (215) only

Any Speculation on Guest appearances in Chicago ? Who would we like to see ? So far here, I've seen mention of Donna and Buddy Guy ? How about Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Neville Brothers,or Branford Marsalis? Someone new to the scene? Drummers? Horns, Keys, oh yeah, Guitar players ?We know Jeff will be playing Brent's B3. Will Trey be graced with playing the Wolf ? The Drummers should have the full array of Drums including The Beast !!!! Will the PA system be The Ultrasound Surround Sound Monster From the Good Ol' Days ? The possibilities are endless.

Holy crap, love your cat video !!!Hysterical ! Love the VW Further bus!! Thanks for sharing!!!

I'm glad you won't be there too! Sniveling whiners need not attend. I hope everyone who wants to be in Chicago makes it. See you all there with a grin from ear to ear!

Hi - Just wanted to remind you that Cubs tickets went on sale yesterday. Don't know about others, but we plan on stuffing as much fun into the trip to Chicago as possible. FWIW, they play 1:20 Friday afternoon, 07/03 - I was pretty hesitant at the prices, but hey, it's going to be a weekend that will be worth it. Downing some stadium beers, chowing some baseball food, getting a souvenir hat and shirt, watching the Cubbies in Wrigley (which I have never been to) sounds like a fun way to begin prepping for the GD celebration. Anyway, my understanding is that they almost always sell out Wrigley even on a 'normal' day, so if you are even remotely thinking about doing something like this, act fast! I was looking at 2nd row seats on 1st base side, was too slow, and *poof* they evaporated, now have 5th row.