Grateful Dead 50th Anniversary

@Fedrd

Well my friend, everyone's entitled to their opinion and that's what these forums are all about. And with opinions come the point counter point... I'm two years behind you @ 55 years of age and for 38 of my 55 I've loved the music. While I didn't make the SC shows, the build-up and ultimate delivery of the Chicago experience (all three shows) completely exceeded my expectations. And I mean all aspects but most notably, the waves and waves of incredible emotions all three evenings all generated by the music. I'd be surprised if you felt the energy and re-experienced the scene in Chicago over that long weekend if you didn't feel like it was "just like the good ole days." Because that was my take-away...and it was a glorious "Fare Thee Well" where every band member embraced the moment to its fullest.

@Fedrd

Sorry you didn't appreciate the effort...it was not 1967, 1972, 1974, 1977 or anything but 2015....agreed the flow was not what we were used to but the love was in the air with the music and more importantly the crowd vibe....the music has always been the core but the experience was always larger than the seamless segues. If your first show was 72, you are not what you were then, mine 73...I am not either...so why hold the boys to a standard we as fans can't live up to....Chicago was magic pure and simple, cheap....no, but a memory I will take to my grave....absolutely.... I walked away with 40 new friends.....thanks to 12+ hours of music and much kindness, acceptance and generosity..... you know our love will not fade away ..... mmmmmbop bop, bop bop!!!!!

Dead? in Chicao

I have no idea how old you are, or when you first started going to shows, But I am a 57 year old male.and went to my first show in 1972 at the Nassau Coliseum. I was fortunate and able to attend quite a few shows from a wide assortment of years.I would not go to any of the 5 shows for a variety of reasons, most importantly I did not think the shows would be worth it. I felt in many ways, that they kind of mailed it in. They were incredibly under rehearsed, leading to sloppy shows and awkward transitions. The shows had no flow and Trey was totally lost. Obviously, there were going to be great moments, but they were few and far between. For the most part, the set lists did not make sense and they played some of their weakest songs ie Built to Last, West LA etc. Hornsby was nothing like he was in 90' when he joined and the drummers did the shows as if blindfolded. It was great that you loved it, but these shows will not age well and it was a pretty shitty job considering the significance. Listen to New Years 2002-03 Other Ones show and you will clearly see what I mean.

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Grateful Dead Original Members Add Two Dates To Final Concerts

April 10, 2015

The original members of Grateful Dead have announced two additional shows at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on June 27th and 28th, as part of their “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead” run. Along with the three shows at Chicago's Soldier Field on July 3rd, 4th, and 5th, the run will mark the original members' last-ever performances toget

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Its all over now..

Went to all 5 shows and enjoyed them all.Far from perfect but so were most of the 150+ shows I saw with Jerry. Crowds were great in both cities with people looking after each other "ALWAYS A HOOT"!

Uncle John's band amen

Amen to this great post! Am still driving home as I write and still meeting deadheads every time we stop. They all have smiles and utter the same words....MAGIC!

Thanks for the "well said Jbhiker"

Thanks for the kind words doctor!! The music is what bonds us and I will forever be Gratefulto this band and the community they created...When we are all together as we were in Chicago the electricity and the energy we create is undeniable...those of us who are fortunate enough to have experienced it will hold it with us as we go forward from this Fare thee well. Being a deadhead for the major part of my life has made me who I am. Thanks to my wife and kids and family and friends and all of you who are all the bus with me....be kind and pass this music a and the deadhead vibe on! Peace Jeff

Dead End

Thanks to all the folks that made this such a special and memorable weekend. I'm grateful we were a part of it. Going home going home By the waterside I will rest my bones Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul Peace

Section 110, Row 17, Seats 1 and 2

To the owners of Sect. 110, Row 17, Seats 1 & 2 -- we hope you were where you wanted to be, because we very much enjoyed your seats for the second sets Saturday AND Sunday. Our seats were waaaaay up there, and while it was an interesting perspective (the fireworks on Sunday were fabulous), and the company was loving and kind, the sound was not the best. But, thanks to you, we got the best of both worlds. We hope your absence was a positive thing for you. Gratefully, Section 445, Row 34, Seats 24 and 25.

Naver Miss A Sunday Show

WOW! I got dropped into the scene on Sunday night to see one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. The vibe was both mythical & magical. The sound was fantastic. Upon entering the stadium I never once left my seat, hanging on to each and every note throughout the show. I am 43- right in between the Dead/Phish era. This experience far exceeded my expectations, and like most of us, I have high standards for the sound and the scene. It was simply incredible. Thanks for making it SO special. I wish I could have gotten a T-Shirt, but I refused to leave my seat and step away from that magical vibe. Sunday night's memory will NEVER Fade Away! Keep on Keepin' ON Huff

THANX!!!

As with all things Dead there will be a mix of opinions - song choices, how they were delivered, etc. None of the shows was perfect, there were missed cues in all of them but I don't think I've ever been to a show where that didn't happen and I started going to shows in '68... These five shows were an amazing gift to us. I know a lot of people didn't care for the Days Between - but it was PERFECTLY PLACED as far as I am concerned. The last great composition of Hunter/Garcia. The world is not all flashy high stepping - reflection is also a huge part of the Dead's legacy and that is the ultimately reflective song... and Jerry's last. So - thank you all so much, especially the folks at GDTS who took such abuse for trying so hard to make everything magical. You did it for us and we are forever grateful! fare the well...

amazing weekend

That was an amazing three nights and ones that will remain with me till the end of my days. To me, night one was strongest-- truly not a weak link in that setlist and it smoked. The Help/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower to close was simply amazing. Having seen many fine shows over the past 30 years (GD, Clapton, Stones, myriad blues artists), that night ranks up near the top for live events I have attended. Some of it is that so many circumstances fell into place to make the entire night perfect-- and then the music made it ever more perfect. Night two highlights: Standing on the Moon, not one of my favorites, was delivered beautifully by Trey-- I had tears flowing the whole song. Golden Road was hot and Foolish Heart jammed. Trey really delivered all weekend-- big props to him. Night three was about delivering needed songs-- Estimated, China/Rider. Set two had a purpose-- songs about closure, togetherness and the sense of moving on. While the last two nights had a couple ballads I could have done without, I saw where they were going and enjoyed it. BTW, they did show Keith and Donna in the slide show. They did it a little awkwardly by transitioning from showing a bunch of random slides to all of a sudden showing each individual member. The crowd didn't realize it until Brent came up.

Recordings from SC shows

Anyone know of recordings available for the SC shows?Thanks !

Afterthoughts

So... Sitting here at the office on my first day back at work since the Chicago shows. First of all, it was one helluva weekend! While the music was always the priority for me, I'd forgotten the sense of community one can feel at a concert. The crowd for all three shows was into it, and they showed the love. I'll never forget the whole crowd singing "you know our love will not fade away" for the entire break between the end of NFA and until Phil came out prior to the 1st Encore. The atmosphere was electric inside the stadium every night. While I have been to MANY concerts and sporting events over the years, it dawned on me that I hadn't felt that feeling since... well... 20 years ago when I attended my last Grateful Dead show at RFK Stadium in 1995. I won't wax poetic about whether or not these were "great Grateful Dead shows" or not. I will simply say that I had a fabulous time. I thought Friday night's show was the strongest, followed by Sunday and then Saturday, but I enjoyed them all. And the 1st Set on Friday was REALLY good. How many times could you say after a GD show that the 1st Set was better than the 2nd Set (especially when the 2nd Set included a Scarlet>Fire AND a Help>Slipknot>Franklin's)? Personal highlights for me were: 1) opening with "Box of Rain" (after all, the end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end); 2) "Passenger"(!!??!!), which they nailed; 3) Scarlet>Fire; 4) encoring with "Ripple" on Friday night; 5) "Shakedown Street" and "Deal" to bookend the 1st Set on Saturday; 6) "The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)... Are you kidding me?!!?; 7) a really beautiful "Stella Blue"; 8) Trey singing "Althea"; and 10) a very fitting, and haunting "Days Between". I'm not a big Phish fan... I like some of their stuff, but I've never really been into them. But for anyone who was/is/or will be negative about the selection of Trey... they can kiss it, because I thought he was fantastic!! His enthusiasm alone was great, but I thought he really shined through and he should be proud of the performances he gave. All-in-all, it was a fantastic experience. I'm so glad I went. It was closure to a certain degree, but man was it a good party! See you all down the road. Be kind.

Fare Thee Well - Chicago 2015

I went to Chicago with a guy who I saw the most Dead shows with over the years. I first saw the boys in 1984 at Pine Knob and my last show was at the Omni in 1995. I thought the guys did a tremendous job in putting together great setlists for each show. They only repeated Cumberland Blues and Truckin' during the 5 shows. I thought the final night in Chicago was amazingly strong and the atmosphere was unbelievable. China->Rider opener into a great Estimated! I was always a fan of Built to Last and they did the song justice. We got a Sunday song with Samson followed by a well-jammed Mountains Of The Moon. Throwing Stones was over the top to close the first set. The fireworks at intermission was very cool and lasted about 10 minutes. I heard Miracle in the opening notes for the 1st song of the second set, but got the last Truckin! Thank You, BOYS!!! Everyone was waiting for Terrapin and Trey played not only extremely well on it, but he did a very admirable job every night. I am not a Phish fan, but I have always liked his guitar work. Unbroken Chain never caught fire, but it was great to see them do it for the last show. I will say I never cared for The Days Between and I wish we got something else there, but to each their own. The great part of being a Deadhead is that we all have our favorites (and a selected few we do not want to hear). Not Fade Away was needed and outstanding. Thanks for the acoustic Attics to end the run! Love ya!

UK Deadheads?

I went to see the 'Live' cinema show on Monday 6th at Star City, Birmingham, UK and it was wonderful! Only thing was - there were only 6 of us in the audience! I didn't understand at all as when I saw the Ratdog concert in nearby Bilston, there were plenty of folks. Can anyone tell me why there was so few at Birmingham? Thanks to everyone who arranged the showing of the concert so far away, it was amazing to see all those thousands of people :)

Oceanic Feeling

Looking at shots of the sea of Heads made me reflect upon the idea that when in "the mystical state some individuals can at times massively regress (progress?) to a condition of de-individuation, to the 'oceanic feeling' in which Self and Not-Self are one in pantheistic harmony and union." - Weston La Barre; The Ghost Dance

FTW

It hit me hard today at work, the withdrawal pain! The only positive thing about a show ending was that there always would be another one sometime. So used to waiting for the next show. I'm so glad I got on the bus and it's never going to be parked as far as I'm concerned. Thank you boys for more than just the music, thank you GDTS for my tickets (even though they were nosebleeds), thank you for all the great people I met over the years that made great memories for me (even those whose names I never caught), gonna miss the lots! I guess I just wanted to say I'm grateful and THANK YOU ALL. You will be missed.

Two for the Road

I scored 7/4 on the lot (cart path, I guess......by the marina), so me and Mrs. P saw Saturday and Sunday. Well done, men. Thank you Bob, Billy, Mickey, Bruce, Jeff, Trey and Phil. You played and sounded great. Wife had never seen the Grateful Dead. Her favorite of the weekend: Days Between. I got on the bus in '83, first shows 11/7/85 and 11/8/85. Last show Father's Day 1995 in Giants-no comment needed there. My favorite of the weekend: Althea, I think. What a wonderful four days we spent in Chicago. It is easy to see why Shapiro et al picked this venue. Pretty good mass transit. Limited parking meant limited on site hassles for the band and promoter. As we recall, 93, 94, and 95 Shakedowns spiraled further into Lord of the Flies territory with each passing show. This weekend the vibe was laid back, a little tame even, but all the shopping and goods we needed and wanted were available. It appears to me that Mickey may have found some magic elixir or the Fountain of Youth; he looked as energetic and impishly deranged as ever. As Bob Seger sang, I saw "some old friends, good for the soul" from my touring days. What a trip that was. I never slept so comfortably after a show as this weekend. A four star hotel? Unheard of in the summers of the 80's ! I think I saw Dave Lemieux at a noodle bar just north of the river on Saturday afternoon, but I guess archivists and other fifty-ish Deadheads all look alike. We really did invade and swarm the city. That was pretty cool. More reflections later..... I have to mentally prepare myself to rejoin the work-a-day world tomorrow.

UK deadheads

Hi Susan - I've sent a PM which will help you hook up with other UK heads. I guess you saw Ratdog in 2002 or 2003 or both?? I caught them in 2002 in London. There is a summer of love festival.party at the end of July - a great place to be with other UK Deadheads.

UK Deadheads

there were many more at other venues throughout the UK - which showed Sunday nights Chi town show at UK Monday evening time... U.K Deadheads & Fans of Grateful Dead EVERYWHERE !!! face book group has details :-) we are everywhere!

The Last stand

Went to both SC shows-Magical!Watched all three Chicago shows with friends at home while texting with friends at the Chicago shows-Magical! Being a Deadhead for the last 26 years of my life-Magical! Thanks to all(~);) P.S. Two days from now is officially 20 years since last(Grateful Dead) show so play some Dead on Thursday everybody!!

Very Thankful

One of the best things all this has done for me, is to ignite my desire to play more live music. My guitars have been lonely. I am truly grateful to have the fire to play again.

The last Estimated

https://youtu.be/A3ul1qXqvy4 Don't worry about me, no.

THANK THEE ONE AND ALL

THANK THEE ONE AND ALL ,FROM THE BAND AND THE STAFF IN CALI TO THE TOWN OF CHICAGO IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL FOUR DAYS OF LOVE AND COMMUNITY,KEEP THAT LOVE IN OUR HEARTS AND NEVER LET IT GO.

Friday Program?

I am in possession of an extra Saturday program but did not get one for Friday. I will be willing to trade only my extra Saturday for a Friday program (not for sale). Can anyone help? Please PM me! Be Kind

knew this would happen

After Mickey Hart talked about his collaboration with top scientists on PBS, the network continued their coverage of all things Grateful Dead with a conversation featuring Bill Kreutzmann. Talking about a number of topics, perhaps what's most interesting is Kreutzmann's interest in adding more reunion shows. In the clip, Kreutzmann says "I would like it to do — to do it more. Between you and me and all your lovely fans, I would like to have a couple more shows on the East Coast... I want to do it for the fans again because we had such amazing support in the East Coast from Deadheads." He continued, saying, "They deserve concerts like everybody does." The "Grateful Dead" just wrapped a five-night concert run with two shows in Santa Clara, CA and three in Chicago, IL.

MSG in fall

I do not know if it will come to be but I think they will add few more to make the east coast crowd happy. So much for fare the well in Chicago. I would say 5 nights

Hi there from Frankfurt,Germany

Thank you guys so much for these last shows!!!!!! I've never had a chance to see you live and unfortunately there was no way to get 2 tickets via this Ticketmaster (piece of s...) however I've could'nt believe my eyes when I saw the last show was in cinemas here in Germany! What a treat! so my girlfriend and I snuggled up in our seats with a couple of drinks and a puff and had awesome 3,5 hours! would have loved to fly over to get the atmosphere of a GD concert once but the cinema was better than nothing. Great Idea! Your music is the soundtrack of my life, peace out to all the other Deadheads out there and always remember....be kind

Friday Program

I was wondering if anyone had an extra Friday program they would be willing to send me I will pay shipping or trade for, I have extras from Saturday and Sunday, Please PM me if you are interested. Thanks for the help

Pics of the pit on 7/3/15

Anybody out there that has pics of the pit for the Friday 7/3/15 show, I would really appreciate it if you could send them to me. My phone got trashed before I could download any of them. Any pics be it of the band and/or the crowd please.

Worth a gander (not the "goose" kind)

http://gratefuldean.com/turning-back-the-clock-in-chicago/

Program

Hey NCDead please check your PM

Looking For GD50 zip up hoodie at Merch table

Hoping to find one of these hoodies they sold at the merch table in XL size. I also heard they were releasing all the official merchandise on this site next week but cant seem to find the exact date it's happening. What an amazing weekend but i failed to get this gear. any help appreceiated

Here you go, Deadphish50

http://www.faretheewellmerch.com/

cubs suck.. Dead rule

man the cubs really suck...cool to see all the heads at the game monday with the rain...jerry for surely smiled on us in chicago with amazing weather all weekend... monday got a little rainy and cold,tues as well.. overall my experience was dead...grateful dead.. no words can describe it!

program

I have an extra Friday looking to trade for a Saturday. Chicago.

Trey

As a long time and faithful deadhead, I must say that i knew very little about Trey prior to these 5 shows, watched the first two on the live youtube feed, which worked very well for me and I was able to transfer them to my home theater and watch the shows there. Also, lucky enough to have won the mail order lottery for Chicago, so my wife and i enjoyed those shows live in the perfect summer weather of Chicago. I am very impressed with Trey and have quickly become a fan, in my opinion he did and excellent job and fit in perfectly. I am interested in reading or watching, a post 5 show run interview to know his thoughts on the whole experience, if anyone knows where I may find such an interview I would greatly appreciate a link. All three show were certainly a lot of fun, I personally am hoping that they boys had so much fun that they may consider many more dates in the future. No reason to give it up now. Love the time we spent together, all of us. Jay

Program

I need a Saturday program. I have an extra Friday or Sunday to trade. Please PM if you can help. ⚡️

Program

Did you still need to trade for a program? I need a Saturday and have a Friday for you.

Program

I have an extra Friday looking to trade for a Sunday. Chicago

Seeking a keepsake mail order ticket from Sunday (7/5)

I got home from Chicago and realized that my Sunday (7/5) mail order ticket got trashed in my luggage. My Friday and Saturday tickets survived, but I'm hoping to frame the three. I'm hoping that someone out there may have a spare.?.?.?.? If you've got an extra, please let me know.

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9 years 3 months ago

@Fedrd
Well my friend, everyone's entitled to their opinion and that's what these forums are all about. And with opinions come the point counter point... I'm two years behind you @ 55 years of age and for 38 of my 55 I've loved the music. While I didn't make the SC shows, the build-up and ultimate delivery of the Chicago experience (all three shows) completely exceeded my expectations. And I mean all aspects but most notably, the waves and waves of incredible emotions all three evenings all generated by the music. I'd be surprised if you felt the energy and re-experienced the scene in Chicago over that long weekend if you didn't feel like it was "just like the good ole days." Because that was my take-away...and it was a glorious "Fare Thee Well" where every band member embraced the moment to its fullest.
_

9 years 3 months ago

@Fedrd
Sorry you didn't appreciate the effort...it was not 1967, 1972, 1974, 1977 or anything but 2015....agreed the flow was not what we were used to but the love was in the air with the music and more importantly the crowd vibe....the music has always been the core but the experience was always larger than the seamless segues. If your first show was 72, you are not what you were then, mine 73...I am not either...so why hold the boys to a standard we as fans can't live up to....Chicago was magic pure and simple, cheap....no, but a memory I will take to my grave....absolutely.... I walked away with 40 new friends.....thanks to 12+ hours of music and much kindness, acceptance and generosity..... you know our love will not fade away ..... mmmmmbop bop, bop bop!!!!!
Fedrd

9 years 3 months ago

Dead? in Chicao
I have no idea how old you are, or when you first started going to shows, But I am a 57 year old male.and went to my first show in 1972 at the Nassau Coliseum. I was fortunate and able to attend quite a few shows from a wide assortment of years.I would not go to any of the 5 shows for a variety of reasons, most importantly I did not think the shows would be worth it. I felt in many ways, that they kind of mailed it in. They were incredibly under rehearsed, leading to sloppy shows and awkward transitions. The shows had no flow and Trey was totally lost. Obviously, there were going to be great moments, but they were few and far between. For the most part, the set lists did not make sense and they played some of their weakest songs ie Built to Last, West LA etc. Hornsby was nothing like he was in 90' when he joined and the drummers did the shows as if blindfolded. It was great that you loved it, but these shows will not age well and it was a pretty shitty job considering the significance. Listen to New Years 2002-03 Other Ones show and you will clearly see what I mean.