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    marye
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    So twice in the last week I've gotten into conversations with folks who were pretty intense Deadheads back in the day, and their general drift was look, the band no longer exists, they haven't played for 12 years. It is so Over. Get on with your life. Which, of course, is a perfectly reasonable point of view. And yet, here we are. And "we" includes people who never saw the band in the first place but definitely consider themselves on the bus now. So what's up with this? Why are we here? Discuss...

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  • JINGLE
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    HERES THE PROBLEM----
    THEY ALREADY GOT ON WITH THERE LIFES THEY FORGOT WHAT WE WERE ALL HERE FOR, NOW THE TORCH HAS BEEN HANNDED DOWN , I DID MY TIME ON THE FRONT LINES,NOW THE NEW KIDZ CAN DO THERES, BUT ILL BE ON THE BUS FOREVER, JUST NOW ILL BE TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE BUS, KEEP IT GOING ALL-------KEEP IT GOING-------JINGLE - FEW GOOD MEN MC - NEW YORK
  • BobbaLee
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    Not a band anymore
    Does that person really mean that? what no Mozart? Beatles? Hemingway. I look at as I have something new to discover and I can still see and enjoy great new music too. Life is to precious to put any limits on ones enjoyment and learning nd the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee
  • JimmyTheRower
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    Long Live The GD
    There's lots of good music out there these days, but the GD have a special place in my heart and soul. Great music is timeless, and the GD never sound dated or musically naive. Yes, the band as we knew it is no more, but Miles Davis and Hendrix are also "no more". So should I throw out all my Miles Davis and Hendrix recordings?Whenever I listen to an especially good, spiritually deep GD concert with the boys running on all cylinders, I say to myself, "This is what great music-making is all about". "Communication" is the word that comes to mind. This is a band that never seems to say, "listen to how cool we are", or "listen to how well we play our instruments", or "gee, our lyrics are so poetic and hip, aren't they?" The brilliance of the GD is never forced, and as they draw the listener in, the band and the audience become one, and you gradually enter another world, another time. But this is the opposite of escapism, at least for me personally, for the music speaks to me of the joys and wonders of life. Listening to different versions of the same music over and over again may seem odd to those who haven't been touched by the GD. I'm reminded of an Picasso anecdote. Some writer visited Picasso in his studio, where the artist was painting a picture of a wine bottle. Some weeks later the same writer returned to visit Picasso again, only to discover that he was working on what turned out to be another in a series of paintings of the exact same bottle. The writer asked, "doesn't it get boring to paint the same bottle over and over again? Picasso replied: "when I wake in the morning, I'm a new man, and it's a new bottle of wine".
  • jesuschrist
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    Message from beyond ....
    Jesus here … I have a message for all of you from beyond your realm. This is a Message from Jerry, Pigpen, Brent, Keith, and Bill. To all you who have taken this site and made it about personally attacking one another; who have made a point to forget about the music completely, who have disregarded what this web site is all about. You all have disappointed us greatly. Remember it’s about the music and what it means to each and every one of you. Stop the personal attacks against one another. There is a lot going on in this world right now. And not everyone is going to agree with each other on what should be done. The end of days is near. We need to come together and be united. No I’m not from the Chinese government. I have nothing to do with any government. Nothing we say on these forums about the world is going to change anything. Pray to who or what you believe in. At this point unless you are going to the different places or raising money to help fund these causes; all you can do is pray. So QUIT your bickering it’s time to get along and enjoy the music while we still have the freedom to listen to it. And Remember why we are here on this site in the first place!!!!
  • CalebIsHungry
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    Nothing new...
    I'm not going to say anything here that everyone hasn't already said... I am one of those who never saw the band live. My wife turned me on to them. She had tickets to see them when Jerry died. She told me the heartbreak she felt, as if an old friend had passed on. I knew, for a band to affect her that much, there had to be something to them. I listened...and listened...and listened some more, and I haven't stopped yet. I think I get it. I think I get what Phil means when he talks about the "collective mind." Whenever I listen to their run at Red Rocks in July of '82 or anything from '73, I feel as if I'm in the middle of that crowd, swaying, singing, and loving everyone in the room. It makes me sad I couldn't have been there in person. I always tell people, the Grateful Dead are best listened to with ones eyes closed and their heart open... I don't know that anyone could say, "They are gone, get over it" and not feel like they were lying to themselves just a little bit. My Aunt Sharon died last year. Do you think for one second I considered moving on with my life, never to think of her or love her again? No way! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her warmth and kindness. I talk about her to my wife. I brag about her cooking. I think the same can be said about the Grateful Dead. I can't stop loving something just because they aren't hear anymore. It's against my humanity to even consider it. Peace. Caleb “Let there be songs to fill the air.”
  • wolff
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    "may god bless and keep you
    "may god bless and keep you always may your wishes all come true may you always do for others and have others do for you" god bless martin fierro rip
  • grdaed73
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    the bus ride
    the music,philosophy of life and experiance make up the bus, jerryn'co were the unwtting drivers(thx u). just because the driver got out from behind the steering wheel the bus doesn't stop. it's like the storyteller in the song, he don't give no endding, it's up to you to figure it out.
  • freeway
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    THE DEAD ALIVE AND WELL.
    namaste good folks; THE DEAD ARE A LIVING BREATHING SPIRITUAL FORCE.ITS OUR DUTY AND RESPONSABILTY TO CARRY INTO THE PRESENT AND FUTURE THE LESSONS AND ETHICAL AND MORAL PERCEPTIONS AS WELL AS POLITICAL PARADIGMS FORWARD.THE GIFT IS THE PRESENT.MADE RICHER BY THE PAST.MADE ALIVE IN THE PRESENT.BROUGHT INTO ACTIONS BY US ALL.A GREAT HONOR.AND I FEEL THAT WE MUST BECOME FIRST-WHAT WE ARE ASKING OF THE GREATER COMEUNITY.WE MUST SUPPORT AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER,AND DEAL WITH ISSUES IN A DIFFERENT,HIGHER WAY THEN THE REST OF OUR CULTURE DOES.WE MUST HELP THOSE WHO ARE LOST,GUIDE THE YOUNG,PROTECT WOMEN,CHILDREN AND EACH OTHER WITH MODALITIES OF LOVE.IF WE CANNOT DO THIS FOR ONE ANOTHER,FOR THE FREAKS,HOW CAN WE EXPECT THE STAUS QUO TO. I SPELL STATUS QUO..SAD ASS QUO OFTEN.THINK? CONSOCIATIONS.FREEWAY/FREE REDHILL/MICHAEL.
  • sakparadise
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    cousinkix1953
    well, cousinkix, you my friend are certainly bitter. I, too, witynessed the gate crashings, the search for the "miracle ticket" without thought to purchasuing one. And as far as jerry being half-dead, well, jerry was a very sick man. Imagine the load he carried, having to countinue to tour to support countless deadheads and the corporation that the grateful dead had become.I never went to the show unless I had a ticket and I never went for the party. I went for the music and the spaces and places the music took me--plain and simple. I choose to look back at the beauty that the grateful dead brought to the world. Bob Dylan wrote some thirty years ago that "negativity will not pull you through" don't know why you are so bitter but I miss Jerry everyday and I'm just thankful for the time I had with the Dead. As far as the "scene" goes, its out there. I am fortune to have found a pretty cool scene going on here in Flint--motor capital of the world. Anyway, cousinkix, remember the goiod times that the dead provided you with---sometimes there is really nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.
  • Gr8tful Dave
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    The times have changed
    I caught the end of the Dead ( late 80s early 90s) And ive done my share of phish, wsp and countless festivals. And heres the deal....there is a serious lack of love and respect on the scene today. And a endless supply of bad drugs. When I toured with the Dead I had the feeling I was part of a group of people that were so much more enlightened than the world around us. Not a bunch of idiots on pharmies, disrespecting everyone around them.Without love in the dream......
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So twice in the last week I've gotten into conversations with folks who were pretty intense Deadheads back in the day, and their general drift was look, the band no longer exists, they haven't played for 12 years. It is so Over. Get on with your life. Which, of course, is a perfectly reasonable point of view. And yet, here we are. And "we" includes people who never saw the band in the first place but definitely consider themselves on the bus now. So what's up with this? Why are we here? Discuss...
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There's nothing wrong with being proud of, or preferring the music of your younger days. In fact, most of the music of the '60s-'70s-early '80's was better than most of the music of the last 20 years. But when I do hear something I like, like Arcade Fire's Neon Bible, or some other good stuff on Austin City Limits, it makes me especially enthusiastic and hopeful for the future. I wouldn't call being hooked-in to a lot of the popular music of the moment a critical asset!
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It's All Over Now? I beg to differ. If you have been to see Furthur then you know the boys in the band are still out there. In fact, they are again starting up a whole new interest from younger folks in their 20s and 30s who missed out on all the fun back "in the day." Mickey & Billy are out there somewhere on the road, with their various pick-up bands and projects also. But they seem a bit more transient as they forever shift between various line-ups. Of course, it is all over now as far as Letting The Good Times Roll and mass experiments in consciousness-raising. That is over now. Jerry passed and maybe it was time for the experiment to end. Which isn't to say that you can't do some exploring of inner space on your own. i find it fantastic to see the wide and diverse array that the deadheads have become. It is so over now and yet it is not. Clear, some have not gone Furthur enough and are still pushing their trips to the edge. Bravo Brothers & Sisters! We will survive. In fact we have survived and are thriving. So get over it, you who are "it's so over!"!
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as the lyricists said back in the day, new ones coming as the old ones go. Or, the future's here, we are it, we are on our own. I mean, just the other day my godson the college student was pointing his parents' Deadhead pals to his latest digitally remixed rendition of Speedway. The music has worked its way into all kinds of corners of life, and the four surviving guys seem to keep finding interesting stuff to do, and people keep finding it interesting enough to follow. Meanwhile, new people keep discovering the old stuff, too. It's good to be along for the ride, or portions thereof.
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...cause I consider myself a bigger DH now than what I was from 89-95. It's sad but back then I thought being a deadhead mean't wearing tie-dyes and patchoulie and being stoned out of my fucking skull all the time. Of course I was between 17 and 25 at the time so perhaps I can be forgiven. Now being a deadhead means just listening to good music and to keep trying to be a good/kind person. I don't have the time to go on tour with Furthur or whoever else. I don't wear tie-dyes or get stoned anymore. And life is grand.
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until something more formal comes along:http://www.jambands.com/news/2012/02/13/bob-weir-warren-haynes-chris-robinson-jackie-greene-and-more-will-help-phil-lesh-open-terrapin-crossroads/ Published: 2012/02/13 Bob Weir, Warren Haynes, Chris Robinson, Jackie Greene and More Will Help Phil Lesh Open Terrapin Crossroads Phil Lesh has confirmed the opening run of shows at his new venue and restaurant Terrapin Crossroads. Lesh will perform in a number of different configurations throughout March and April, including gigs with Bob Weir, Jackie Greene, Chris Robinson, Jimmy Herring, Jaz Sawyer, Jeff Chimenti, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and Warren Haynes......
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I missed the P& F webcast last night, but here's the setlist: Althea Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain Saint Stephen > Layla Cryptical Envelopment -> Magic Bus -> The Other One > I Know You Rider E: Unbroken Chain GDTRFB
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the music is what keeps it from being over. example jim morrison died in 1971, but the bands popularity with younger fans(im 20 so im in that boat as well) never went away. i love the dead, and so do most of my friends. so it aint over and it will not be over. flower children are still everywhere. plus lets not forget we have bands like phish too.
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Interesting. Life after Dead. Never posted here. The Grateful Dead is Still Rocking and Jamming. It just has different letters in Its' name now. Oh and a number too. Nothings changed. Life after Dead well I will let you know when we get there, if I am here then. Tomorrow Never Knows. I love you, all. It's still true.
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its quaint that sometimes i hear whispered in the background you know she used to be a dh just because i dont run around in tie dyes and the hipster hippy attire or pack my bags at a drop of the hat to play vagabond for a couple months. its assumedthat the dead is part of my past only something i used to do,but that is further from the truth, seeing shows and going on tour was only part of the picture the music was and is the mainstay, and although ill not see jerry again it doesnt stop the music nor creativity that is and will be immortal bliss what ended was just the bizarre sideshow tours became near the end when shakedown street became more like a dirty boulevard., after 92 it actually started to be a scary world out there and touring lost its appeal. my only regret was that i didnt go to more shows in the last years but made up for it,since then by seeing alot more of bob phil and mickey and many other great preformers and smile everytime something new comes on the radio that i can put my finger on and say wow you can hear the dead influence in that song. btw my favorite is a jerry tune only heard preformed live once in all my tours that u robert hunter for making it possible.and jerry for belting it out that night, and know what i found the keys to the rain afterall.the dead wasnt a lifestyle for me it was a journey and lordy be it was a long strange trip.with many roads still left to go.
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Hermann Hesse wrote a book titled Journey to the East, the theme of which is that while we are active participants in something we feel it is vibrant and happening but once we drop out of the thing we feel it has stopped for everyone, no matter if it remains as active and progressive for all other participants. Seems to be universal, in my experience.
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The time go? I remember being in the parking lot of a show reading a letter from the band with the usual stuff about people without tickets. The warning at the end was "When this stops ain't nothing going to bring it back." But then Jerry went to the limit and that seemed to effect the boys in the band quite a bit. I can imagine that they fely like they were in their prime as musicians and it would be a shame to break it up. Of course the name Grateful Dead was retired, as it should have been but the rest of the members of the band continued unabated. There was a period of a couple years of mourning but by 97' the Furthur Festival was back on tour as well as Ratdog and Phil & Friends shows and various side projects by the drummers. They drifted somewhat apart and to me,the closest they ever got to being back together was the 2002 Other Ones lineup that had Phil & Bruce returning with Baracco on lead. Mickey really stepped up to organize the playing and it was awesome. In 2002 the parking lot scene was still very reminiscent of a Dead show with very quality tie-dyes and other official and unofficial merch. out there. There wasn't the burnt edge of hard drugs being readily available among heads following the tour that became very evident in 2003-2004 as The Dead reunited. Then a few more years of going their separate ways and then one more tour as The Dead in 2009. Now we have Furthur for over three years thanks to Phil's transplant (Happy belated birthday Phil). The point is the scene had quality musicians and momentum and the musicians remaining seem to be willing to carry this body of music to their own deaths. And we can all remain around for the ride for as long or little as we like. Let the naysayers neg. on this one if they want. Jerry is gone along with the Grateful Dead but the music goes on and on and on and from this vantage point I see one or another of the boys carrying on for at least 5 more years. Dedication to The Heart Of Gold Band. You have to be Grateful
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They are out, both on MOFI, who are hot right, I am listening to MOFI's SACD of The ABB's "Brothers and Sisters", sounds so exquisite. They have now released "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty". Why isn't there a HDCD of "Mars Hotel" anywhere? Well,groovin' to "Jelly,Jelly"
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I've been reading in several news articles about a fan club pre sale on feb 9-11 but there's no information confirming that on the dead50 site or the gdtstoo site. I'm a member of several GD fan clubs but am not receiving any emails or info on a presale from them. Does anyone have more info? Thanks brothers and sisters, see you in chi town. Di
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◾Dead pre sale begins Feb 12th @ 10 a.m. CST via Dead Online Ticketing. Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required. Before checking out, all users must create an account after tickets are added and before completing the transaction.
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It not JUST about the shows,it's a way of life.It's about Peace,Love,Harmony,Music,Family,and telling those youngsters how it was and can be again.I'm 61,seen everybody from Areosmith to Z Z Top.I have played( drums) for fun & professionally.Most of the people I hang out with are 30-40 years younger than I am.I'm the "Old Hippie" that tells stories of huge gatherings of people from all walks of life to come and hear music and dance in the isles.That there was no black,brown,yellow or white there was only US a peaceful group of like minded individuals. I tell them we don't need no stinkin' guns.Spread the love,share the music,get involved,stand up against social injustice,Make A Difference.Pass those stories of awesome gathering and great shows on to the younger generation and have them pass it along.Is Hendrix,Janis, The Dead & Led Zeppelin still relevant? .........HELL YES Peace The Dude
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well, based on the phenomenal interest in Fare Thee Well before,during AND after both runs, I'd say this question is a bit premature. But if you're over it, that works for you. (the generalized "you" of course)
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It's safe to say FTW put a different aspect on things...
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....don't hear her singing yet..... that's just Donna ;-)
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Howdy folks, Been a .com member for a long time, but never had much to say...until Fare The Well. Put out for ppv for the first time for the last concert. Best 50 bucks I ever spent. It was profound for me. The Dead have been the sound track of my life since '65 and my wife and me from '72-'12. She would have liked this concert. Wait until November for the cd/dvd release? I'll never make it! Have some good video and instrument, but yet to find a good vocal video. The second set YouTube share of the complete second set from Zoe Alyse is the only video set I've found and the crowd sounds damp the vocals...like if you were there; the vibe is like live. Got the whole soundboard audio, no vid. YouTube is new to an old codger like me. Only Dead vids drew me in and then, not until I got a Roku Streaming Stick to access YouTube on my TV. High recommendation for a really inexpensive entertainment add-on. Just know you don't stream from your device to the TV, you get to access stuff you have "in the Cloud", which is pretty cool getting my Pandora and YouTube playlists played over good speakers and get that body feel and not just audio in my head. You can get me at rickpucko@yahoo.com also.
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I think not..for some maybe, but not me.September will be my third straight Lockn Music Festival in VA! Great fun Great vibes Great shows! Phil, Billy with their current bands this year...Bobby the last two as well. Also had the opportunity to meet and converse with Sam Cuttler (former band mgr) last year. Who knows what lies ahead unless you go furthur... Check out the 4 day schedule..so many great reasons to stay on the bus! iGrateful
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I never saw Jerry. I have a fear of buses and basically anything that resembles an "us". A friend tells me last December "Listen to an Althea" I was moved. Then I came here and found a beautiful family. I was blessed to be able to attend all 5 FTW shows. I was changed forever. Am I on the bus? Am I a Dead Head? I don't know but I am honored to share this earth with such a beautiful group of human beings.
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I have come to embrace the fact that the 'Grateful Dead' is an entity that lives on in all those incredible songs. They have an enduring quality that continues to have meaning for people. They really were Built To Last! Listening to Stu Allen rip it up at the last Jerry Day it occurred to me that Jerry's unique form of mind expanding guitar work could be thought of as a sort of spiritual or wisdom tradition wherein in a lineage of great guitar players could keep the music alive far into the future. I think any so called Head who has decided 'it's over' probably never really went to shows for the music anyway. Not that there weren't a thousand other good reasons to go, I guess. I can understand people not wanting to look back and there's a hell of a lot of great music out there to sustain them. Hey, each to their own.