• 323 replies
    marye
    Joined:
    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...

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • johnnyg
    Joined:
    Interesting topic
    I will be the first to tell you that I took Jerry's death and the loss of a life pretty hard. And not in a very mature nature.But still went to work. Still paid my bills and taxes. Still cleaned the bathrooms at home. A bad painful divorce accompanied the loss of Jerry (some correlation but not much) I love to see Bob, Phil, and others carry the torch. I love to walk and listen down memory lane, and have made new friends doing so. And certainly relived some KILLER memories of POW, WHAMO, SOCKO from the Largeman & the Fellas. The friends and fellowships of 83-95 will never be forgotten. I like to look at the younger kids and wonder what they are thinking.... I am only speaking for myself...but there was a candle that used to burn thats no longer, and even though its been 12 years depending on who you ask....there is still a sense of loss and sadness. Truth is.....deep down I knew it couldn't last forever.....but I wished it would. I mean I am so grateful for life...I have a new kidney that keeps me rollin and tumblin, and working. I think its best to be grateful for the gifts we received and shared, and pass on what we can, and live and love the best way we know how. "We will get by!" "Goin where the water tastes like wine..." “The Omnipotent Grateful Dead!”
  • scamperoni
    Joined:
    Over?
    I'm still having fun, I'm still seeing my friends at shows albiet, not Grateful Dead shows, but Bobby's there & Phil & Vince was (RIP) and a cast of many, many more...just enjoying everything as much as I can, and teaching my children how to survive in on this crazy spinning blue marble we call home. Took the family up to the Haight Street Fair a coupla weeks ago and had a total blast. Loved that last band...what's their name? Madame Butterfly...something like that...all day, everywhere people laughing and dancing and enjoying everthing. Over, over, over...maybe they're talking about the marble spinning over? People wearing blinders shouldn't tell others what to do! Life does go on and we must celebrate what we had, what we have and what good things will come!!!! Life's too short to be blue...
  • neddles
    Joined:
    After Jerry.
    After Jerry passed it was too painful for me to really listen all that much. I went to one of the Other Ones shows, but after that I just stopped. All I could do was look back in sadness at what had been.Then in 2004, a friend turned me on to all of the digitalization of the dead shows and where to download them. I was blown away... and it rekindled my love of all dead things. I went to the Comes A Time memorial the next year and really enjoyed reliving the memories. The thing is that the scene will never be the same and the people will never be the same, but the memories always linger. And thanks to Bear (amongst many others), copious shows are out there waiting to entertain and fascinate. I don't go to any of the post-dead shows any more, and frankly, I'm not very interested in most other so-called 'jam bands''. So for me, this site represents wonderful nostalgia and info on various shows that will continue to entertain me until I die!
  • grateful daddy
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Its not over till we say its
    Its not over till we say its over! All non-believers get off the bus. Maybe you were never on in the first place. Plenty of pseudo-heads in the later days. Luckily they were usually easy to spot sleeping in their chairs on the floor with the latest concert T on.
  • Deadicated
    Joined:
    Good sense.
    The Dead just make good sense to me. For that reason, I am "on the bus". Am I a "Deadhead"? I guess. But, most important, the Dead complement who I am and that's good enough for me. "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
  • hackster
    Joined:
    post-dead
    i hafta agree- the band does not exist now. i only saw 'em 12 times. the post-dead lineups, to me, are like spinoffs from a sitcom, that never, ever, match the quality of the original. gotta admit- haven't seen any of 'em, really don't care to... NOT to say that they aren't any good... it's just that- when you've seen the best, why settle for less? i'd rather listen to my ORIGINAL grateful dead shows, thank you. the band is over... it WAS fun... the recordings STILL ARE fun... and i have "got on" with my life... but i still listen to my 1000+ live shows.
  • Barbara
    Joined:
    it's a mystery
    I must admit -- I don't know if I'd be on the bus had I "started" now. My experiences actually seeing the Dead (and arranging my lifestyle around being a Deadhead) are inextricable from my Coming of Age. Before I ever saw them, I had decided that the Dead would be my path from childhood to whatever adulthood was. Strange as it sounds, this came to me in a dream! I saw my first show at 15 in NY, chose Stanford so I could see them more, and kept up faithfully until '95, which was just about the time of my Saturn return. There is something that is "over" for me, but I'm afraid that something is my youth, not my dance with the Dead! "Study as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow." -- Maria Mitchell
  • Duggles
    Joined:
    "The band no longer exists, they haven't played for........."
    For these people you talked to - the band no longer does exist. They have decided to "move on" with their lives. I am living the same wonderful life full of colors, sounds, tastes, smells, and warmth that made me feel at home the first time I experienced it back in 1979. I enjoy not only reminecing the past experiences but also checking out those new incarnations which were influenced by this thing. This being the 40th anniversary of the summer of love, I would submit that the whole genre is still influencing and is very much alive. These very people, that you spoke with, may catch a second wind and just really feel it in the future. Maybe it is lost to them forever. For me I hope that it never dies. I have an acute feeling that am extremely fortunate to have existed in the time capsule that I did to have been lucky enough to be there. In very much the same way that a classical lover would have felt who lived during Mozarts time. Those that loved and experienced Mozart's live performances, I am sure, savored and cherished their experiences all the days of their lives and for years beyond his death. We're still in awe. Wake up and smell the roses. You experienced "grateness", don't be afraid to savor it. Dougles
  • c_c
    Joined:
    same same but different
    I would submit that the experience for the band members was different from that of a deadhead who was not part of the inner 'working' circle. by 'working' circle, I mean those who made a living by somehow being employed by the Grateful Dead. I would also point out that most of the members had their own musical side projects going long before Jerry passed away. If not musical side projects, then they certainly had 'lives' or hobbies / interests separate from the band and separate from the music. don't we all? this is why I am still perplexed as to exactly what I am supposed to move on to? I am not trying to be obtuse here, but I still fail to see their (those that said move on with your life) point. Bob Weir said something, when asked if he (and maybe Phil?) was going to keep on playing music, something like 'I'm not going to change who I am...' (a paraphrase) Jerry also said a long time ago, something to the effect of 'if we (the grateful dead) are all you have, then you have nothing' What we are doing with what the band left us is: enjoying the music sharing the music sharing the experiences that once were appreciating all things grateful and, did I say? enjoying the music. ( -: peace.
  • Golden Road
    Joined:
    "Yeah but....."
    "....you're not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole!" "What the fuck are you talking about?"
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Forums
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...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Funny--my brother and I saw many shows during the mid 80's to early 90's. I am 42 and still love the Grateful Dead--there is something spiritually satisfying and grounding about the music. while my brother still loves it, he listens to all the contemporary stuff--rap, hip-hop, etc. and says I am stuck in the past. Not quite true, but I know what he means. However, I think the music is as timeless as classical music. people still love Beethoven and Bach. I know the music is timeless when my four year old son surprises me and starts singing the words to Uncle John's Band! That being said, I do listen to current music. Widespread Panic is on fire last night--just caught one of their shows in L.A. Jimmy Herring is really clicking with them. Download the show from 4-27-07 in Orange Beach, AL. Anyhow, as long as shows keep getting released, I'll keep buying them. I hope to still listen when I'm an old old man, and hope my kids enjoy it as much as i do...
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I love reading through the posts here. Like others have said, the thoughts posted here are the thoughts of my own. It seems we all here are echoing a similar vibe. To me, being a deadhead is essentially part of your spirit. It is something that you love. To me, I don't chose what I love- it comes to me and it is part of me. The dead, and all that we are trying to define here as the essence of the experience, it is what we love. I don't think that it is something that you can cut out of you, it is part of you. And why would you have to? What I love about the dead and the deadhead community is there are no rules, it is total freedom to me. You could do whatever you wanted to express yourself however you wanted. To me the dead is about creativity. Creativity in the music, creativity in art, creativity in how we chose to live our lifes, how we define our families... Why should we start now trying to limit this? Why would we want this to be over? To me the grateful dead has always been more that what we can put a finger on and define. Oops, real world calling...... must get back to work..... I enjoy reading everyones thoughts here. We have created here yet another community of deadheads and it aint over here..... Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile....
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

boy - reading some of these comments gives me a head ache. the grateful dead made music that is not really replicated today - and although now getting up there in age - i do keep up with today's music world of live performing bands - and enjoy much of what is out there. but the grateful dead remain fun to listen to and there are those days where nothing else will do - really amazing that so much of what they did was recorded and more amazing that so much has been released and hopefully will continue to be released for continued listening enjoyment for those who want to go back and hear this great playing. i cannot make much more out this question of "living in the past". hey their old shows remain fun to listen to; why make more out it than simply that.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Maybe those that have moved on ceased to find the spirit and be connected, and that's okay. With all due respect, maybe some never really were "there", and that's okay too. Personally, walking into a show always felt like coming home after a long journey - with a sense of community in a way that is not easily replaced. The excitement in the air was simply tangible. You could feel a peaceful vibration or humming that can only be described as joy. So, the question is not "why don't you move on?", but rather, "what path are you on?". Has your mind moved on to what other life lessons you are here to learn, or, do your life lessons encompass and embrace those feelings, and therefore still lives on in that spirit? Camille
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Isn't "move on" just a diaphanous expression, anyway?I agree with Camille, above. There was a palpable feeling at shows that I've never felt anywhere else. When I do something out of anger or other such emotion, I don't think "That's not a very Christian or Jewish or Buddhist or Muslim or Hindu thing to do," I think, "That wasn't a very Deadhead thing to do." To leave that sentiment behind would be to leave behind the only thing that ever truly made sense to me: A place of wonder and adventure, filled with people intent on experiencing as much joy as they could. And to keep in touch with that place, I listen to the Grateful Dead. A lot. But even without the esoteric existentialism, as a music lover, I enjoy listening to the best music I can find. Luckily, that happens to be the boys.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

"Emotion" should be plural.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Just got back home from SOL party in England a great time was had by all involved, great music played Groups playing were, Silverwood, Urban Spacemen, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford (Unscheduled), Cosmic Charlies and Barry Melton and Green Ray all taking place in the beautiful Kent counrtryside and no Rain Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

i have listened to the dead most of my 26 years but i never experienced a dead show. i have experienced the sense of community, love, people looking out for one another, and thousands of people dancing to the same music in the middle of the woods or the middle of a city. that's what it's all about and it's not ever going to be over for me....
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

it ain't over till we say its over! get on with which part of my life?? with all due respect to a 'former' deadhead, fuck that. what am I going to do? put on a fucking suit and tie and become the MAN? what am I going to do? change my philosophy of life? -- which, ironically, includes respect for how others choose to live their lives... so if one wishes to tell another to 'get on with their life', I'll politely listen and after I politely listen, I'll say, "fuck that" that is the NYC deadhead in me. ( -: but it ain't none of my business how others choose to be or what they choose to do... it is called freedom of personal choice. I really don't get their opinion... I really don't understand their point. what is over? the shows with Jerry? the shows with Brent? Vince? well shit, the shows with Keith and Donna, and Pig Pen were over long ago, too. What is over? the Grateful Dead as we once knew it? as long as the music exists to sooth my soul, I will always be a deadhead and always be on the bus. and it ain't like I don't listen to other music, I certainly do, always have always will. and it ain't like I don't go listen to other bands play, always have always will. marye, what is their point? I really don't get it. I would submit that some people who have left the dead in their wake, may never have really saw the light, or perhaps never really 'got it' . case by case, of course. ( -; peace. here hear. my sentiments exactly, especially the nyc head portion known as fuck that!!!!!! nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

gypsy soul, you totally freaked me out... (in a good way) I'm reading what you wrote, thinking, damn, this sounds familiar?? (confused look, the wheels in my head turning) wow, I think EXACTLY the same thing... then I realized you cut and pasted it. (heart beats / pulse slowing down...) ( -; peace.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

at least your paying attention. besides i copied it because we ARE thinking the exact same thing. who are these supposed "heads' that are telling us to move on. apparently EMPTY heads. the dead is just too deep to leave behind. nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

At 10,000 Lakes Festival there is one band whose t- shirts you see everywhere you look. Old shirts, brand new shirts on young and old alike. The Good Old Grateful Dead. Lots of the folks wearing them were too young to have seen them. The spirit lives on; the tradition continues. Jamming, dancing, the sound of sweet guitars, smiles and joy in the air. Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) Walt Whitman-Song of Myself
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Mozart is also not actually around now either, and yet you rarely hear people suggest that those who like Mozart (Powdered-Wig Heads?) "get over it". The point is to try and be happy and help others do the same during the brief moment in the sun that we have. If something makes you happy and hurts no one else, it is in my opinion a good thing. If someone doesn't want to be part of that well I wish them luck on their chosen path.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Howdy folks, I think the best thing out there is this website and David Gan's radio show of the Grateful Dead. There will never be another band like the Grateful Dead, but the psychedelic aspect will always be present in somebody's music. I recently went to see the police and walking in my footsteps was very psychedelic in my opinions, sure it wasn't drums/space but Sting and the sidemen knew what they're doing in taking the music somewhere. I really got dis-enfranchised with the scene by 1995. I got tired of all the folks who attended shows NOT for the music but for everything else, frat boys, activists, dealers both legal and illegal. I simply wanted to go to a concert, not really a festival. Sure, there were lots of good folks there , but it was getting out of hand, and if Garcia didn't pass there probably would have to be a hiatus at some point. I really wanted to hear a studio album, beucase there was going to be so much good music on that album. I really would like some audio engineers to try to isolate some of jerry's tracks from any multi-track live recording and try to make that last album with the rest of the band. Sure , everybody would call it a sell out, but I'll buy it; oops I forgot about vince, they'll have to do it with "long way to go home" . That was a great song becuase Garcia got to do the role that he hasn't done since the days of pig pen, accompanyment striaght forward...I think my fav is deer creek 93 for long way to go home. Garcia's guitar playing was really good on that tune. Ursa Minor I wish that for just one time, You could stand inside my shoes, and for just that one moment, I could be you - Bob Dylan, Positively 4th St.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Yeah, I was kind of thinking of a similar thing. It would be neat to take some of the video on tape, have a computer generate a hologram image of Jerry, then have the Dead do a tour with Jerry actually on stage in the form of a hologram. Obviously the guitar tracks would have to be isolated from the many multi-track recordings in the vault. But it would be pretty wild. Even if he just came out for the second set, or something like that. The problem I guess is that for some reason the "Dead" are no longer touring. I caught them in Charlotte in August '04, and couldn't understand why they called it quits. They were great. Greg SC
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

i have been a deadhead for over 25 years. i can never let go. i go see whats left of the Dead, Phil and friends, Ratdog. The reason being is its as close as I can get to what I have loved for so long. I caught the 04 Dead tour, loved it. The thing about Ratdog I have noticed since they formed is the music is getting slower and jazzier as time goes by.It doesnt do it for me.Im not going to no more RD shows this year.Maybe next year. I have heard that Phil wont share the stage with Bob again.Im not sure of the whole story ,but would like to see the Dead get back together again. Billy wont you come out and play!!!!!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

my life will always have the dead in it. whether i'm listening to a show, or a song on the radio or humming a line from a song. they have been a huge part of my adult life and they will go my grave with me. i met someone recently who never saw a show in his life yet starts every morning with a couple of songs on his stereo and in his car. he told me that it helps kick start his day, puts him in a good mood and gets him thru the day. the music will live for as long as we want it to. sure, i miss seeing them and i'm not fond of bobby and rat dog shows but i cannot not have them being a part of me. they touched my core a long time ago in jersey city and i have never lost that feeling and hope i never do. my only wish is that bobby and phil could put aside their differences and put the family back together again and hit the road. jerry may not be there but the music would be.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

I started listening to the dead last year around this time. I heard Sugar magnolia and it was one of the most beautiful sounds I ever heard. I dove head first into dead history and culture. I started listening to ratdog and phil and friends. I discovered many other bands like SCI and others. Even though the dead broke up and I will never get a chance to see them, I will still live my life and they will be a part of it.
user picture

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Whoever said that? haven't they heard of recorded music????? of course everything changes but the tunes and the spirit remain the same.............. of course our lives carry on & we cannot be stuck in the past - our past leads to our present........... There are some cool live bands out there now - phew! - otherwise it would be really crap for all of us & especially young people who are setting out on their music trails For me the dead can't be beaten in terms of good tunes, hours of music with fab guitar solos, some deep and meaningful lyrics along with some high times and laughs I will ALWAYS listen to the dead - why stop now? they lift my spirit & can get me thru stuff.......... All the music i've listened to & gigs I ve been to over the years (not just the dead) are part of me & I am glad for those experiences. It doesn't mean we can't still have more now.............just different
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

The tear of the Phoenix has healing powers. When the magnificent bird becomes to tired and weak it bursts into flames and from the ashes a new creature is born. The Harry Potter point here is that there is no more Grateful Dead and has not been since Jerry Garcia passed away on the saddest August day. There is, and as long as those who enjoy the music and the philosophy of a collective mind believe it to be so and, more importantly, MAKE it so. There was nothing like a Grateful Dead Show. NOTHING. But there is no reason that from the off-shoots, the musical followers and fans that cannot build the next generation back better and stonger than before. The bickering and cursing that occurs among the fans is the dark side. The light is the music, the passion and the creativity that early Grateful Dead inspired. It is the dedication and hope that the middle and later years of the Grateful Dead delivered. The light is what keeps us writing, singing, painting and talking about the band, the times and the future. Wheter we choose to see the glass as half full, half empty or just a broken cup - as long as we make it so, it is ours to behold. Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.Bless you for reading this.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I only seen the Grateful Dead 5 Times and That was over 12 years ago but the Dead still live strong in me.I say as long as peaple play there music it will always live,as long as we have there music it will live and as long as we love there music it will live.Its like a good book that we pass down to the next generation.The only thing that really bothers me is that "The Dead" are not touring,what happend they were doing so well in 2003 & 2004,it seemed like every thing was clicking and going so smooth.The band was playing almost as good as they were when the Grateful Dead were at there peek.No one will be able to replace Jerry and I dont want them to but the music should go on.The 4 guys who are alive should be together playing so the younger crowd can injoy them and get an idea of what it was like,It might not be as big as it once was but we might never know either if they dont try.I just want to see them together again cuz they do put on a good show and yes Rat-Dog & Phill & friends are good but its not anything like it is when its Phill Bobby Micky and Bill.We go see The Dead & there are three parts to the show which we dont get seeing Just Phill or Bobby.We get the first set then the first half of the second set the second half of the second set.If i rember right they said not to let the music die and in the majority of us its far from dead,Thats why I dont understand why there not together.Who knows how long they have to,they should be playing as much as they can together or at least tour in the summer together and do a mimi tour in the winter.Like in the winter do 3 in cali & then do a show in Chicago then P.A. then N.Y. and so on.My younger brother loves the Dead and he just got into them a year ago he is 17 years old and he never saw them live and I am afraid he may never get to.This is what I mean by passing it down to the younger genaration.I didnt care for the Grateful Dead intill my cuz dragged me along with her and I was a Head after that,The weird thing was that I got into the show cuz of Weir and Phill cuz Bobby was moving all around get down to the music and he went over by Phill and then Phill & Bobby just started to get down for a few minutes,I mean bobby was jamming and Phill was dropping the bass note down hard and I just got sucked in.Then I wanted to go to the next show so I hit up my bank grabed,grabed some cash and the next night they were all on unlike the night before were Jerry didnt seem with it and this night is the night that jerrys Guitar just set me on fire.Like I said The Dead are far from being over. Have A Grateful Day, DireWolf_81
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

in carrying on with spirit, my 12 yr. old son has now shown an interest in the grateful dead...just out of the blue i heard alabama getaway playing in his room...i gave him the dix pix from oklahoma 73 and a ratdog from the beacon as a primer compare and contrast to what was and what is...my heart soared on that day....
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I'm not understanding the should-be parts of your post, direwolf81. I'd never want to tell someone that following their bliss isn't what they Should Be doing, but come over here and do this thing that I think you Should Be doing. or worse, that I think you owe it to (whomever) to be doing. Even back when the Grateful Dead were at their prime, (prime being in the ears and eyes of the beholder, of course) I still saw Weir/Wasserman, JGB, and various conglomerations like that. It wasn't 100% only the boys doing only the Grateful Dead act. The Dead are far from being over, and the music is still alive and swirling all around us.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I'm still sorting out a lot of what went down back when and finally getting a chance to really listen to the shows that I've collected over the years. "It is so Over. Get on with your life." Okay, but that doesn't mean I'm done with this music, the scene, and the people that I've met as a direct result of the good old GD.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 3 months
Permalink

Whether the Dead are gone or not is not the important issue. Its that the older generation passes it on to the younger generation. Its not just about passing the music either, its that they pass on the idea of acceptance and peace to the younger kids. There is SO MUCH hate in the world right now that I think the Hippies, Deadheads, Diggers, or whatever you were have an amazing opportunity right now to guide us youger kids. Peace- Patrick
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

As I walk throughThis wicked world Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity. I ask myself Is all hope lost? Is there only pain and hatred, and misery? And each time I feel like this inside, There's one thing I wanna know: What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? And as I walked on Through troubled times My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes So where are the strong And who are the trusted? And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony. 'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry. What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? So where are the strong? And who are the trusted? And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony. 'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry. What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I'll be forever grateful I had the chance to see Jerry live so many times and that he was the one who inspired me to learn how to play the guitar when I was 15. Now, 30 years later, I'll still occasionally down a few beers, take a couple hits of Humboldt, put on a Dead video or CD and jam along with my musical hero.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Just check out the posting on Aug20 thru26. The music and the spirit of the music will never end for me, but I think some of the so called Heads with all the mean spirited postings need to get a life. Remember MEAN PEOPLE SUCK!!!!!!!
user picture

Member for

17 years 2 months
Permalink

I was raised on the Dead. Went to shows as a kid. The music was the soundtrack to my childhood. Dead shows were my parents's thing though until after I got out of high school. The first show I went to (by choise) was December, Oakland 1992. That show knocked my socks off. That ONE SHOW changed my life forever. I don't look at things, think about things, believe in things now the way I did before my first Dead show. I went on a few summer tours, quit quite a few jobs to go to shows, sold burritos in the lot, lived the Dead scene. Jerry died the day after my daughter was born, so I couldn't really mourn the loss of the Dead for a while. But I couldn't listen to the music for years without sadness. 12 years later and I STILL feel like there is a big, empty space in my life. And I'm sad that I can't bring my daughter to a show. The music, the lyrics, space, the lot, Shakedown street, the trippers, the jugglers, the artwork, the beadwork, the way that all those bodies could just GROOVE together, the spinners with their feet all taped up, the food, all the VW's on the highway on the way to the show, the drum circles, the Birkenstocks, the dogs, the babies in cloth diapers and tie dyes, the dreadlocks, the miracle seekers, the meditators, "undercover" cops, the schoolbuses, the FAMILY, the ones who went to the shows early to get in the front row, the ones who bought seat tickets, the ones who wanted the grass tickets, people rolling down the grass at Shoreline, camping on the lawn all weekend in Oregon, little old ladies selling bagels to hippies and wondering what the heck they were talking about, flower wreaths, bells on ankles, tapestries, pants held together with duct tape, VW's held together with duct tape, VW engines pulled entirely out of vans and being rebuilt after the show and the security folks who didn't know how to kick them out of the lot.......who can say that's all gone? It is, but it isn't. Today, physically, that scene is pretty much gone. But in our memories and in our hearts, it lives. It lives so strongly that as I'm typing I can SMELL the dirt and dust and food. Like ghostly echos, I can HEAR the music. I can SEE the euphoric smiles and the tender beauty in the spinners faces. My heart beats a little faster because of those memories. I am a happier person because of the Grateful Dead. So, there is no "getting over it". I have not "gotten over" the birth of my daughter 12 years ago, why in the world would I "get over" the Dead because they've been gone for 12 years? How do you "get over" something that helped you become who you are today? How do you "get over" the amazing impact the Jerry and the Dead had on this world? Things happened at the shows that never have happened anywhere else in the world and probably never will. Things happened in my soul because of what happened at the shows. We are here because we are part of the Grateful Dead and the Grateful Dead is a part of us. As long as we are here, the Grateful Dead lives. Our love is real, not fade away.
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

That was cool.With your permission, I'd like to print that and show it to folks who ask why I still have such passion for music that was played long ago. They still may not get it, but you said it better than I ever could. Peace, Richard
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

It will never end :) Keep on dancin' thru the daylight, Greet the mornin' air with song No ones's noticed, but the band's all pack and gone. Was it ever there at all? But they keep on dancin' C'mon children, C'mon children, Come on clap your hands Well the cool breeze came on Tuesday, And the corn's a bumper crop And the fields are full of dancin' Full of singin' and romancin' The music never stopped. Peace
user picture

Member for

17 years 2 months
Permalink

Go for it! Print and send away. That's what I posted it for........
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 2 months
Permalink

If you love to see bands perform live and wish you could take a piece of that performance home with you, now you can. Some of your favorite bands don’t have a policy against recording the performance and some even promote it under the guise of getting the most out of the show. These portable field recorders make that both easy and affordable. Click here to see which recorder will best suit you. Click here for a great selection of field recorders for your use.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

well, i never saw them. so i can say next to nothing about the 'experience', but as a Gen-Y'er i dont think it's over. the music lasts forever, and especially theirs. it doesnt ever go 'out of style' and it can appeal to anyone, regardless of race, social status, religion, culture. it's universal. it transcends all boundaries. the grateful dead's music is so unique and can never be duplicated. it can just be imitated. not only that, but it's interesting. the atmosphere surrounding the counterculture is still appealing .... i think that's why the dead have lasted [in spirit] and lasted for over 30 years. everyone just wants to be free and their music really captures that feeling.
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

I disliked my parents music as I was growing up. The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Led Zepplin, etc. was my generations music. It still goes on because its great music and great music never dies. My grown kids love my music. We go to music festivals and camp out. Our favorite is going to see The Schwag at Schwagstock, which is several weekends during the summer and they have from 3,000 to 4,000 people. And I have yet to see any trouble at these festivals cause everyone is cool and gets along. They're just there to have a good time and listen to great music. You know, my kids and their friends have often told me that they wished they could have grown up and experienced my generation and I take that as a compliment to the music of my time....GREAT MUSIC GOES ON generation after generation.....PEACE : )
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

The music will live on as long as there are listeners and an organization that gets the flow of new releases back on track. The most recorded band in the history of recorded music certainly should have several new offerings a year that can continue to come out for decades. Hopefully they'll release the Multi-track Branford show from '90 Nassau and Alpine '87 (regardless of recording quality of the matrix mix) in my lifetime.
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

cause we r the eyes of the world.....its inus we experienced something thats never been done before and never will b done the same again....beileve it if u need it im gonna pass it on threw the music and my actions..things will never b the same 4 people who were touched by jerry and the whole experience...
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

soul dance.i read alot of great experiences here.first im probably gonna piss alot of people off.jerry to me was not the dead.each person who has come and gone has had their very own gifts musically and spiritually.all the shows are different.all the band mems are or were to.yes i greived when jerry died it was aloss.but ive learned as a kid you greive and you let go pray for their spirit to go into the spirit world.jerry truley had on foot in that world for a long time.my he rest happily.i love the dead people cant believe i still listen to them daily.so many great shows i tell them.music feeds my soul it makes my soul dance.the band members that are still on this planet are great they have wonderful talent.their are loads of other bands i love and listen to because they feed my soul.not like the dead or other band mems,i have had so many experiences and im not just talking about when i would drop,but spiritual in nature,but because i live a certine way.and ya the dead is a part of that.still is probably sit in a long term care facility and listen to my music.is their life after the dead well were all here now and i think weve moved into diferent chalenges and life experiences..and guess what were still kind loving,respectful people.so i can say when the grateful dead were all together i still lived life,"moved on"one thing aboutlife it evolves,and the other there is always changes.it is in how one proceeds with it and accepts it.bottom line is that we are all spiritual beings havin a human experience.like it or not.. SO LIFE AFTER THE GRATEFUL DEAD ,HUMMM,ALWAYS HAD ONE....PEACE,TO THE ONES WHO CHOSE TO DIE ANDLIVE IN A SAD EXSSITANCE OF NOT LETTING GO AND LIVING.
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

"If you don't like where the shoes that fit are leading you. . . . Take them off and go barefoot." and "If you don't know where you are going. . . . then you can't possibly be lost." Can I just ask a couple of questions on the matter? First of all since when did we (as a whole) change what we were doing because of what other people think??? I don't know perhaps none of you were subject to, or remember, the stereotypical ridicule that came down on you because you were into the Dead, Hell I remember one time in Ohio when there was a check point on the freeway and they were pulling out and searching any vehicle that had Grateful Dead stickers on them or were driven by anyone who fit the stereotype or the prcieved image of a Dead head and did that stop us? Hell no. Second question who is to say when anything is over? apparently some folks who were once into the Dead decided that when Jerry Garcia died that, that somehow marked the end of something that was bigger than any of us Jerry included. It was about the music, and the commonality of views and lifestyle, and interests and the sharing of ideas and love and kindness, THE BETTERMENT OF US ALL, and well hell people it still is, I still love the music and I still have the truth within me that drives me to be righteous, and fair, and kind, and hopeful, and happy, and just everything. . . . None of that died with Jerry. Do you not still listen to the music? does it not still affect you? are you not still wanting and searching to commune with others that live and love the way you do? Get over it?!?!?!?!?!? Get over what?!?!?!?!?!? We all know that Jerry is gone, but we're all still here. The fact that this site exists and that we all have so much to say about this proves, in itself, that "IT" is most certainly not over. Perhaps those that think that it's over, never realized what "IT" was and is and will continue to be for the forseeable future. We all love the Dead (that's a given correct?) But I guess that what it really comes down to then is what The Grateful dead was to you then, and what they are to you now; if they were for you nothing more than a reason to get out and travel and have an adventure shared by thousands, then they were your' vehicle for attaining somethng that you could've attained on your own (except for the thousands joining you) but were unable to see that, and without them you still don't see that your possibilities are what you decide them to be, then it probably is over for you, and well I am sorry. If the Dead was some kind of inner spiritual awkening (which to most of us it was to some extent) then you need to realize that perhaps you're just not allowing the music to still lift you up. . . . . "If you get confused just listen to the music play" If however the Grateful Dead was your means of financial support (you made your living on tour) i.e. you went to the shows only to set up your wares and what have you in the parking lot to make money but didn't ever go into the shows (well I am guessing that you are not reading this either) then it's over move on go find some other group to leach off of!!! (OOPS sorry I hope I didn't hurt anyones feelings there. but I mean really If you were a vendor and a fan right on most likely you can still find a market place for your wares, and if you can't it's simply because you're not trying. I did both toured and found a way or two to support myself along the way but it was never my primary means of support, the things (well) most of the things that I sold on tour I marketed to local stores in my home town too, even after Jerry died, and I am not talking about drugs or copyrighted things here!!) I guess that all I am trying to say is that it's just like everything else in this life. . . . . "It all comes down to a matter of perspective" so peace to all of you weather you see things as being over, just beginning, or simply keepin on keepin on. It's all yours do what you but don't damn me for doing what I am doing. "When the singing man is at his song, the holy are on their knees."
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

Life after the Grateful Dead...The Music Never Stopped
user picture

Member for

17 years
Permalink

"They're a band beyond description like Jehovah's favorite choir people joining hand in hand " We'll keep on dancing
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

They were one of the last outposts of fun and freedom in a country that no longer seems to have much of an appetite for either one (present company excepted of course!).
user picture

Member for

17 years
Permalink

Being over is a state of mind. If you no longer dig the scene, the music, whatever, that is your perspective. I have been known to wander away for a week or two only to be grounded by a terrible day at work or a stressful time. The music stays in my soul regardless of what I am doing and I never grow tired of it. Some of the boys may be getting on in years and of course we all miss the ones who have passed on, but to say it's over and to get on with it is a little irresponsible to others who need the dead. Somehow they help me realize how important it is to live in the moment without letting go of the past. For those who say it's over I think they are confused, and if you get confused, listen to the music play!
user picture

Member for

17 years
Permalink

I am a deadhead!! that will never change...i still go see ratdog and phil and friends and darkstar orchestra..i still live kindness empathy and good vibes...i still listen to shows...the music still nurtures my spirit...i still go to festivals and drum ..i identify with the tribe who are deadheads and hippies,,i am a elder now!!!and i walk the talk of the hippie values.....i beleive in revolution thru spirituality ...i miss jerry of course,,but bobby and phil keep the music alive...life is to short to be bitter ..we have all lost dear friends along the way...gives us perspective on how prescious life is..no time for regrets..You got to let it shine!!! take delight in being creative eating good food and cultivating longevity..........be a inspiration to the younger heads...... feel the Great Spirit in your life...go deep within and let your love shine....this is a magical world filled with Blessings....i am still dancing..as micky hart has said the music keeps you young....it working for me!!! om shanti shanti shanti
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

don't know if i did it right, but there is a new vid on youtube which is a documentay on deadheads. gotta watch all three parts. nicely done. anyone see themselves in THIS one??? nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

i didn't put the other two parts up(come on now don't be lazy) but if you search deadheads on youtube it will come up. nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

That was grate, can you post the other parts? :)