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    marye
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    Who are you? Where are you? What's up in your life? People who attended the Egypt shows are, of course, cordially invited to post their experiences as well!

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  • marye
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    snag
    safe travels to you. Feel free to tell us your adventures and let us know how you're doing. And bless you for your healing work.
  • snaggletooth
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    Iraq
    Im getting ready to deploy to Iraq as a medic. I'd love to hook up with some deadheads and jam out over there. later, Doc
  • DeadATL
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    Any Deadheads in Istanbul, Turkey
    Any Deadheads in Istanbul, Turkey? I go every summer to visit my in-laws and it would be cool to hook up with a Deadhead there. On my last trip I was riding my bike in a fairly remote area and came upon a VW bus - I was praying for a GD sticker!!! No dice...
  • UncleSpace
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    Don't Outlaw ALL Dancing!
    .Looking forward to the shows! I wonder if they'll do one in Mecca. Just kidding. Imagine that. Go Israel, stay safe! Peace to ALL MidEast Deadheads! absurd thought - God of the Universe says outlaw ALL dancing moving bodies to music must be seen as evil . All real freedom starts with freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech there can be no real freedom. .
  • grdaed73
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    me , myself and i
    sound like good friends, thx so much for reposting this story Ash, it's a grate one : )peace
  • ASH
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    Cairo 1978
    you cann´t imagine how was it from sphinx square all the way through cairo you did n´t have to search for a long time to discover some new dead heads around you in town , steal your face stickers almost on every second cab and it was something happening in town , I know my city very well ,let me tell ya that the GRATEFUL DEAD show @ the sound and light theater was one of the very first concerts to be played there, might even the first one, people were getting curious and wanna know more about the band ,it was kind of the peace revolution in the whole Egypt , met Goldy and her man an upper egyptian and they were hanging golden steal your face chains on thier necks ,and it was a sign that they belong to the dead family , since this day the 15th of sep. 78 and the music never stopped , started to order from europe and the usa all the missing albums , and learning the diffrence between a head and a fan , there was lots of new music from the deads those days all at the same time but still we could n´t have enough from such a grateful band , never gonna forget this day when I wanted to move in with some friends from south africa and there I discoverd philipa a british dead head , came from greece to see them in egypt and never left it till the early 90sshe was one of the main real dead heads in Egypt , and we stayed friends for the whole time, there is also stoner and I´m so proud of this guy ,he got the treasures bran new lps and tapes lot of stuff never been used but its been made in the early 70s and late 60s we are collecting for the dead heads museum in cairo which will be soon completed there are some real good old stuff the flyers from 78 and buckels from phillesh personaly some pictures , my buddy stoner does n´t let any body to touch this stuff he is perfect in such things , so the peace started to be spread around the region , you cann´t imagine egypt and israel as peace partners it could be only a dream , but it was the best solution for both and was real peace atleast till 1981 where they shot the peace maker Mr. Anwar elsadat, and without the permition from his lady the deads would n´t have played there ,cause it was still again and again Mr. Bill Graham who dealed with the goverment and Mrs. Sadatshe was the chief of the sos in Egypt and the deal was the deads gonna play for free and they´ll be supporting the SOS children village in Egypt and thats the only reason why Egypt agreed to let the deads play in the country, no matter what they heard about them in the late 60s and they knew about the hippi movement which the deads were also involved in and that was the main reason for not allowing the band to jam in egypt which lasted atleast 5 years, enough for now and text you later,
  • marye
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    nicely done, Ash!
    great image of all the locals dancing up on the rocks...
  • ASH
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    EGYPT 1978
    In 1977 we started to concentrate more on the grateful dead band since we already knew that they finaly got the permition to give thier show in Egypt,heard lots of storys about how difficult it was till they managed to do it, one of these storys is" it took them 5 years till they managed to do it"any way me myself and I forgetting about all other names were very tight friends, living on ... , vitamin c and ....... made us discover the music and hear it clear , me myself and i turned our love lights on and became new DEAD HEADS in the early 78, there was only one older dead head than us in the house and it was the mom of I .I was a 17 years old american ,myself came from jordan and me an egyptian but that did n´t mean any thing for us .we used to run open partys in the house and lots of freaky freaks used to show up it was the golden age of EGYPT we were free like the eagles everything was legal no prb. getting high any where and every where , the policys were fair and fine the people were getting used to be free from the old russian system which ruled them from the late 60s to the early 70s, so any fashion or any new trend was accepted straight ahead.....waking up one day after a long wild night I came up to meand told me that there is a vip from the grateful dead band is coming to EGYPT to organize the tour for the deads, , we were so young and so happy about that AND READY TO GIVE ANY HELP IF ITS POSSIBLE, that what exactly happend we had to give a hand and run down to the wierd market and score some fresh flowers for the band , the flowers smelled very well and it was enough for the deads and may be some other bands too, we met the vip man again and gave him the roses , so he gave us some blue back stage cards ,tshirts ,posters , buckels , records etc etc. and a very special present made very special for the dead family but we had apart of it, we started to count the days cleaning our souls and brians to be as pure as we can, for sure we had lots of infos about the opening and that the former first lady and a couple of ministers gonna be there "first row" and the band gonna play mellow stuff for like 20 to 30 mins and then they would turn the volume up that the DEAD HEADS would switch places and come in the front after the delegation goes.That what exactly happend ,as they planed it, but the magic in the whole three nights is how the dead came on stage it was a dream ,let me try to describe it shortly, THE HIGH LIGHTS were zoomed to the pyramids with diffrent light colors, me myself and i saw the flag waving on the peak ,and we were peaking too and thought of going up and stealing it,but it never happend then comes Hamza eldin with his percusionists joined for sure with Mr. M Hart ,then after a while comes Mr. B. Kreuzman with one arm in the Gips after a motor byc. accident but both started to jam with the ten or 15 head band with Hamza eldin, slowly we found Phil also jamming with the band but never saw from where he came ,after a short while we could hear Jerrys guitar but we cann´t see him yet a grate jam was going on and suddenly it was the GRATEFUL DEAD on stage jamming as if they were playing since days ago and no any signs from Hamza eldin and his band they disapeard and do n´t ask me how , for us egyptians the music is a bit strange to be more clear" the native people would never understand any thing about it" BUT WE SAW THEM ON THE ROCKS AND THE HILLS AROUND THE STAGE WITH THIER CAMELS ;DONKEYS AND HORSES DANCING AND DANCING AND DANCING it was so amazing even for the band , the moon was shining upon us all and there were about 500 dead heads came to egypt specially for this show a couple stayed back in egypt and never left since, we were like 20 persons atleast together in the front line and on stage in the break had a short talk with phil and hamza eldin , KEITH was wearing his eye shades BOB was hot on the mic and jerry used to give us his back and Jamm but we could smell our roses every where i even saw jerry puting one on the amp and every now and then he goes and smell it it was pretty cloudy on stage we all fell in love with DONNA in the second set there was a dead head "she" WENT SCREAMING jerry JERRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY ;till the cops came over and wanted to bust the whole bunsh of people around her and I was supposed to be busted with them but they took her and after few mins she came back, after the first show the sky was yellow and the sun went blue it was a powerful place , heard that it was phils idea to make a show in Egypt and he visited the country few times before 1978 , he is the heart of the band and Jerry is the soul , gonna text the rest pretty soon ps. sorry for my bad english and week grammar ,please don´t complain and also sorry for not mentioning the real names
  • ikoiko
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    Mr. Pid!
    Well well !! good to hear from/about you again brother, sorry i've been hiding for a while "things" kept getting from bad to worse with everything! work, family, life in general but I will get by. I just woke up one morning and found six hundred pounds of sin grinnin at my window and all I said was "come on in" .. so now i'm dealing with the wolf :o) - gonna chase him away so far and be happy when .. he's gone. Ash .. looking 4ward to hear that story bro .. salams .. iko
  • TigerLilly
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    Ash
    Wanna read it too, any way you't send the original version in a pm?? Would appreciate it :-)********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
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Who are you? Where are you? What's up in your life? People who attended the Egypt shows are, of course, cordially invited to post their experiences as well!
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.Looking forward to the shows! I wonder if they'll do one in Mecca. Just kidding. Imagine that. Go Israel, stay safe! Peace to ALL MidEast Deadheads! absurd thought - God of the Universe says outlaw ALL dancing moving bodies to music must be seen as evil . All real freedom starts with freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech there can be no real freedom. .
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Any Deadheads in Istanbul, Turkey? I go every summer to visit my in-laws and it would be cool to hook up with a Deadhead there. On my last trip I was riding my bike in a fairly remote area and came upon a VW bus - I was praying for a GD sticker!!! No dice...
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Im getting ready to deploy to Iraq as a medic. I'd love to hook up with some deadheads and jam out over there. later, Doc
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safe travels to you. Feel free to tell us your adventures and let us know how you're doing. And bless you for your healing work.
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keep yer head down, bro.........from an old squid
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Hey Now, I'm in the UAE for most of Feb and maybe into March, I'm looking for someone to clue me in to some kind of Jam Band scene if it exists. Bike Week(end) was fun. JazzFest is good for a few days but I want a place to hang out. I'm tired of the Philipino cover bands, etc. There has to be some good music in this town if I poke around. Hophead
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are you in the Middle East?
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govern tomorrow, before the army fills a vacuum.
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sorry so long, in not getting into the group and discussion, I am a universality deadhead, became a Muslim in the states about 1996, after Jerry death, when in 96 i had an accident and was at brown university hospital and was told by the Doc. if i did not quit drinking, i would be "locked up or covered up" this is what i did in my search for Serenity exploring many of man kinds sciences and paths i choose Islam as the religion that appealed to my intellect, (in a philosophical tree climbing way) to channel the good freethinking vibes, to constructive use after years of tour and travel of the globe I took bible study coursed from various sources , went to the oldest synagogue in america, studied, and studied more , on tour I have been to Naroopa, boulder, an ashram out side goose creek Colorado, Lindisfarne, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, in Marin, lived in Italy considered a heretic,(Masonic) i was not catholic but i took advantage of being near RoME, and studied art history, while there also, reading on the real history of the church, as depicted in paintings. I was raised an American in Naples Italy, (origin of the Funiculì, Funiculà) lived there three different times, total of 13 years, between our trips around the globe, (father was Navy) we lived in mare island Vallejo, California, my great great grandfather is buried in Mount Tamalpais cemetery. so i was more local to the area I was about 1982. then stopped a few other places in the USA, between 1980 to 1984, my family did many road trips across the Usa, what i always could remembering all the cool folks on the roadways of America. various tours; been to the 25 reunion of woodstock in Bethel, New York 94, stayed two weeks and got in on the clean up of that site , the freedom fest and camp arrow head. 94 world unity fest in south rim of grand canyon, black mountain in Arizona, subsequent rainbow gatherings, from 92-96. I was in palm springs, California area may to July 95 I greyhounded to Rhode island from California, stopped in Oklahoma city, two weeks before Jerry un timely death, I was in Newport, Rhode island, and was considering a road trip to NY for the annual gathering at woodstock, then catching the Newport folk fest, that years folk fest was; whew... Now being here in Kuwait for 9 years where gas is cheaper than water per liter. I have the only cars in Kuwait with dead head stickers. 2004 Pajero , with 4 inch dancing bears across the rear bumper, and a titanium syf sticker, as well as a STF sticker on a 2003 honda civic 4 door. ,and a 1982 Maserati quattroporte, If i can figure out how to post the photos here would be cool. I married a wonder full Kuwaiti Woman, with whom i met when she was visiting for seminars at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, in 2001, we met through one of her Kuwaiti relatives I knew from the local mosque in fairfax, Virginia.we have 4 little boys and they demand Jerry in the morning, while driving I have raised them on the dead and may of the few "streams" to get them to listen with me. i wear tie dyes on a regular basis, (you cannot show up at a mosque in a tie-dye) I been to the hajj in mecca in 2002. I have taken my other wise conservative Muslim wife to the haight ashbury street fair in 2007, every place between Vallejo and Monterrey, On 9/11, of which I was TWO KM as the crow flies from the pentagon, after all the interrogations from the secret service, I had a yacht repair business on the Potomac river, servicing the marinas, people threw all the work contracts out the window , because i did not keep it a secret that i was a Muslim long before 9/11, at my core i am an american, well I moved to Kuwait, and started supporting the US Army as a mechanic, body shop, As well as working my own angles with the boating and yachting industry in Kuwait. this is a very conservative society so the only way i introduce musicians here about the dead i let them listen to Garcia/Grisman "Arabia" for some reason the song stirs the Arabian soul ; i try to bring out some musical awareness, so most Arabs think we (deadheads) are christian a cult of the dead in america, this is from from a religious point of view, and first impressions, then if you know names of popular Arabian musician, then they get the idea, the deal is to learn the language, and the society in which you live, they are all different in the gulf region, what goes for one does not for the other. thanks for letting me introduce my self
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Hey now .. I hope you're all well and happy.Last time I posted here I was living in Dubai, but now I moved to Amman/ Jordan. I wanted to let everyone know that I have a cool & creative business center & Fine Art Gallery on the main rd. to the DEAD SEA (also the Amman airport rd.). I named it GD (Gallery Docart). If you happen to pass this way please come and visit me and as a member of the "clan" :) I'll make sure you have a good time and try and help with anything you need, beside, The Dead tunes are always playing in the background (i use gdradio). Coffee, Wi-Fi, laptop usage are on the house for Deadheads. In return, if you're coming from the states, please bring me a GD something! anything, a sticker for example ... that would be very kind of you. In addition, if you like to learn more about the place and investigate the potentials of trade for Tie Dye t's, tapestry, beads,..etc. drop me a line, maybe we can do something. You can find more details on Facebook: Smaik Design Center or Gallery Docart or even on my personal page: Nedal Smaik. I really look forward to see you!! THX.. Love+Peace+Happiness
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thanks for the info ikoiko. Last time I was in Amman was 1997... no GD hangout there then I am sure, but I have many happy memories of Jordan. I'll be sure to look you up if I get back there.
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long time no see! Nice to hear from you!
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It's good to hear from you too! and just incase you wondered why i disappeared, I was in jail in Dubai then Sharjah/united arab emirates for 13 straight months for smoking a cannabis joint!! originally sentenced for 4 years then got out with a pardon and deported, lost everything i built in 15 years including my business and my wife too! but now im back on my feet again, my wife is back too and i hve a nice business setup in Amman/ Jordan. I look forward to seeing any fellow deadheads visiting Jordan, you all know you have a a friend here. thx again.. Peace
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well, that's certainly a cautionary tale! glad things are better now! Ay-yi-yi!
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Hi Marye, I hope you're well. From your experience, do u think there is any chance that Further would consider coming to play here in Jordan or Egypt (again)? if "things" quite down in the region some time in the near future? and if guarantees and precautions on top levels concerning security are provided .. i personally think it would be magical! The Dead Sea, Petra, Pyramids .. we have a couple of fantastic (functional) and ancient amphitheaters. Jordan is a peaceful place that cherishes freedom and thrives for democracy. The whole experience for both sides would be .... historical! just a .. persisting .. thought. Peace
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about that! You might go over to Furthur.net and post, and see what kind of conversation came about!
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thx for the tip .. i'll do tht when i gather enough ... confidence or something!
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They used to have a Jazz Festival at Amman Amphitheatre in the Spring. Do they still do that? Or what about Jerash Amphitheatre? .I saw Fairuz there many years ago. That was quite something.
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thx cosmicbadger for corresponding .. Amman amphitheatres Jazz fest. is still on so as Jerash, wow Fairuz, lucky u :) .. I imagine Wadi rum, deadsea, aqaba, petra would be future potential venues, amazing but not expolited magical places -in my opinion-. com by n visit sometime pls. :) peace
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...considers the conflict in Afghanistan to be the "good war", and basically hasn't done anything different than "W" over there, including "murdering brown skinned people", will the "Deadheads for Obama" still vote for him in November?? ANSWER: Of Course They Will !!!!!!!!!
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Just moved to Abu Dhabi this year and it's a great place. But I haven't met a single head out here! Is there anybody around that wants to get together and play some tunes together or even just swap some music? There's only so much pop music a girl can take!
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I came over to help start the newly created special education department in a private non-profit school for local kids (mostly-- there are a few expats in the mix but not many) It's amazing and fulfilling work. The teachers are from all over the world and it's been incredible getting to know everyone. Still, it gets a bit lonely at times not having any heads around to talk to. More than ever I am realizing how much of a unique culture we deadheads have and how it shapes who we are and how we view the world. My friends and colleagues here are quite tolerant of my "crunchiness" in a place that is renown for decadent lifestyles and glamorous ways, but I don't feel that connection that I get when I'm at shows. Luckily, I will have my summers off and can go on tour!
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Are the Muslims in AD "Jack Muslims"? (Backsliders, for want of yet another term). I know they do ridiculous things in the desert like ski in climate controlled warehouse-like buildings. The disconnect from the rest of their culture must be massive.
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Hey now .. I left the UAE scene last year and i now reside in Amman/Jordan about 1 hr away from the Dead Sea. I still have few friends in Abu Dhabi, non are dead heads :). Enjoy your stay, look at the bright side of things while in this region (if any). If you get a chance pls stop by and visit, you have friends (and fellow deadhead) here. If you come across any trouble while in abu dhabi, pls let me know, I may be able to help. All the best .. Good loving vibes .. nedal smaik (nedal smaik on facebook) IKOIKO
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Nice to see you again.
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its always nice to see you too, thanks!
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hey now Anna, i hope ur well, safe and happy. lol re. "jack muslims" or backslider, i had to dig the meaning from the dictionary: To revert to sin or wrongdoing, especially in religious practice. not all of the muslims my fellow dead head are backsliders, but most of them, just like any other faiths that went astray, i'd say maybe half the population or even more! im a muslim by birth and geographical region .. but i also realize that i'm a child of the universe and all faiths and believes, i appreciate all "the others" and realize myself as any ordinary man, free from all the unnecessary burdens and lies of .. The Backsliders, being muslims or not.. if the "others" show the same sentiments and emit the same vibes as mine, i get along with any "other" ethnic or religious fellow humans, regardless of any discrimination of any type. my motives and beliefs is to see every human live in peace and harmony, no poverty, no wars and no pain for a mother, child or man. share the same goals and concerns, share the wealth that is given to all of us through out the history and the entire globe. we're all one and share the same fears, hopes and desires, we cry and laugh the same way, we love the same love, the one true and only love, but when we hate .. we hate in many ways that were planted by backsliders :) have a grateful day .. love and peace nedal
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It is quite true. Though I wouldn't agree with the sentiment that it is the backsliders that cause most of the conflict. In fact, it is the true believers who tend to be most intolerant. A cursory examination of all the world's religions would show this to be as true as a generalization can be. Looking at the conflicts in the world today, it seems to be the true believers among the Muslims who are causing a lot of conflict and problems for people on almost every continent. I do also fault the economic designs of industrialized countries for encroaching where they don't belong for some of the problem. Not to open a whole other can of worms here, but I am very close to the Nepali people and their culture. Many of them are servants in the homes of even ordinary people in most Middle Eastern countries and they are treated like dirt by a minority of the families because they are "non-believer" Buddhist and Hindu. Some of the abuses are egregious in the extreme - so graphic I can't go into detail here. I am not impugning your culture or religion in any way. The "True Believers" of every religion all over the world act in much the same way. Do have a grateful day, Nedal
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thnx so mch for ur comment and yes what u reflect is valid regarding "true believers" (but who are the true believers or think they are?!) and being the main cause of conflicts through the entire world. i wish we can discuss this further and exchange views and visions, perhaps some time soon.. kindest thoughts .. nedal
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i thought about that while writing my post
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Just wanted to say thanks for the good wishes. I am having a lovely time here (it helps that my job is amazing) I have been hoping to get out to Jordan next year, so I will certainly try to get in touch if and when I actually get that together ;-)
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its great to hear that ur having a lovely time and enjoying your job! travelling to Amman from AD is not costly (400-450Dhs) and there are no complications. Once here (if u come :) we'll visit dead sea (search for some scrolls :), petra and wadi rum, jerash and mt. nibo,..etc. pls keep n touch. :) kind thoughts and peace, nedal
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Hi deadheads im a 30years old male from Iran im new here Am i the only deadhead from Tehran here? I know many GD fans in Iran its surprising to see many young people listening to more earlier sound of GD here
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Hi, my name is Sandya and currently living in Dubai with my husband, David. I was curious to know if there were any other Deadheads here in Dubai or relatively close? We just received the Spring 1990 collection and were enjoying listening to the shows and got to thinking there has got to be other deadheads here.... please say there is. :)
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Hi guys! So I'm in the same country at least, here in abu dhabi. I have wanted to hear that Spring 90 collection as my husband and I did that tour together. Great memories!
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Looking for some good music here in the holly land. Just moved here recently and looking for some help from my deadhead brethren.Keep truckin
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Hey I am an American living in Istanbul. The musıc scene is wonderful here but I wonder, are there any other Dead Heads here?!! SOS!
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I've never been there, though some friends' family is from there originally. It sure looks like an interesting place in the travel shows!