Grateful Dead

I know people have to be scrambling to find a place to crash for this show. $300 to $400 hotel rooms on July 4th. Welcome to Chicago MFers. The worst week of the year for hotel prices. If you are on a tight budget, stay at one of the hundred hotels by O'Hare Airport. You will save a fortune and it's an easy train ride or drive into the city. If you want to rent an apartment or a house, or even someone's spare bedroom, try Airbnb. They have a few thousand rentals and it's early enough in the year where you might get something in a cool spot in the city at a decent price and not pay through the a$$$$ for everything. There are also cheap hotels in every corner of the area 20-30 miles out and less than a half hour or hour drive from the stadium. Shit, there are even motels that are $300 a week, although I wouldn't suggest that anyone but the very hard core stay there. Walk out the motel door, say hi to anyone in there and get high. In my younger days on tour, I did it. used to crash in my car sometimes in NYC when I was broke and didn't yet know anyone out east. If you don't have a budget, stay in the heart of the city where you can walk to the show. Get a view of the lake if you can somewhere from the stadium north along the lake. It's my city. Their are a lot of very cool things to do here, so stay a few extra days if you can as long as you are coming across the country Check out the rock, blues, and jazz scene. Spend some time on the lakefront. Have a good time and enjoy the music that we all love. Enjoy the ride.

I would LOVE to make it to Chicago from the L.A. area, but alas ... I'm undoubtedly the umpteenth person to say this, but c'mon guys, how about at least a few more shows around the country, namely (and selfishly) the state where it all started, hint, hint:)

(This is a reply to someone's earlier post Not Dead without Jerry)The GD were just another version of the JGB? Wrong. Two largely different animals. Jerry was God? REALLY wrong. Jerry was a flawed human being just like everyone else. He's gone, dude. And nothin's gonna bring him back. Get over it and be happy for what IS, sheesh.

Wow, dude, how negative, cynical and hateful.Sounds like rather than you getting off the bus, you never were on it. I would LOVE to be in Chicago if I could.

for the personal insults mr 11, all can come, if you got 2 grand. Get over it? Jerry's been gone for 20 years, if I could "get over it" I would have a long time ago. That was a pretty heartless thing to say to anyone. I can see into the future for you mr. 11, you will be a very sad person at the end, cause everyone is gonna "get over it" when it's your time to go. There will be no big good bye's for you, no one's going to celebrate your life, that's for sure. So I'm negative, cynical and hateful? Better look within. Never on the bus? not even worth a comment. I for see a huge gate crashing event brought on by thousands of angry deadheads who will not be able to see this once in a lifetime event. This will be history all right, the final downfall of a way of life, a beautiful, wonderful ball of love that we and the band shared right up to the end, will be snuffed out forever by greed. I say go to Chicago, go...but remember, watch each card you play.....and wear a helmet.

Does anyone know if Videotaping will be allowed in Chicago ?

I posted a question under another heading, but as I am new to this format of communication I thought I would also inquire here as to the best way to purchase for Chicago show. Mail or online? Also went to chat room. How do I know when someone replies to me ? ( don't laugh ! Some of us older folks are not so techno savvy ! )

I didn't look, but they have never ever allowed the before (people have sometimes still smuggled stuff in, though). I think the answer is almost definitely no. Best way to get tickets: who's to say? Mail order is a lottery, earlier postmark dates considered before later ones. Internet and ticketmaster are first come first served. I would guess they divvied up the seats pretty equally between these three methods, but that's an educated guess based on how they divvied up tickets between mail order and ticketmaster in the past.

We've been waiting for this one for a while. Trying to get our game plan together for a group coming from all corners of the country. I plan on doing the mail order on the 20th, but as a backup I am thinking about purchasing a few more on 12 Feb. Any thoughts on whether or not mail order purchasers will know the status of their order before tickets start going line? thanks and see you there.

So, it would be wise to write "any" on the envelope and let them decide what would be the best seating option for me. Does that sound correct? Also, I noticed that some suggest purchasing multiple money orders for higher price and lower price seats. I guess you just have to hope you get tix and not be concerned with where they are. I really don't like that option but def want to be sure to get seats. Also saw that they let you know if you did not get tix prior to the official sale date. How do they let you know? via US mail ? That's a little scary to me.

Here's a link to a cool article containing conversation with Senator Patrick Leahy about the upcoming festivities in Chicago. http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-grateful-dead-reunion-delights-senio…

You are so right on. All anyone has to do is go back and read unclesams comments here. If anyone says they are not negative, cynical and hateful, they've got their eyes closed. I'm not gonna make it to Chicago either, but I'm sure the happy, positive heads will have a grate time.

I have read every word on Dead50.net. I clicked on the pre-register and setup an account. But this does not tell me how it works. Will I simply go to Dead50.net at 10:00 AM CST and there will be a link for the pre-sale? Do I go the AXS site? I called AXS and they said they are not handling it, which is strange since that is where the link took me to pre-register. I'm sure there are others with the same type of questions. Perhaps a FAQ for the ticket sales would help? Right now the site is being flooded with these types of questions and I understand that can get a little more than annoying.

I'm sorry, for my own personal convenience, that this is not happening closer to where I live. I'm sorry, for my own personal preferences, that this is being held on what is traditionally the hottest, busiest national holiday of the year. I'm not sorry that it's not being held at TXR. I'm sorry some people can't hear other people express an opinion different from theirs without getting buttchapped. Other than that, I feel it sounds like a great time and everyone there will have lots of fun. It's a win win. This clever selection ensures that pretty much everyone who wants to buy a ticket will be able to get one.

Considering the needs of the Deadheads and other more casual fans has always been near the top of the list of things to do for the Grateful Dead. I am sure that a pay per view option will soon emerge. Surely I am not the only Deadhead that has spent tens of thousands of dollars on equipment in order to create the illusion of the Grateful Dead playing in my living room. We have the technology, lets use it.

What an awesome 4th it is going to be!! Quality Rock and Roll, Killer Post Show Entertainment, Awesome BBQ, and......Chicago!!

is because that is where the last Grateful Dead shows took place right before Jerry died.

Thank you Deadgeek, I share your confusion. Hoping to figure it out tomorrow and decide whether to mail in or wait until the 12th.

Hotel booked, Flight booked, All I need now are the tickets!

anybody else remember the first year of Lock'n and Trey playing with Furthur? It was a great encore set and if the boys are inspired by trey and want to play with him, i'm good with that. i just want to celebrate the music and thank the core four for all that they have given us fans. i get the bad blood between the deadheads and the phishphreeks but lets just remember thats it is a celebration and its their party they can cry if they want to.

Since they didn't pick John K. or Warren Haynes. Larry Campbell would have been a much better choice than Trey. Larry has played with both Furthur and Phil and Friends. He did a fantastic Tenn Jed with Furthur acouple of years ago that blew the roof off the of MSG.

yeah larry would have been a great choice. he was great when he worked w/ levon toojimmy herring was great w/ the dead in the early 2000's, warren obviously, steve k, john k. but whose to say that they might not be there for a tune or two.

He has written some of the most beautiful lyrics ever put to music. Hope he's there to at least take a bow with the guys!

The presale says it begins Feb. 12. But when I click on the link for the presale purchase the tickets on the site says Feb. 14. So I called AXS and they said they don't know about any presale on the 12th. Am I doing something wrong??? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to whoever helps me with this!!!

I agree with you. I know I'm no the only one with these questions or concerns. I'm hoping they will clarify through the website. I know we are all just so excited to buy tickets!

I was confused on how to order different levels of tickets for each night so just went general admission only. Fingers crossed!!! I spent quite a while making sure the envelopes and index card were all correct. I'm no artist but I did put the notes to "I need a miracle" on the envelope. Nothing like the works of art I've seen on Facebook. I feel like an old responsible man, but I echo the previous coments about getting a room within walking distance. Cabs will be scarce and the trains will be full. Hard Rock Hotel already sold out!!!

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.Public on sale is Feb 14th @ 10 a.m. CST via Ticketmaster.

This is a celebration. They all got together and decided collectively that they want to play with Trey Anastasio. Why can't you respect that. Bashing Trey is ludicrous. The man is a guitar virtuoso, and is an extremely hard worker. Yes, I am a Phish fan, but also a huge fan of the Dead, and all of these negatives comments towards both communities is absurd. No one is going to replace Jerry, we all know that. Yes, it's going to be expensive and push some people out of the market for tix and that sucks. Yes, there are going to be Phish fans there, and they are going to dance, have a great time and engage with all of the veteran deadheads about their memories from years past. Complaining about all of this is like myself complaining about not being born 40 years earlier. It is what it is. This is music, that greatest thing in the Universe, why are we constantly bashing and criticizing it. CAN"T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? I hope to see everyone in Chicago. (and just my 2 cents...Jeff Mattson is the best "Jerry Replacement" I've seen.) Peace, Love, and Music to all.

Amen...keep the peace and love in the community flowing.

I logged into axs with facebook and it's telling me I'm good. I'm worried thAT it's not gonna go well axs wouldn't allow me to register with them after that. Also, how do I go about getting a password/code for the presale? Any help is appreciated.

yes...any info on this would be awesome

Hi! I myself am a little confused about the presale. I did call AXS because I did not see any info on there site about the presale. I only saw the public sale on the 14th. Any, the person I spoke with at AXS said there is no presale through them for tickets. I called Dead.net and they only sell merchandise. I can't seem to find out an answer! If anyone else knows anything, feel free to contribute. Thanks! Look forward to seeing you all at the show.

Info is all here on site just gotta poke around ;-)

Its mail order

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. Yea I am confused too because when you click online ticketing it takes you to the AXS site. That is odd no one there knows anything about it.

I have read in 3 different articles including the Forbes article that there is a pre-sale for members of the GD fan club on February 9th for 3 days. Then tickets go on sale February 12th for the local public and then go on sale to the general public on February 14th. The site mentions nothing about Feb. 9th. What's the story?

I was 15 when Jerry died and although my father took my older sister to the Philadelphia show in 93', he said I had to be 16 before he would take me to my first GD show. Tough break kid... Now that I'm a bit older, I'm trying to buy tickets for my father... Hope it will be a nice surprise! I sent in my mail order request like everyone else but does any of the experienced show goers recall getting turned down for mail order tickets? I understand there is a lottery but I wonder how many actual tickets are allotted for mail order. Just a guess but I'd imagine the vast majority of tickets distributed will be through mail. Just curious if anyone had an idea of the percentage of tickets usually available through mail order. I'd love to know how many folks sent in requests vs their available mail order ticket supply. Sigh... Money sent and all we're left with is time to think of odd questions to pass the time :) Best of luck to all and really hope we see everyone out there!

In the old days, you would usually get your tickets with each order mailed other than New Years. New Years, you would do 5-7 separate orders (all your friends addresses), and usually get half or more filled. Once, my wife called Bill Graham when we were shut out, and he had 42 tickets (we had asked for 8) at 'will call' for us. Here, the demand seems big so who knows? I just hope we know on the mail order before 2/12, so we can do that as alternative. Everyone have fun! The highest of the high moment--if RH comes out to perform. Also high moments--Donna or TC coming out. The ending choruses on Touch of Grey. "....What a long strange trip its been..." Brokedown. Ripple. So many expectations; just smiling and day dreaming them may be better than the real thing.

Unfortunately, these are going to be tough tickets to get. I got most of my tickets through mail order, but sometimes I was denied; Albany '92 comes to mind, if I'm not mistaken-missed them do "Casey Jones" which I never saw the Dead perform live. Sometimes I got lucky; New Year's Eve '90 comes to mind-one in every four people who mail ordered got tickets from what I heard. There are a lot of faithful Dead Heads that are not going to get tickets for this show. I hope I get lucky and I hope a lot of my fellow Dead Heads do too; you know, the real Dead Heads. I wish there was some way to shut out the scummy scalpers but this will not happen. I hope they eat their tickets. Best of luck to everyone. "The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began..."

HeyNow Friends and Family, I've gone through all the pages of comments about the Grateful Dead 50th Year Anniversary shows. I normally don't comment on a lot of things, but I have a few. The beautiful idea about being able to comment on such events is the Freedom of Speech! Right now there are people fighting for and DIEING for the right to enjoy Freedom of Speech! You may not like what someone has to say but how you respond to it is how it resolves itself. If there's anything I learned touring with the Grateful Dead is you go for it and put out the best energy you can and hope it all works out!! So bring what you have to say because it's your story and you choose the path you want to travel on! I am personally excited to see these shows have been announced and it will be a FARE THE WELL!! Experience... 50 years of Grateful Dead is quite an achievement for the one and all involved with the ride!! I did not personally go to the Chicago 95 shows because I had just been on that Summer tour and had a feeling it was The End. I was personally spent and it seemed so was Jerry and so I decided to head home to Wisconsin. I am also still deciding if I am going to entertain these shows!! It will be a mighty fun experience for those involved! I am thinking I will most likely be down at Shakedown Street! The beautiful thing is I had many experiences along the way and if I don't end up making it I am sure I will share from all the new experiences to be made!!! So THANK YOU to the Grateful Dead experience and everything you have brought to the table!! It's a bounty of beauty for its the eye of the beholder which determines what it all means!! I personally have had the best of my life experiences associated with the Grateful Dead and it will be sad to see it all come to an end! But that's life folks as all good things eventually must come to an end!! But, through everything that has been built to last, all of this will continue long into the future and as far as the eye can see!!! All I can say is I have Enjoyed the Ride and can say it was a vivid part of my time here on this big ball of blue riding through space!! LONG LIVE THE GRATEFUL DEAD!!!! FARE THEE WELL....

My calls for the first set openers--> 7/3...Let the good times roll. 7/4...Feel like a stranger. 7/5....Touch of grey. I missed the one page with the instructions on how to split money orders for any ticket and went only GA which is prob a huge mistake!!! Oh well...there's always the pre sale, ticketmaster, and if it comes to it........billions and billions of dollars on Stubhub. Chicago or bust!!!

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that if you requested the $215.50 reserved tickets you most likely will get them. In the old days notice was given but not that much prior to mail order. Then when the band was regularly touring you would find out about venues getting booked and knew to get your ducks in a row financially speaking for mail order. With the news coming out last Friday most only had a day or two to get their money together with banks closing early on Saturday and all closed for MLK this last Monday.

What a great week. For context, I saw a lot of shows in the 70s and 80s. Seeing fans way under half my age in the PO getting money orders (and sharing the moment in line with them) flooded me with a lot of nostalgia. Raise your hand if you remember when "tickets" meant waiting in line for the box office to open. No bracelets. No calling in. No internet. Pre-mail order too. That was all in the future. Maybe age has changed my memories but the community of the line was pretty damn fun. Sorry to pull "back in the day" but.. fans took pride in not making money off spare tickets. ALOT of pride. I hope this tradition holds. There are going to be winners and losers in the ticket-lottery-mail-order. This is just a thought. We will all follow our own paths with respect to tickets we have. If you are a winner with spare tix, please try to go the extra mile to make sure whomever gets your tix isn't ripped off. Likewise, please make sure you do not sell your tix as a scalper or ticket agency. Likewise, it'd be pretty cool of the band make some temporary space available to help. People find tickets. Best of luck to everyone.

Hey anybelly know where the nearest camping will be? I see no overnight in the lot. Anyone else thinking of camping? If so... where?

I say this will be the hardest part of the whole tour will be finding a place to stay in Chicago on the 4th of July weekend!! Over a million people descend into the same area we will be in for the fireworks display and this will be very interesting to see how this all goes down!! It would have been nice for them to work with Chicago to let everyone just camp in the lots but sadly i do not think this will happen!! Then again what can they do if it takes 6 hours to get out of the lot and everyone just stays!! If WE ALL JUST CAMPED OUT WHAT COULD THEY DO!!! I don't want anything to get out of hand but this will be interesting to see it all goes down!! LONG LIVE THE GRATEFUL DEAD!!! FARE THEE WELL!!! https://archive.org/details/gd1980-11-29.127229.beyer.stankiewicz.flac2…

one ticket per purchaser. no online sales. lines around the block to the ticket office. fair game all around.

all locals will be hiting up the area around s.calumet st. and e.cullerton st., there are alot of open lots that ppl will charging for overnight parking. you can walk to the show via a bridge that takes you to parking garage.

There is an area to camp about a 5 minute ride from Tinley (World Music Theater). We stayed there in 94 for the Soldier Field/HORDE fest party. It was about a 15 minute ride to Soldier Field but I cant remember the name of the place (21 years ago).

My apologies if someone already posted this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTBZuulCoPo&feature=youtu.be

Hello,AXS is stating that you need to have a promotional code ??? for pre sale on Feb 12/15 Does anyone know what that is ? Thanks