Grateful Dead

Everything!!!

ps. I wasn't even there, or was I?

For me, the "olden days" would be the early '80s. And what I miss most about that time would be the annual run of shows at the Berkeley Greek.
I think the Good Old Grateful Deadcast did a good job of describing the feeling of being at the Greek for those shows. It was part family reunion, part acid test, part mini-vacation from the greed-is-good, just-say-no culture of Ronnie Raygun's America.
The Dead were really outsiders to it all. The music industry had no interest in them (they didn't make a record for, what, 7 years?) and our little scene was mostly unnoticed by the normies. It really felt like they were "our band." And we'd get together every year to freak at the Greek. And boy did it feel good.
The audience has grown so much since then that I can't even believe it. It's not just freaks anymore, that's for sure. And I'm glad the music is reaching such a big audience. But sometimes I kind of miss those olden days, when the whole thing was kind of undercover.

Well, living in England - nothing ! It might sound odd to say it, but in terms of listening to The Dead, these are the (g)olden days. Never before have I had so much Dead music to listen to, or known so may people, albeit virtually, to compare notes with.

As a social activity, maybe the 90's were a golden period. I s\aw them 3 times in 1990, and got to know a Deadhead with a vast and ever growing tape collection. I would go round every Sunday and we would make copies of tapes and chew the fat.

That period Crow talked of in the mid 80's - I thought they had split up then, as they disappeared from the media completely. I saw then twice in 1981, then that seemed to be it until In The Dark came out in 1987. Then it all opened out as I discovered the Spiral Light fanzine, the guy with the tapes etc etc.

I miss the community of the shows, people were respectful to each other. I saw the dead at Alpine valley in 89 then a couple of weeks later I saw The Who in Detroit and I was shocked at the difference. Detroit has always been a crazy city well known for its love of music but the vibe was borderline hostile. I also miss the open air market/parking lots, eating falafel, and just talking music with other music fans. I even miss the snobby tapers with their gear fetishes (this was the transition from cassette to DAT era). I also miss dancing during drums on the grass at Alpine Valley and watching the heat lightening over Chicago,

How apropos. I was at work last night at the dispatch center when the digital clocks struck midnight, and I saw the date and remembered that I was at Shoreline to see a couple of shows on September 17th and 18th all those years ago. They turned out to be mediocre gigs, a bit of a letdown after the rather interesting setlists we got back in July at the same venue that year. But that's not what I remember. What I remember and keep in my heart was how excited I was to see an old friend again who'd moved down to SoCal after college. The road trip up highway 101, talking and puffin' away. And how fun it was to be back at the ol' venue, in the same ol' parking lots, seeing a lot of the same vendors and people. Hearing that telltale hiss coming from some nondescript van. Watching the police on horseback watching us. Enjoying the light airs and warm late summer sunlight. All of it together made up that distillation that we could never quite get enough of. Some come to make it just one more day. And dare I say, no one can ever get quite enough "Summer Magic", now can one? Good topic, Marye, thankee

On a Cloudy Day!

I also went to the Silverdome for The Who after being at Alpine.
Yes, totally different vibe, but I had a great time in row 32, center of the floor of the Silverdome. Had some party favors that I obtained at Alpine.
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Some of the Who shows that tour were pay per view and you can find them on utoob and the torrents. I watched the Atlanta show a few weeks ago. Brought back good memories.
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Dead and Co never had the feeling of a Dead show.

but it's great to visit it every now and then. Who said that? was it Bobby? I, personally, don't live in the here and now, but the then and when. I know it sounds weird, but I just can't seem to get past 1995. Things were definitely different back then. Better? maybe, but for someone who lives there, I think it was. Long live the Grateful Dead

His voice, his transportive guitar, that grin, those jams (!!!), it all still seems such a fresh loss to me.

And now Bobby and Phil gone, this all seems impossible.

Dearly love all those seeking their own "Dead experience" at concerts (eg. JRAD, Terrapin Family Band, etc.) and the wonderful vibe and buoyant atmosphere at those shows.

And thankfully the music (and videos) still flow of our 'good ol' Grateful Dead."

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

I agree The Who show was great, I was on the magic bus but Detroit and psychedelics just didn’t mix well. I guess that is why Ann Arbor was founded. I also miss the excitement of not knowing what songs would be played. Once inside the parking lot at Dead shows it felt safe people seemed to care. The upper Midwest is not just cold geographically but socially. Dead shows seemed like people were warm to each other, I always wanted to see the Dead in California to see what really started it.
Peace and Blessings

Besides the music, what I miss the most are the incredible psychedelic bonds of brotherhood that I formed with my two best touring buddies. We saw lots of good-to-great shows and some how always made it home safe and unscathed. Well, mostly unscathed.

At least we never got arrested!!! More by good luck than good judgement..........

Doc, not really looking back
But maybe it's up in the hills under the leaves or in a ditch somewhere., maybe it's never found, but what you find, whatever you find, is always only part of the missing, and writing is the way the poet finds out what it is he found.....