The fanbase is pretty insufferable by and large. I have met some great people out there though..
Just wondered if any chapos here were into the grateful dead. You would probably be the cream of the crop when it comes to fans I would want to hang out with.
I would be interested in discussing them and the culture without a bunch of people chiming in with "boomer band" and "fuckin hippies" types of critiques. Believe me, I know all about the negative aspects of liking things.
Grateful Dead members were pretty based, they once did a concert for the Black Panther Party.
I wouldn't call myself a head, but they've got some good tunes and if I had the opportunity to go to a show I'd be there. One of my friends is a major Phish head and managed to drag me to a show and it was a blast.
Hell in a Bucket and Franklin's Tower are some real bangers.
Huge dead fan, saw one of Jerry's final performances in 95 at Deer Creek amphitheater.
Ripple and Brokedown Palace are probably my two favorite tunes. Oh and Scarlett Begonias, Rochester 79.
I was raised by deadheads, ima second generation! Box of Rain and Europe ‘72 are some of my go-to’s but I dig pretty much all of it. Candy Man is one of the most haunted songs I’ve ever heard :)
Favorite band Too young to have seen jerry but seen the rest of the living members in some capacity, always catch any dead affiliate or cover band when they come through
deadheads are awesome. not understanding the 'fanbase is pretty insufferable' comment
It's rough out there where I'm from. Lots of people looking to rip you off and and prove how they're "deader than thou"
that's not most deadheads though, that's just fuckin yuppies with lighting bolts dude. hit some bobby or some jgb shows and you'll meet a fuckload of cool heads
I've been around a little while and have met some great people. Honestly, my biggest problem with the scene are the culture vultures that have brought their own brand of capitalism to the lot.
I don't really want to focus on the negatives here though. I was happy to see so many responses here! I love the dead and all they stand for! I carry a little piece of them everywhere I go and they inspire me in many of my goals and travels in life.
Most of the best Deadheads I've ever met are cool older dudes with great stories. I was dating a girl who had an OG deadhead for a dad. You could really tell when we went to visit him in his cabin on the lake. Such a peaceful, folksy and creative vibe
that's cool. i do dead tour every year. i haven't seen that much of what you're describing really, and surely not the majority, but there are a few people who seem to make bank.
i just sell beer so i can get drunk and make enough cash to get from show to show and never have a dime by the end of tour, but some people still make a decent amount. tour doesn't go year round anymore, so i'm not gonna fault them for saving their pennies.
Dead tour is a different animal.
They don't really come around here, so my experiences are just different. I have to drive several hours just to see a jam band
yeah, i mean you'd have to do that on tour anyway, it's b asically driving for 12 hours every three days, but you'd meet some cool people. it's a lot of fun if you like the dead, and they're all in their 70s now, so if corona lets up and they even do another tour, it's something you might want to experience while you have the chance.
I've driven to Chicago and ashville a bunch of times to see them. I love the parking lot at those shows so much! I love all the handmade art and the smell of good bud mixing with grilled cheese smell..
I've briefly met some 60's era musicans after their sets at a few festivals too. Its nice how a lot of them are so willing to meet us after all those years. I once shook Bill Kreutzmann's hand and got him to sign my copy of his book.
One thing I love about the scene is the broad acceptance of all kinds of music. When I first started going to festivals, I was just listening to classic rock. My ears were opened to jazz, bluegrass, folk and a lot more!
Workingman's Dead is one of my favorite albums, but I've never gotten into any live shows, strangely enough.
Workingman's and American Beauty are the two albums I come back to. I've listened to a couple others but none of them clicked with me as much
I saw JRAD last year. They are what the dead would have been with a way better keyboardist.
I really like Jeff Chementi on keys. Hes the best of all the other keyboard players and he's still alive to boot!
Absolutely. Chementi is a lot of fun as well. The keys always seemed like the weakest point of the Dead, and it’s fun to hear their music with more solid players.
