Speaking of the Dead

It has been almost 20 years since legendary Grateful Dead lead guitarist Jerry Garcia transitioned to the big acid test in the sky. And since Jerry left us the debate has raged over whether the remaining members of the band -- Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart -- could call themselves the Grateful Dead. That question was answered definitively on February 28 as some 500,000 fans logged on to the Ticketmaster website in an attempt to purchase tickets to the "Fare Thee Well" shows, scheduled for July 3-5 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Even if these shows go down as the greatest in the history of rock and roll, this is not the Grateful Dead.

Many of the 500,000 hopefuls had already engaged in the largely futile exercise of participating in the mail order presale, thinking they were involved in a revival of the beloved tradition that marked the band's commitment to its fans by selling tickets directly, rather than through third-party agencies. Unbeknownst to the true Deadheads who put their hearts and souls into decorating their envelopes and sending off large sums of money on Jan. 20, back-room deals had already been made with big music industry players to cash in on the genuine love and appreciation that is still alive and well among those who have never been able to replace the Grateful Dead as a source of joy and inspiration in their lives.

I wonder of Chris in Houston saw this piece...

They just don't throw the doors open anymore like they did at Woodstock, do they?


TS