We continue with memories and expectations of readers who are attending the upcoming
GRATEFUL DEAD concerts at Levi’s Stadium (June 27-28) or Soldier Field (July 3-5). The four living members of The Dead -- along with several special guests -- will take the stage on two consecutive weekends for their final concerts together, commemorating the band’s 50th anniversary. Here are three Deadheads sharing their stories.
If you are heading to Santa Clara or Chicago, we would love to hear your stories, as well. Just shoot an e-mail to adamharris@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
MARC REEVES
Nike Senior Dir of Member Services
*Which Fare Thee Well shows are you attending?
Both shows this weekend at Levi's Stadium.
*How many Dead shows have you been to?
50-plus.
*Who are you going to the shows with?
A few longtime friends from the sports industry; Nike, IMG, the 49ers, the NBA.
*What are you hoping for at these final shows?
TREY ANASTASIO taking the Dead to a place they've never been.
*Then vs. Now?
I used to pay for shows by selling handmade (non-licensed) shirts out of my trunk. Sleeping anywhere other than a car or with 10 other folks in a motel room seemed like an absolute luxury. And back then, it was Birkenstocks, not Nikes, on my feet.
*What will make the show a hit for you?
If it fosters anywhere near the energy and community as it did back in the '80s and early '90s.
*What song(s) do you most want to hear?
I'd love to hear Friend of the Devil, Terrapin, It Must Have Been The Roses, Ramble On Rose, Might As Well and Ripple. Plus Brokedown Palace and/or We Bid You Goodnight encores. But I know that's just being greedy.
*Jam session:
Outside of just having a real good time, I'm really interested to see how the shows do from a non-concert venue experience (PPV, other theatres, etc.). The Dead were one of the early initiators of the band model that's evolving today, and these shows could mark the next frontier for simultaneous global-audience music experiences. I'm also anxiously waiting to see if there are any creative VR executions that stem from these shows.
RYAN MUCATEL
Taylor Managing Partner
*Which Fare Thee Well shows are you attending?
All three Chicago shows.
*How many Dead shows have you been to?
More than 20 but less than 30.
*Who are you going to the shows with?
Good friends.
*What are you hoping for at these final shows?
I’m expecting Chicago and Soldier Field to be a zoo in only the way a three-night Dead stop can be. I’m hoping the band sounds great and it’s a safe environment for all.
*Then vs. Now?
We're flying to Chicago and staying in a nice hotel, neither of which was the case when I used to see the band play. I always went with good friends, so that won’t change. I also had quite a bit more hair when I was seeing shows. But that's not the case anymore.
*What will make the show a hit for you?
I know those three days in Chicago are going to be amazing, I feel so fortunate that our money order envelope was picked. There is no doubt that they will be a huge hit for me, only adding to a catalog of life changing memories I have accumulated since I started listening to the Grateful Dead a long, long time ago.
*What song(s) do you most want to hear?
Eyes of the World
*Jam session:
The Grateful Dead are not for everyone. But if they really are for you…then you get it. You just do.
DENNIS ALPERT
Mercury Public Affairs Senior VP
*Which Fare Thee Well shows are you attending?
All three shows in Chicago July 3-5.
*How many Dead shows have you been to?
101 Grateful Dead shows, plus another 15 after JERRY GARCIA's death; THE OTHER ONES, FURTHER, PHIL & FRIENDS, etc.
*Who are you going to the shows with?
I’m going with Jerry in my heart, college friends who I toured with on my mind and my brother BRIAN who turned me on to the Dead back in 1977.
*What are you hoping for at these final shows?
Gestalt linkage. A tragedy narrowly averted.
*Then vs. Now?
Comfort trumps all. I’ve done my time driving cross country and back, sleeping in cars, tents or crappy motels. Now: a daily supply of clean sheets, fresh towels and a bathroom complete with shower with hot water and a workable toilet. With age comes wisdom.
*What will make the show a hit for you?
It’s all about the music, the shared experience, the sense of community and thanking the band (and remembering Jerry Garcia) for the years of pure joy they’ve provided us all.
*What song(s) do you most want to hear?
Mason’s Children or The Eleven.
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Alpert (l) with Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia and
Mickey Hart at the White House in '93 |
*
Jam Session:
I remember being 12 years old sitting in the backseat of my brother’s car rambling along the backroads of New Hampshire with the Grateful Dead blaring from the speakers. From my first vision of the band on
TOM SNYDER’s "The Tomorrow Show," to my mother standing in line at the local record store to buy me tickets (14th row floor, center) to my first show (Hartford 4/17/82) and when the clerk asked if she was there to buy
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK tickets she proudly declared, “No! Grateful Dead tickets!” at which point the hundred or so kids in line broke out in thunderous applause. To standing five feet from
BOB WEIR as he played an acoustic "Bombs Away" as
AL and
TIPPER GORE danced at the Tennessee Ball during the Presidential Inaugural of 1993. To my first official act as a White House staffer calling
DENNIS MCNALLY and inviting the band to visit The White House (which they did on March 16, 1993) and hanging with them all day. Watching Jerry rolling his fingers over the many statues in various rooms in The White House and
PHIL LESH playing the 1938 Steinway as the ushers looked on in shock and
MICKEY HART, Phil and Jerry all showing their great knowledge of art as they identified various pieces, paintings and history throughout their tour of the residence. To
DICK LATVALA and his great kindness. McNally’s friendship. Uncle Bobo (promoter
BILL GRAHAM) taking care of me and my friend
DAN ROSENTHAL at Jerry Garcia on Broadway (10/31/87). To the many great life experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met on this Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion. As my cousin
RICHARD ALPERT (Ram Dass) wrote and said, "Be Here Now." I wish Jerry was.
