Aren't half of them really dead?

Well, that depends on how many Jerry counted for. Based on his weight at the time of death, I'm guessing at least two-and-a-half.

MaxxLarge: Well, that depends on how many Jerry counted for. Based on his weight at the time of death, I'm guessing at least two-and-a-half.

Jerry's not dead. He's alive and well living in Oklahoma City. He delivers my mail.

Walker: Aren't half of them really dead?

Well, let's put it this way: You don't want to sign on with them as a keyboard player.

Not a Deadhead, but without Jerry, its a joke. An unfunny one

Even with JerBear, they'd been going downhill hill since late '70s peak

Cornell '77: SCARLET>FIRE and MORNING DEW (new window)

Buffalo (the next day): HELP>SLIPKNOT!>FRANKLIN'S TOWER (new window)

/linked & streamed for her pleasure

rocinante721: Not a Deadhead, but without Jerry, its a joke. An unfunny one

Even with JerBear, they'd been going downhill hill since late '70s peak

Cornell '77: SCARLET>FIRE and MORNING DEW (new window)

Buffalo (the next day): HELP>SLIPKNOT!>FRANKLIN'S TOWER (new window)

/linked & streamed for her pleasure

That is a matter of debate for a lot of people. Mostly because they didn't have Brent until 79-mid 80s and there are legions of Brent fans. His voice lent a great boost to the Dead and I'm sorry, but that's not downhill. Plus, the 70s peak you're talking about had Donna, and there are legions of Donna haters (myself included).

The 90s, however, were a bit annoying, but not because of musicianship. They were playing great. I just didn't like their songwriting then ... Liberty comes to mind, ugh.

WaltzingMathilda: That is a matter of debate for a lot of people. Mostly because they didn't have Brent until 79-mid 80s and there are legions of Brent fans. His voice lent a great boost to the Dead and I'm sorry, but that's not downhill. Plus, the 70s peak you're talking about had Donna, and there are legions of Donna haters (myself included).

Yeah ... if Donna Godawfulcheaux wasn't on the bill, I think their '70s superiority would be non-debatable.

But like I said, not a Deadhead. Just partial to some excellent 70s material. I also know many like the '60s, when they were more folky (acoustic) & blues-oriented (Pigpen)

,,, also the late 70s was when Jerry started his "Persian Heroin" phase & was highly *ahem* inspired. 80s was down the road to Junkietown.

Most older Deadheads think this is a huge joke. With Jerry dead, there is no Grateful Dead. But despite Bobby and Mickey's Lars Ulrich trip, and despite the fact Dark Star Orchestra is better at being the Grateful Dead than the Dead, I will be buying tickets for the Worcester run. It's a rare chance to see a lot of old friends, party like a rock star in Worcester and see some decent music. Warren Haynes is a great guitarist, Phil still knows how to drop the Phil bombs, and Mickey and Billy are still great drummers. There's still a few embers burning in the fire pit. Besides, with Phish touring this year, maybe there will be less tour rats dirtying up the vibes.

GurneyHalleck: I will be buying tickets for the Worcester run. It's a rare chance to see a lot of old friends, party like a rock star in Worcester and see some decent music.

Wow. how high do you have to be to actually SEE it?!?

rocinante721: WaltzingMathilda: That is a matter of debate for a lot of people. Mostly because they didn't have Brent until 79-mid 80s and there are legions of Brent fans. His voice lent a great boost to the Dead and I'm sorry, but that's not downhill. Plus, the 70s peak you're talking about had Donna, and there are legions of Donna haters (myself included).

Yeah ... if Donna Godawfulcheaux wasn't on the bill, I think their '70s superiority would be non-debatable.

But like I said, not a Deadhead. Just partial to some excellent 70s material. I also know many like the '60s, when they were more folky (acoustic) & blues-oriented (Pigpen)

,,, also the late 70s was when Jerry started his "Persian Heroin" phase & was highly *ahem* inspired. 80s was down the road to Junkietown.

You have a lot of good points, I will concede that ... especially on the trip to junkietown. They really were fantastically amazing after they came back from their mid-70s hiatus. I am not a head, I don't think, but I loved their whole career. Some days I'm in the mood for some of their gnarly 60s material. I really did love Keith's raucous ragtime playing style, but hated his wife. I loved Brent's voice, but thought it took him too long to adapt to the improv style of the band, thereby making a lot of their 80s songs shorter (which I didn't like if they caught a particularly good groove). I really didn't like Vince, nor am I a big fan of Bruce Hornsby, so the 90s were "meh" to me.

GurneyHalleck: Most older Deadheads think this is a huge joke. With Jerry dead, there is no Grateful Dead. ....


I thought Grateful Dead died with Pig Pen

They used to be one of the better improv units in rock in the 70's. Never understood how that yowling Donna Gawdstopsinging made it in the band.

Birth Control 2 Major Tom: They used to be one of the better improv units in rock in the 70's. Never understood how that yowling Donna Gawdstopsinging made it in the band.

Package deal. No Donna, no Keith. Plus, Bobby enjoyed farking her.

Grateful Dead > Ambien > Lunesta

my wife told me yesterday "the Dead are touring" and I said "have fun"

offacue: Grateful Dead > Ambien > Lunesta

when i look at your preferred musicians, i laugh out loud at your comment, considering how many parallels there are. haha, unbelievable.

The Dead are touring, NOT the Grateful Dead :P

This tour will be fun, even without Jimmy Herring. He's just awesome onto of win! While personally not a huge fan of the Donna era (I've met her multiple times and she seems very sweet) THANK GAWD it's not The Dead with Joan Osborne. Talk about nails on a chalkboard.

GurneyHalleck: Dark Star Orchestra is better at being the Grateful Dead than the Dead

Uh, if you mean better, by being extremely creepy, uh, sure. DSO makes me all kinds of stabby.

FARK WARREN HAYNES!!!!! If he didn't write it, he can't perform it. I have seen him with ABB, Mule, and The Dead. Let's just say his style of "noodling" isn't the same as the Dead's. I say bring Jimmy Herring back into the fold, like back in '03. He sounds more like Jerry plus, if you squint your eyes and tilt your head just right, he kinda looks like George Carlin.

/3-30-95 FTW
//my only Grateful Dead show
///GDTRFB (deadheads will know that)

KingKauff: FARK WARREN HAYNES!!!!! If he didn't write it, he can't perform it. I have seen him with ABB, Mule, and The Dead. Let's just say his style of "noodling" isn't the same as the Dead's. I say bring Jimmy Herring back into the fold, like back in '03. He sounds more like Jerry plus, if you squint your eyes and tilt your head just right, he kinda looks like George Carlin.

/3-30-95 FTW
//my only Grateful Dead show
///GDTRFB (deadheads will know that)


Going where the climate suits your clothes?

/Going where the water tastes like wine.

TheOtherOne79: KingKauff: FARK WARREN HAYNES!!!!! If he didn't write it, he can't perform it. I have seen him with ABB, Mule, and The Dead. Let's just say his style of "noodling" isn't the same as the Dead's. I say bring Jimmy Herring back into the fold, like back in '03. He sounds more like Jerry plus, if you squint your eyes and tilt your head just right, he kinda looks like George Carlin.

/3-30-95 FTW
//my only Grateful Dead show
///GDTRFB (deadheads will know that)


Going where the climate suits your clothes?

/Going where the water tastes like wine.

Don't wanna be treated this a-way

Walker: Aren't half of them really dead?

No they're only mostly dead.
There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do...

Gotta get to that Phish show any way you can:

see you in gboro..

These $2 shoes hurt my feet..

/and the futon hurt too

Donna - Gaahhhhhhhhh!

In my cassette tape trading days I kept hoping someone would make Dolby D so we could just press a button and make her go away.

Dark Star Orchestra is okay, but the fans are smelly Wookies.

Oh, and their lighting guy is a total spaz.

That said, I was at the "last ever" Dead show (Soldier Field) and I can assure everyone that it was the most boring thing ever.

Derwood 2009-01-06 04:01:26 PM
...That said, I was at the "last ever" Dead show (Soldier Field) and I can assure everyone that it was the most boring thing ever

I saw them three times.
First time was excellent, (Oct 72) the second time (May 73) was one of the worse shows by ANYONE I have attended and the last time was pretty ok (August of 2 or 3 years before Garcia died)

My point is this: Seeing them on a bad night will wreck any notion that somehow these guys are musical gods.

When they're good, theyre pretty good but when they are bad they stink to high Heaven.

There is NOTHING like a Grateful Dead concert.
mfaby:
When they're good, theyre pretty good but when they are bad they stink to high Heaven.

I agree....hell, didn't they even admit that?

They had different peaks of being good thruout their entire 30 year career.

my favorite peaks of them are like say, '69, and '74.

offacue: Grateful Dead > Ambien > Lunesta

When I saw that I thought you meant Grateful Dead -> Ambien -> Lunesta, which would be an AWESOME jam, maybe with a Throwing Stones -> NFA to finish.

No Jerry Garcia, no Grateful Dead. The survivors are damned pretentious to use that name. They should call themselves a tribute to The Grateful Dead.

I'm looking forward to the Izod shows. I recently started to get in to the dead, just because it's great to write to.

I'm a little worried about the show, because of the contact high that I will be getting when you walk into the show.

NYRBill: my wife told me yesterday "the Dead are touring" and I said "have fun"

HA! Good for you!

uncoveror: No Jerry Garcia, no Grateful Dead. The survivors are damned pretentious to use that name. They should call themselves a tribute to The Grateful Dead.

In all fairness, they do just call themselves "The Dead", leaving out Grateful.

Though I've been a Grateful Dead fan as long as I can remember, the Grateful Dead did die with Jerry. I've never been even remotely inclined to see The Dead, Ratdog, Phil Lesh and Friends, or Mickey Hart & Planet Drum. Not that I've got anything against those guys, it's just that they never did much for me, musically, on their own, and with their respective bands.

But I was always a Jerry (maybe even more than I was a Dead) fan and some of my favorite shows I have of his are ones where he played with Grisman, or John Kahn, or Merl Saunders.

just in case nobody said it, The Grateful Dead aren't touring, The Dead are. I plan on going.

/people who didn't know that and made a big piff about Jerry not being alive are dummys.
//Viva Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions

NOOOOOOOOOoo
now we're not going to have enough time to smoke the constitution!

/stonies always get high

Can't be said enough.... This Is The Dead, not the Grateful Dead.

As much as you miss Jerry, the rest of the band miss him more.

You shouldn't try and compare them to The Grateful Dead. If you want to enjoy it then be fair. Compare them to Nickleback or Oasis.
Or most anything else going on lately.

I'm just pissed because they left Atlanta off the tour.

/Jerry never skipped Atlanta...

Anyone that uses the name "JerBear" should be punched in the cock. You can't give a fat, grizzled rockstar a twee nickname. That's farking ghey.

GurneyHalleck: Most older Deadheads think this is a huge joke. With Jerry dead, there is no Grateful Dead. But despite Bobby and Mickey's Lars Ulrich trip, and despite the fact Dark Star Orchestra is better at being the Grateful Dead than the Dead, I will be buying tickets for the Worcester run. It's a rare chance to see a lot of old friends, party like a rock star in Worcester and see some decent music. Warren Haynes is a great guitarist, Phil still knows how to drop the Phil bombs, and Mickey and Billy are still great drummers. There's still a few embers burning in the fire pit. Besides, with Phish touring this year, maybe there will be less tour rats dirtying up the vibes.

Agree with everything you said, but must point out as several dozen other people in this thread have that they are not calling themselves The Grateful Dead. If they come within 500 miles of me (which is to say if they come within 60 - 'cuz if they don't come within 60, they won't come within 500), I'll be there.

Wondering what "older Deadheads" means since I knew a lot of older Deadheads than me (especially the last time I saw the Grateful Dead), but the last "The Dead" show I saw most were much younger.

/Is it true that I'm no longer young (not a GD lyric, I know, but I remember the first time I saw Jorma play - someone yelled out "Lather" between songs...Jorma's reply was "Yeah, right - and who's going to sing it? (pause) I remember when 30 seemed old" and half the audience yelled out "It still is" - sadly, I was among them. 30 doesn't seem so old anymore)

//Get off my lawn seat!

Walker: Aren't half of them really dead?

Let's see

Jerry Garcia (dead)
Bob Weir (alive)
Bill Kreutzman (alive)
Phil Lesh (alive)
Mickey Hart (alive)
Pigpen (dead)
Tom Constanten (alive)
Keith Godchaux (dead)
Donna Godchaux (alive)
Brent Mydland (dead)
Vince Welnick (dead)
Bruce Hornsby (alive, but IIRC never officially a member of the band)

So, 5 dead and 6 (or maybe 7) still alive - nope. By either count more than half are still alive - and even if Vince was "officially" a member, I don't really consider him part of the band.

While we can all (or most of us) appreciate that Pigpen, Keith and Brent were all great losses, I'm not sure anyone really misses Vince.

I feel lucky I saw a lot of Dead shows in Oregon in the 70's but Eugene was a given stop and Kesey would often be seen just off stage...
Last I saw was with Dylan and it sucked. They just went through the motions, didn't seem they wanted to be there, Dylan was wasted, sound system was really bad and my ex wife just biatched non-stop the minute the place lit up with "Everybody Must Get Stoned"
I'll go if I can and enjoy it if they can get it going without Jerry... hehe my sons would go with me in a heartbeat at 25 and 22 and I still hear about the 2006 CSNY show we saw. 25 is a metal musician and 22 is a writer.

Very Lucky 50yr Dad

Secret Agent X23: Walker: Aren't half of them really dead?

Well, let's put it this way: You don't want to sign on with them as a keyboard player.

I used to be the keyboard player for a GD cover band in Chicago, and would often give my chair up for the night to the likes of Vince Welnick, Tom Constanten, and Melvin Seals.

Vince was supposed to do a short tour with the band before he committed suicide. I was asked to fill in, but then TC agreed to do the shows.

Not too long after that, Scotty Larned from Dark Star had a heart attack and died in his hotel room. Since I had played with their bass player years earlier, I was offered an audition for DSO, despite the fact that the rest of the band had pretty much decided on Scotty's replacement.

My girlfriend told me that she'd break up with me if I took the gig, and even my parents (who know little to nothing about the Dead) said to me, "Are you really sure you want to take the chair of a guy who just died playing in a cover band with a history of keyboard players dying?"

Luckily it didn't matter, 'cause I didn't get the gig.

(whew)

My bad...Scotty passed before Vince after looking at the dates.

Subby is mistaken. The new incarnation is called The Dead (new window).

I saw them in 2003 in Tampa and Bob Dylan opened up for them and came out to sing a few tunes. here's a pic. Dylan's the one in the cowboy hat. That's Joan Osborn on stage w/ them too. They still sound great and put on an excellent show, so suck it haters.

Weirdnjfan1: I'm a little worried about the show, because of the contact high that I will be getting when you walk into the show.

pussy

My favorite Grateful Dead song?
A short one!

dogdaze: I saw them in 2003 in Tampa and Bob Dylan opened up for them and came out to sing a few tunes. here's a pic. Dylan's the one in the cowboy hat. That's Joan Osborn on stage w/ them too. They still sound great and put on an excellent show, so suck it haters.

who is that on the right with the pony tail? it looks like Derek Trucks. when I first looked at it I thought it was a pic of the Allman Bros shows where Ratdog opened and BW did a song with them

NYRBill: dogdaze: I saw them in 2003 in Tampa and Bob Dylan opened up for them and came out to sing a few tunes. here's a pic. Dylan's the one in the cowboy hat. That's Joan Osborn on stage w/ them too. They still sound great and put on an excellent show, so suck it haters.

who is that on the right with the pony tail? it looks like Derek Trucks. when I first looked at it I thought it was a pic of the Allman Bros shows where Ratdog opened and BW did a song with them

I'm pretty sure that's Jimmy Herring, who has about 40 years on Trucks.

WaltzingMathilda: I'm pretty sure that's Jimmy Herring, who has about 40 years on Trucks.

ok, so he's got about 17 years on him. but still.

NYRBill: dogdaze: I saw them in 2003 in Tampa and Bob Dylan opened up for them and came out to sing a few tunes. here's a pic. Dylan's the one in the cowboy hat. That's Joan Osborn on stage w/ them too. They still sound great and put on an excellent show, so suck it haters.

who is that on the right with the pony tail? it looks like Derek Trucks. when I first looked at it I thought it was a pic of the Allman Bros shows where Ratdog opened and BW did a song with them

It's Jimmy Herring. He's OK. I'd much rather it was Derck Trucks or Warren Haynes.