8-9-05 Jerry Garcia: Ten years gone.

Damn...has it been that long already??!! Right now here in Gotham they're playing an extended set of the Dead on the radio from an August '74 show at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City and it's awesome! I haven't broken out any of my Dead albums in a while and this sounds great. And this is coming from a guy whos favorite bands are The Stooges, and The MC5 just to name a few.

For me the Grateful Dead had many different identities, or should I say the fans come in different groups of identities. The real Dead-heads and the posuer Dead-heads. The originals and the laters. Whatever the case is...the Dead were/are pretty f*ckin' cool.

I must confess that I saw The Dead for the first time in 1994 at Madison Square Garden (I know...late on the scene). It was a great, great time. But I do remember looking at Jerry and saying..and I swear..'jeez..he looks like he's gonna die'. Little did I know.

"Some got six month some got one solid.
Some got one solid year indeed-e
Some got six month some got one solid.
But me and my buddies all got lifetime here"

"I need a miracle"

I've been away from TC for a while and this is one of the first threads I've read on returning. Kinda knocked me off my feet. I clearly remember that day. Ten years. Can't think of anything to say that doesn't sound like a cliche`, but what he did ... matters. I remember on CNN Headline News that day, they put Warren Zevon on (alas, also R.I.P.) and he said of Jerry, "he was a hip cat from the old school." Indeed.

... there is an ice cream named after this dude, like a delicious living tombstone... mmmmm tombstone

OK, not to be irreverent, I did see the Dead a few times, and enjoyed my first hallucinogenic experience with them... But when Jerry died, my friend Kathleen and I went up the Haight Ashbury to take in the scene, shoot some photos of the gathering crowds, etc. We were standing on the corner of Haight & Ashbury (The Gap & Ben+Jerry's!) and we're watching this really cute hippie chick twirling and twirling, and the drum circle going, and the joints and incense smoking... and two 20 something SFPD's, standing on the corner watching, taking it all in, and one cop says to the other, nudging and pointing at Moonbeam Twirling, 'Dude, she's not wearing any underpants...' oy!

Yeah, it really broke the mood for me :wink:

Have I really lived in San Francisco for 13 years??

On 2005-08-10 11:43, mrs. pineapple wrote:
... and two 20 something SFPD's, standing on the corner watching, taking it all in, and one cop says to the other, nudging and pointing at Moonbeam Twirling, 'Dude, she's not wearing any underpants...' oy!

yeah, but... are hippies supposed to wear underpants?

On 2005-08-09 20:45, donhonyc wrote:
Damn...has it been that long already??!! Right now here in Gotham they're playing an extended set of the Dead on the radio from an August '74 show at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City and it's awesome! I haven't broken out any of my Dead albums in a while and this sounds great.

I never turn the radio up high at work , but yesterday was the best music. I kinda wish they had a longer drum set so I could snooze a little. Never failed at any Dead concert I went to I always took some zzzzzzzzzzz's.

I was feeling nostalgic, so I went and saw "Rat Dog" on Sunday. It was 20 years ago when I saw the "Dead" for the last time. It was a strange trip seeing "Rat Dog" and nothing like the real days. I miss the universal harmony those old "Grateful Dead" shows had.

Jerry Garcia's public memorial service took place on the polo field in Golden Gate Park, which is a short walk from my apartment. At about midnight on the night before, we walked over there to see what was going on, and found tons of people and dogs of all ages dancing, chanting and drumming. Crews working under bright lights were building a stage at one end of the field. The scents of patchouli and pot filled the air. There were many old buses, beat-up RVs, and barely running Volkswagen Microbuses parked in the neighborhood for about a month afterwards, and some of them are still here.

Man, I cant believe Roy CRozby's bene dead that onong.

Ten Years!!! Holy cow where does the time go. Some of my best friends, funniest moments and wildest experience can be attributed to the Dead. Although, I like some of the tunes I was always more interested in the freak show going off in the parking lot. Santa Barbara in the late 80's early 90's hangin' with the hippies are some of my fondest memories. When I lived in Mill Valley, the guys from the band would come into the store I worked at pretty frequently. Jerry was always a really mello cat and a nice guy. Rest in peace Captain Trips.
Chongolio

I saw the Dead maybe 10 times. That is nothing when it comes to the Dead as most probably know. I had friends that had seen them dozens of times. Fond memories. I still remember where I was when I learned about Jerry. I was at the commissary at work and as usual, I had my li'l Walkman plugged into my ear, listening to the radio. As soon as the newsperson started out by saying his name, I knew.

The L.A. memorial took place in Griffith Park, fittingly next to the merry-go-round. Now that was a drum circle. I got into them late in the game, after Jerry had that big health collapse that put him into a coma and he had to re-learn how to play. I was always aware that after that, any given show could be the last.

Besides the music, the things that stand out the most in my mind about Dead shows were the great vending area where you could buy all kinds of things :) and that this was a scene where you could run and jump around and act fantastically silly and no one would think it odd. It was just "Alrrright, man!". Not that I actually took advantage of this, mind you...

an acquaintance hated the grateful dead but decided to print grateful dead t-shirts by the thousands... when the cherry garcia finally melted, biz went through the roof... paid for a home remodel in santa monica and a small place in costa rica... unbelievable... a small american success story of sorts...