Madison Square Garden 1/8/1979
Nassau Coliseum 1/11/1979

I have always liked the Grateful Dead’s music but I would never consider myself to be a “Deadhead”.

The Grateful Dead show is like no other. The entire venue, including the parking lot, is part of the concert experience and the music being performed at times feels like a soundtrack to the seemingly otherworldly antics happening all around you. The hallways were always particularly interesting as there would inevitably be individuals whirling dervish dancing with the music while those who may have mistimed their cosmic enhancers or over-imbibed were shuttled past on stretchers. It is truly a unique communal event complemented by the extended jams of the Grateful Dead. 

 The Grateful Dead 50th anniversary tour will consist of a three night stint at Soldier Field in Chicago this Fourth of July weekend. 

I will not make the trek to Chicago but I have seen Bob Weir on Halloween in Westbury a few years back and I more recently saw Phil Lesh and Friends with Warren Haynes this past summer in Central Park . Phil seemed to be in good spirits, the band sounded great, and the crowd was having a lot of fun. 

Phil Lesh is yet another rock star who is the beneficiary of a liver transplant. 

It was good to see Phil looking healthy and apparently ready for one last go round with the Grateful Dead in July.

I am sure that the Deadheads who will converge on Chicago this summer will have a blast.

What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been 

Rock on 

 GQ