THOUGHTS ON GARCIA: DON'T LET GO

How I miss that sweet sound of Jerry's guitar. He told us a story through the notes he played, and we got it, we all got it.

Happy Birthday my friend.

Although I've already posted a comment, I would like to share a story with all who would listen:
It was 4/7/95, my birthday, and I was sitting 4th row center with my homey OB at the Big Sombrero, Tampa, FL. In the middle of Days Between, Jerry turned to his side and looked right at my friend and I -I mean "RIGHT AT US!!!" , like a bolt of lightening. Both of us looked at each other in disbelief -"Did that just happpen" we asked ourselves. Yeah, it did. Till this day we still talk about that one moment in time.

The only possible expalnation is that Jerry was saying thanks to us for being so loyal for so many years (12 to be exact!), and maybe somehow knowing it was my birthday (although that would be some trick) and knowing the end was near. Either way, it happened and it was huge.

Thanks for the memories, Jerry...

Fantastic article...Being a musician, my course was changed forever after my first Dead show, standing in the 1st row in front of Jerry, I learned more listening in just the first set then 10 years of playing...Happy Birthday Jerry!!!

Happy Birthday Papa. I remember Bobby crying that night in NH during throwin stones "...the future is here WE are it, we are on our own,,, Papa's gone Papa's gone..." There has not been a day since he passed that his name or a thought of him did not cross my mind. I felt cheated out of 20 more years. LOVE is REAL and never fades away. One day we will all be with papa again. Till then it's Ratdog forever.
(and maybe a few friends every now and then)

i think that the music of Jerry Garcia has touched many people in a personal way. He was an incredible musician, and i think that it is truly amazing that even after his death, we still celebrate his birthday. Even though he is not here with us physically, we can reach him through his music, his lyrics, and that sweet sound of his guitar. Thank you Jerry, and the rest of the Grateful Dead family for making life so much sweeter :)

It is indescribable yet so simple. I like Donnas comments about lifting us out of the ordinary.. Giving the music time to take you there. At times it went nowhere and others it took off like a rocket. My life philosophy has been extremely magnified by experiencing Grateful Dead music for nearly 30 years now. Living in the moment, rolling with the changes and stopping to smell the roses.. Once in awhile you can get shown the light... I miss Garcia badly and feel this world needs his presence more than ever. So It is up to all of us to carry on his vibe and the openness we all have gained from our collective experiences. We are ALL friends here... Thanks for the music..
Michael McMorrow/Stolen Ogre

"You need music, I don't know why. It's probably one of those Joe Campbell questions, why we need ritual. We need magic, and bliss, and power, myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it."
Jerry Garcia

there was nothing more beutiful to me than hearing his voice in those slow songs while the blue light would hit him and make this glow around him while his hair blew in the wind.the last song i saw him sing was days in veagas of 95.....and everytime i hear the version from that show i can remember exactly how he looked at the time....incidently i somehow knew in the middle of the guitar solo that that was it for me....id never see them again, and i didnt.nut not a day goes by that i dont listen to them, and remember all that i learned there.

This past weekend at the 3G's, it was clear to me that Garcia is still with us, around us, and within us. Theres no questioning that Jerry's life on earth will be pasted on though our lives, and in those who still carry on a little Jerry thought, or two... Tom says, "Jerry's vibe is alive and well, after all these years".
~*~Happy Birthday Jerry~*~

Happy Birthday Jerry ;)-~ You make me smile...Thx

thanks for a real good time

1995-2005 Ten Years So Far

Jerry dies while I'm working in San Diego (I live in Mississippi), I call a few friends & take off for the memorial. I return home & start my tape collecting addiction. God gives my wife & I our first Daughter that year, Shelby Magnolia. I didn't get to see as many Grateful Dead shows as I would have liked, so I begin looking for alternatives. Drugs, Phish & vegetarianism don't fill the void. By '99 we have our second daughter Hannah Rose, and I found my career in cooking. Every step of the way with Jerry's guitar singing in the background (literally, I have the video tapes to prove it). Through the good times and the bad times. Finally, in 2001 I step beyond drug addiction & begin a new part of my life with my family. Since then I've learned to balance career, family & fun. I have had Jerry's music with me through it all. That's the only thing that hasen't changed in the past ten years. I can put in a CD or DVD (thanks to the music sharing freaks on the internet) and go right back to that space; where Jerry's music takes us. I'm only just beginning to realize how much the music has impacted me. Jerry Garcia's music is the soundtrack to my life.
What will the next ten years bring? I can't answer that, but I know what the background music will be...

Thanks Jer,
C.O. Russo

PS The name of the street I grew up on was Lazy River Road. Coincidence? Not.

Wow! I never imagined something that I've known for more than half my life would be this hard to put into words.
Ever since the mid to late 70's Jerry and the dead lifestyle
in general have had a profound impact on my (as well as countless others)life. Although i'm no candidate for sainthood
(or even heaven for that matter) I, and the people around me
seem to think I turned out pretty good.I contribute most of that to Jerry.I probably would'nt be alive today ,considering the track I was headed down way back when.
Thanx to Jerry, Im able to embrace all the wonderful new music
thats out there now,a lot of it as much as I enjoyed the good ole Grateful Dead.Almost.
Happy birthday Jerry ,your one of a kind,always will be.
I know we will meet again ,but for now , Thank You.

shaun hannon

Good ol' Jerry - a timeless inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people. The legacy he leaves behind is not only the music of the GD and JGB, but in the countless musicians that he inspired.

"It ended there on a field of soldiers,
A place for them to take their final stand,
And on the day the Captain died,
And after all our tears were cried,
The long, strange trip had finally come to an end.
The day a bunch of freaks became a legend,
Preserved on tape and engraved in our memories,
It's up to all of the future generations,
To carry on the Ceremony of the Free..."

Bill Kurzenberger
http://www.BillsMusic.net

on the day that jerry passed a great sadness filled the air in my small town in northern california.I went home puffed my spirit medicine and let the tears roll, listining to jerry licks of a 71 porchester show.Later that day there was an impromptu gathering of fellow dead heads in the park downtown consoling eachother and remmembering our friend,it was truly beautiful,truly family.In 95 as some people turned thier energy to festivals, phish, and other bands, I turned that same energy throwing raves and party's cause quite simply i love to dance. Though no matter how many party's i've thrown,phish shows i've been to nothing brings me back home like jerry's voice and guitar.Like mariachi to mexicans, like polka to polish, and celtic to the irish the grateful dead will always be home to me. we love you and miss you jerry.
"mama many worlds i've come since i first left home"
u.v.m

I remember the day Jerry died. I was in the middle of a lake in my kayak. my friend just paddled up to me and started crying. After he told me, I accidentally tipped the boat and was too beat up to do a t-rescue, so I just swam to shore. 5-6 friends were sullen, speechless and heartbroken. Right then and there I realized how important this man was to who we all were then, and what we have become now. RIP forever man, you're always in my heart.

-shainhouse

The day Jerry died my mother called me to make sure I was "ok." This was my teetotatling, Methodist church going mother, who couldn't have been more horrifed to have a Deadhead daughter if you paid her to be horrified. I flunked out of school to follow the Dead (my fault not theirs :), I left home and turned my back on my family for their unacceptance (and now in hindsight because of my own unacceptance of them too) but here was my mum checking in with me. She told me she knew how I felt because when Elvis died she cried for days. Too cool We've been best friends since and she gets that Jerry and the Dead and what they represent are a philosophy worth considering.

I was sitting at my miserable job at my desk in a room full of other salespeople when my friend Jason called.
"Did you hear?"
"Did I hear what?"
"Jerry's dead."
"No. Say it's not true. No way, this can't be."
"Sorry bro."
By the rest of the people in the room I was asked what happened. I told them that Jerry Garcia had died. They said "oh, we thought something bad had happened." I quit on the spot. Someone once said about the dead "for those who weren't there, no explanation would do; for those who were there, no explanation was necessary."

It took me five or six years after 1995 to see live music again. I swore I would never go to a show again. I'm glad I came back. Still makes me cry though.

I was eight years old on August 9, 1995 and only a few towns away from the treatment center in which Jerry passed. I awoke from a bad dream in the middle of that night, knowing something was wrong (pretty heavy for an eight year-old). That was an unforgettable end to a summer. A trail of roses had formed outside my grandparents house in Marin, leading to an effigy of Jerry. My parents were not Deadheads, but I got my Deadhead uncle to take me through the park the day of the memorial service. There is no way for me to describe the scene on Hippie Hill. The thousands of devotees, friends, musicians, gathered in one place to remember the music of one man. At my young age, that is when I realized how remarkable a musician Jerry Garcia truly was.

Subsequently, I picked up the guitar a couple weeks after his death. This ten year anniversary also marks for me a decade of musical discovery and wonder. For this, I can only thank Jerry for putting me on a trail to musical enlightenment. Out of death comes rebirth. "Fare you well, Fare you well. I love you more than words can tell." Goodbye Captain.

Haiku for Jerry

Jerry was a man
Who gave life to a guitar
And to us a dream

Being the only Deadhead in my family and born in 1980, I never got to "see" Jerry live on stage or in person. Nonetheless, he taught me important music puts us all on the same boat, it is a language we can all understand.

Thank you Jerry for bringing such a sweet sound to so many ears for so many years. Know that you continue to live through not only your music but also through the community of young and old Deadheads alike who will never let the world forget you. See you in the next one.

in 1995 i was 8 years old when the captain died. it is a testament to who he was that i have learned and experienced so much through him, after his death. I'm happy to say i've been on the bus now for 7 years and feel so cose to him because the music lives on. His spirit has continued because of the sharing spirit of the grateful dead community. I want to thank Jerry, the band, and all of the beautiful fans who have made my experience as memorable as it has been, it is obvious he lives on in all of you, and in the music. lets all take a minute to stop and smell the roses, look back down the golden road, and look ahead to the many memories to come. may the four winds blow you safely home jerry.

Jerry's Tones are pure magic. i remember listening to the Eyes of the World off of the 74 Winterland run before the hiatus and understanding exactly what he was trying to get across and how he felt. He was amazing at doing that. Just throwing himself to the audience and laying it on the line. His voice was never anything to outstanding but yet it still struck you to the core. When I listen to Ship of Fools or in later years a Muddy River it just shakes you. Like he is just built up all this sorrow inside. But then pulls around with a Suger Mag or Casey Jones and he's happy again. I hated to see him waste away in the 90's and I only wish that he could have wised up to his health so much sooner. But still the music lives on, I thank all the guys in the band, you've saved my life a couple times over.

In vegas of 93 there was some wacky weather at those shows.Rain and thunder kept pounding the stadium.there was a story in the local paper how a few heads got hit or were close to where lighting had struck,one guy did not want to let the paramedics take him to the hospital 'cause he did not want to miss the show.on Day one it began to rain during stings opening set.when he was done it began to pour down hard.the patchwork quilt my buddies and I were sitting on turned into a place to hide from the rain.There were dozens of deadheads under the quilt.A joint the size of my arm was passed around and the mushrooms I scored at earlier at lake mead were starting to hit me.This beutiful girl who I noticed earlier standing close to us passed out and fell on the ground and within second this hairy ape of a man swiftly picked her up and put her over his shoulders and dissapeared into the crowd.
I remember on day 2 how the stadium erupted into the Wave.rain had been moving in and out of the stadium and the crowd was going crazy.this wave must have circled the stadium over a dozen times.Then suddenly the sky broke through the clouds and the band came onto the stage and busted out Here comes sunshine.The audiance just went wild.
Its the strange and beutiful memories like these that kept me going after jerry died.

Captain Tripps...you showed me how to play music emotively, completely in the moment and with faith in the unexpected. A true improviser, of course with your guitar, but even with your warbling, sweet voice.

All of my family and the Los Federales family celebrate his life in all of the recordings we have and the music that we create. Jerry flows through us, we are all part of this music, and that is why his energy stays alive with us.

I was at jones beach on the fateful day. The allmans were beautiful. I was so sad, but surrounded with so much mournful love, it was like jerry was there. Mournful love, weeping and wailing, and smiling. Thanks for changing the world, Jerry. (and thanks for keeping the torch burning to the rest of the boys and the wonderful heads)

I can clearly remember the day jerry died... I was 11 years old, my dad and I were driving to the mall to buy my mom something for her birthday. We heard the DJ say that Jerry had died. We looked at each other didn't say a word, and he turned around and drove straight home. We spent the rest of the day crying and listening to old dead vinyl. I miss you Jerry...

Simply too much to say! I consider this time period between Jerry's birthday and his departure from this world like the period between x-mas and new years--an introspective time. I remember feeling chills travel up and down my body during a Garden run in the late 80s, for example. When Jerry unleashed those notes, you know the ones,...simply amazing! His voice (allowing us to vicariously live lyrics created by Hunter, Rowan, Berlin, Cotton, etc.) his mission (participation in the last American circus), and his dream (artistic and personal expression and freedom) were embraced and shared by all. It is fitting that he is honored in so many ways each and every day. I do my part by keeping his spirit alive on my acoustic and by having an album or show handy for when the mood strikes. I know we all do our part in our own way. That is what made experiences with all things Jerry so special.

In all the shows I witnessed, one does stand out to me right now. It was Albany, early 90s, at the Knick (not that damn Pepsi arena), and Jerry Band was in town. The show started as they usually did in a slow, laid-back build (a welcome vacation at the time from the mania surrounding much of the scene). Anyway, second song or so (hard to recall now) John Kahn busted a string. The band slowly spiraled to a halt. Jerry informed us of the mishap and said to hang on. We did. While commentary from Garcia was shock alone, what came next will always stick with me. Jerry approached the mic picking Freight Train solo. It felt more like a back porch than an arena (this would be the closest I would come to seeing him solo acoustic). He blew us away. About half way through the tune (again hard to recall exactly when), the band kicked in and it was business as usual. For that brief moment, I saw Jerry for who he really was: a brilliant man that loved to play music, entertain and live the dream.

Freight train, freight train, run so fast
Freight train, freight train, run so fast
Please don't tell what train I'm on
They won't know what route I'm going

When I'm dead and in my grave
No more good times here I crave
Place the stones at my head and feet
And tell them all I've gone to sleep

When I die, oh bury me deep
Down at the end of old Chestnut Street
So I can hear old Number Nine
As she comes rolling by

When I die, oh bury me deep
Down at the end of old Chestnut Street
Place the stones at my head and feet
And tell them all I've gone to sleep

Freight train, freight train, run so fast
Freight train, freight train, run so fast
Please don't tell what train I'm on
They won't know what route I'm going

Unlike the others, I honestly don't recall where I was when news of Jerry's death lunged at the winds and swept the world with mourning. It breaks my heart, but in the summer of Black '95, I too was dead. I didn't weep. I didn't call my friends. I didn't pull out any Grateful Dead records. I didn't do anything but dig deeper into my pockets for more drugs.

Sad, but I didn't realize then how something as profound as Jerry's own passing still couldn't penetrate beneath the surface of my own loss. I moved silently through those days, breathing a little here and there. I remember watching San Francisco on TV: the vibrant colors, the beautiful crowd, the Grateful Dead up there on stage without any instruments, Wavy Gravy, a giant poster of Jerry emblazoned overhead like a super angel. I wondered why he wasn't there. Why weren't the people twirling? Why are they all crying? Where are the balloons dancing in and out of the crowds? Where are the smiles?

I was too numb to even recognize death. All my life, I had been so alive. I had smiled with ease and played in wonderment. At one time in my life, I had every single Grateful Dead album. I listened to them a lot 'cause it was contagious and dreamy and so different than anything else out there. Their music beget in me a lively soul: made me want to dance, to live, to stream across the universe fueled by my own smiles. But, sometime in Black '95 I removed myself from the world I had known and loved; and instead, I stumbled into a world of excess, loveless lovers, dead flowers, and incorrigible habits. I was too sick to even tour what I knew then- would be the last time I'd get to see Jerry. I had no vision, no finer sense of spirit, no hope; I was dead, dead, dead.

The following spring, I moved from the midwest to Colorado. Change would be good: a new environment, some fresh air, living close to nature- all good things to milk a guy back to health. I stopped the drugs for awhile. The footsteps seemed lighter, my heartbeat seemed stronger, and my eyes seemed to see with more clarity. One day, I pulled out one of my Grateful Dead Cd's and put it in. It was from a Winterland show in '77- a golden era of Dead music. I recall sitting on the couch, reading a book. The music had merely been in the background while I continued to read. But, all of a sudden, I heard Jerry's guitar illuminating from my speakers during the song, Loser. I sat up. That wondrous sound. That beautiful, haunting guitar ripping through my speakers! The sound was radiant and clear- it was like Jerry was speaking directly to me. I sat there with tears streaming down my face, like they do now. I was alive! I removed myself from the couch and twirled my arms, my wrists, my hands. My head swayed from side to side. My hips swiveled gracefully, and my feet started rocking on the carpet. I was alive! I was crying, smiling, and laughing all so wildly and happily. I was dancing with Jerry- feeling the flow of his love surround my very room and engulf me. Everything was going to be all right. I danced all night in that living room, thanks to Jerry. When the time comes, I'll be sure to make myself a bed by the waterside. Fare you well.

All this week, at the office, I've been listening to nothing but the Grateful Dead, as a tribute to the one I've always loved most- Jerry Garcia.

cosmicpal@comcast.net

when I hear jerry's guitar I smile. thanks for that jerry.

All I know is that when I hear the Dead and Jerry come through the radio I smile, no one else has done that for me. Thanks, Jerry I'll see you when I get there...

i was in a pretty dark place when i went to my first dead show. I was at shoreline and i never had seen so many happy people in one place. i hadn't ever seen a tortilla vs. marshmallow fight either. they opened with jack straw which was by far my favorite song at the time. i didn't know the song terrapin in the 2nd set but as the crowd yelled out the chorus throwing their arms in the air and spinning I knew I had found something special.

I tried to recapture the feeling later with Phish and other bands after Jerry died but nothing has matched the feeling of that sunday at shoreline. Sure, phish on new years was amazing, phish at coventry was emotional and heavy, but it didn't have the same magical mystery to it.

I can thank jerry and the dead for writing songs that were easy enough for me to learn guitar chords on. I pretty much learned most of my guitar basics with the grateful dead anthology in hand. i owe jerry all of my chromatic runs and the licks i play over open chords. they're really just his, i'm borrwing them.

I'd like to say that the dead changed my life while Jerry was still alive but really the true impact of it all happened after Jerry died. Jerry planted the seed in my brain but I had to water it and give it sunlight.

Masquerade began when nightfall finally woke
like waves against the bandstand dancers broke
to the painted mandolin

My best moment with Jerry live was him belting out "I'd rather be with you" from "Standing on the Moon" at the Pyramid in Memphis on 4/1/95. All I could do was hug myself.
My most intimate moments with Jerry on tape come from his only solo performance ever in Passaic, NJ from '85. I used to come home late, turn out all the lights and listen to "All Around this World" over and over.
Fortunately the imagination is a powerful thing and I try to visit Jerry and the boys in the good old days as frequently as I can conjure.

My top most amazing Jerry moments that come to mind have to be the 9/18/87 MSG "Dew"...it's chilling everytime I listen to it. Another moment for me came at the old Richfield Coliseum on 3/21/94 during "Stella Blue"...just indescribable how he belted that out- unlike anything else I had heard to date. And of course my all-time fav has to be the instant elation during the "pause" between Help->Slip...and the coming of Franklins!! :) If I could only bottle that feeling...
And from a taper, thank you so much for being the pioneer for allowing Taping!!!!!!! :)
Joe in Seattle

I remember when I first started listening. My older sister was really into the Grateful Dead and I stole one of her tapes. It was the "Grateful Dead" Album with the skeleton and the crown of roses. Wharf Rat was the first song that really pulled me in. But it really wasnt til college when I started downloading the shows that I really knew what it was all about. I guess I was too young when I first got a hold of it. Music had always been a really important part of my life. But not until Grateful Dead, and then Phish. Too bad I didn't realize how AWESOME going to shows was until last year when I saw String Cheese Incident in London. And then I was able to get to Coventry for my first and last Phish show. I just wish I could have found the community earlier, because its where I have belonged all along.
Thanks to Jerry and the Dead, and all of you amazing fans out there. This community has the strength to live on forever.

Words can not begin to describe the gifts that Jerry gave to me, gifts that I am forever Grateful for, that still influence and guide me to this day. From my very first show ('87) I was able to see, on many levels, how the energy of the Grateful Dead, and the surrounding family, guided by Jerry, wasn't just providing entertainment, it was guiding us into a SPIRITUAL space by letting a higher energy flow through the band, to us, where we reflected that energy back, allowing us to ALL rise to a transformative level by floating on the bubble created through synergistic energy. I felt like I was HOME. The energy created gave me "inspiration", hope, confidence, understanding, and a feeling of belonging.

As I continued to seek out that space, I found my place within it. Going to see Jerry play became, for me, like going to church. A vision at a Shoreline show helped me decide to take the risk of becoming a psychologist and working to help people find their own "inspiration", and hope, and confidence, etc. It also guided me to do research to expose how media influences people's self-perception, gave me the energy to fight for social causes, and the courage to stand up for what I believe. I found friends, adventure, and a large part of my identity in being a "deadhead".

As I studied the human psyche and took the "path less traveled", I learned about archetypal psychology, and the lyrics Jerry sang, and the rituals we were creating, became more clear to me. When I learned that Jerry and the boys were in communication with Joseph Campbell, and that Joe himself had changed his mind about there being no living myth left after he saw us create our own ritual space, I started to be more active in supporting this dynamic, and I worked to be a positive force at shows, and the community outside of our circle.

When my path got hard (as any warrior path eventually does), I found energy and understanding in Jerry's playing and Hunter's lyrics that helped me go on. Shows filled me up and let me go back outside of our bubble to fight against the demons and fear in peoples minds, and this became my personal quest.

By the time Jerry's mortal coil released his soul, his impact on me was past the point where death could take him away. Jerry Garcia's influence on who I am, how I think, and what I do can not be over-stated. To me, he was a conduit of energy, a prophet, a man who knew his purpose and sacrificed his personal balance in order to keep that energy flowing out.

He created "ripples in still water", when I had no dreams of my own, he "dreamed of me", when I had doubt and questions and I was tired and confused and lonely, he let me know I wasn't alone, showed me a way out, and gave me the energy to hold onto the wheel as it turned.

His physical death was a blow to me (even though, I realized later, my dreams about him in the weeks before had been preparing me). But I know now, he never really died. The seed he planted, in me, in others, in all that started the "jamband" scene survives, and grows, and spreads more seeds to this day. Just like any prophet or visionary.

How LUCKY I was to be there at all and to recognize it and appreciate it. How lucky we all are that his energy just continues to grow!

Happy Birthday Jerry, and Thank You.

Trpnstn1

10 years have passed since the end of the beginning.Take the joy Jerry has given us and spread it like wildfire to your children,family,friends and loved ones.He has carried me through rough times in my life.Literally carried me through.Thank you Jerry for ALL its worth.

Two moments stand out -- the first, at a Sunday afternoon gig at the Fillmore back in the spring of 66, standing talking with Bill Graham and Jerry about Bill's plans to bring Otis Redding to the Fillmore -- Jerry was so enthusiastic -- he just loved music so deeply.

The second a few months later down at the Santa Clara fairgrounds, setting up for a gig where the Sons were opening for the Dead. Bill Champlin and Terry Haggerty started to jam with Jerry and Phil, and Phil just took off in a direction that left Bill and Terry lost and confused and Jerry was just laughing, saying how Phil was absolutely never where he expected him to be -- I marveled that he could play in that kind of open space.

And finally, just last week, I downloaded a Bruce Hornsby concert and Bruce told a story about Jerry wanting to play on one of Bruce's songs -- you know, "Hey man, why don't you let me play on that one?" and Bruce had Jerry's inflection down absolutely cold -- it made me grin ear to ear.

From an early age, Jerry Garcia's approach to the guitar sparked something in me that has yet to find definition anywhere outside the realm occupied by his fingers, smile and mind. Every show was a reinvigorating experience, and it just hasn't been the same since he passed.
I was there that final night at Soldier Field as he laid into the solemn groove of Black Muddy River near the end. Somehow, I could tell that he was near the end. During that song, I felt like he was literally dying. But he'll live forever through his recordings and in the minds of all who witnessed that spark firsthand -- and sometimes those who weren't can catch it just by listening to the spirited stories of those who were there.

the day Jerry died: I remember like yesterday, I was a Humboldt student and had taken a job for the summer bottling and filling kegs at the Humboldt Brew Co. anyway, that year we had already driven up to Portland and down to Shoreline ect. this guy that I worked with comes into the back where we were working and goes "hey, did you here?...Jerry Garcia is dead.". my heart sank, I was numb..I didn't believe him so I dropped everything and went to the bar area and found out it was true..as I walked back this other prick comes up to me and says "Jerry's DEAD! hahah! that fat hippy..ect..ect.ect.." I looked up flipped him the bird, walked out and back home...drew the shades, and proceeded to listen to boots and puff for about 2 days...

Just a sidenote for JIM JAMES... Jerry didn't actually play the steel guitar until the day he recorded that part for CSN&Y. He came down, saw the steel there and asked if he could mess around with it. He never planned on doing that solo that day, never even played the steel guitar. He just busted out that solo and it stuck. His greatness was always just a byproduct. Amazing!

For me, it was hearing Jerry sneak into Fire On The Mountain on Dead Set. It was 1981 or so and I was sitting in my room,"in the dark." I had heard the dead and kind of knew a few songs, but that song not only introduced me to the magic of The Grateful Dead, it literally introduced me to the wonders of music and changed my whole world.

Countless times over the past 25 years in his life and after his death Jerry's guitar and yes his voice moved me in more ways than i can count or explain. Happy B-day jer.

some of those posts made me cry. i guess my story is interesting because i was 15 when jerry passed on. i had wanted to go see the dead in birmingham al the year before in my friends brothers VW bus. My mom knew my friend and about the dead and about vw buses and decided that was not going to happen so my friend went with someone else. they came to high school the next day still spaced and wearing tye-dyes. honestly i am kind of glad i didnt do that. it is interesting to think that most of my exposure to the dead and the 60's in general is through books and television and yet i feel like i have a pretty good grip on what it was like. anyways the day jerry died i was at my parents and walked out to get the paper and read that jerry garcia had died i cried and told my mom, "now i will never get to see the dead mom" looking back that seems selfish but hey i was 15. even though i never got to see them they led me away from motly crue and whitesnake to far better music with heart and INTENTION.

do you guys think jerry had love for himself? i guess it is something i am wondering a lot latley how can one live a lifestyle of that manner and love ones self?

On August 13, 1995, I called my parents from northern Sumatra. I had been traveling alone in Asia for 11 months. It was my birthday. My father said, "We've got some bad news." My brain took a time-out to prepare for the possible scenarios about my finances or the family pet. "Jerry Garcia died. It's all over the news. He had more money than god, but he was totally unhappy..." His voice trailed off as I took a seat in the little phone booth and let some tears out.
So I never really had closure in the way that I wanted, which was to be with friends or to attend the vigil in San Francisco. But in 2001, I put together a course of independent study at UC Berkeley and took a look at the Dead, at Jerry, at what they accomplished and how they impacted American culture, the music business, improv, etc. I invited David Gans as a guest speaker. I conversed with Rebecca Adams about her social science course at UNC. I researched and presented and made dialogue with 50 young people who never got to see Jerry play. We watched concert footage, films and documentaries, we read lyrics and reviews and commentaries, and we listened to a lot of music. Jerry's influence remains palpable and vital on the next generation. I can't believe he died 10 years ago already...
Thanks for this piece, Jambase - it's righteous.

kudos to all and jambase for the wonderful comments bestowed upon jerry. everyone I'm sure remembers their first time.for me it was 5/17/78 uptown theater in chicago. since then his magic along with his fellow brethern has given me and my children inspirational impact. Sadly, there has to be a last time. deer creek '95, the infamous "gate crash" (it should have been in my hometown chicago. ironically enough i was in their hometown for work during that time.) either way what i remember most was jerry's soulful heartfelt persona on stage during both good and bad times. he truly was an inspiration. thanks for moving me brightly jerry.

I remember my mom knocking on my bedroom door that morning...asking if she could come in. Right away I knew something was up, her face looked like a cross between lost and upset. She told me the news and I told her I didn't believe her (although I quickly thought that would be a weird thing to say to her son) and rolled over. She just turned on the tv in my room and left and there it was...all over every channel. I was 19 then, a few weeks away from leaving my NJ home for college in California. Walking in to the living, I saw my mom watching the tv and holding back tears. She turned to me and said, "He seemed like such a nice man. A lot of people loved him." I couldn't even muster a response. I remember getting in my car and just driving, for hours...listening to local stations paying tribute. I felt glad I'd been able to see the Dead a handful of times the previous years...but that would be it. Not many of my friends were into the Dead then, so I spent most of the day by myself, just listening.

I would make the trip up to San Francisco for the first time a year to the day in 1996. I remember walking down through Haight-Ashbury...and making my way up to the old house on 710. It gave me shivers thinking of Jerry and the boys sitting there. It was still early morning, but there was an old man with a rose sitting on the stoop out front. I talked to him for a bit and he mentioned he remembered them back in those days, and kept trailing off about how much those days in the mid-60's meant to him.

I'm 29 now...and the thought that ten years has passed is something of a wonder to me. I guess I'M beginning to feel a bit nostalgic myself. I miss Jerry all the time, but when you break it all down, nothing rings more true than saying "His music will last forever." I feel honored that I call myself a fan of Jerry Garcia. And I feel honored that I can pass that down to anyone who is willing to listen. RIP FOREVER JERRY.

I don't think I'll ever forget that summer. Boston Garden was just about to close down, but not before The Grateful Dead raged it in September. My best friend and I were attending music camp in RI (we were probably 14 at the time) and his sister had been kind enough to hook us up with tickets to that show - it would have been my first Dead show. As the last few days of music camp winded down my excitement grew - I had stolen a copy of "One From The Vault" (which is still arguably one of the greatest live dead albums ever in my mind) from my older brother or something and listened to it non-stop for that whole summer. That week my parents bought me my first Les Paul and I was always noodling on it trying to figure out those "jerry-rolls". I believe that's exactly what I was doing on the steps of my music school/camp when my mom picked me - she was the one who broke the news to me: "that nice man from that band you love died today" she said trying to be as sensitive as possible - I cried the whole way home. Needless to say, the Boston Garden show never happened and it was torn down shortly thereafter. It wasn't upsetting that I was never going to see Jerry or The Grateful Dead ever, but rather that he had died such a sufferable death - if you think about it he was dying all along - killing himself slowly with heroin, that was the saddest part to me, that a man who everyone associated with the hippie-mentatlity i.e. - fun/loving/free, etc was so unhappy by the time he died. But the positive thing here is that so many people were/are affected by Garcia everyday through his music and art, I know I am. Its weird though - I've seen The Dead and Phil and Friends, and even the Grisman Quartet several times- and even though Jerry's not there - his energy is so strong - its like those jerry-rolls still echo within the notes of those other musicians - that's power...
Thank you Jerry!

RIGHT ON!!!

Really nice work with this piece! Particularly, nice work with the Blakesberg initiative. I find his images of the Dead particularly captivating and it was great to hear from him presonally on the 10 year anniversary of his death. Ya know... it's something that goes unmentioned today, mostly because of taboo - but its amazing to note the important contribution of psychedelics to culture and evolution. The entire vortex of energy swirling around the Dead scene had very much to do with psychedelics (obviously) - from Hunter and Kesey's days in the goverment experiments. What a giant irony that the good 'ol US government would provide the spark that catapulted consciousness into the new and ever developing revolution. From "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" to "Chinacat Sunflower," the culture and creativity that flowed from these conscious dreamers can't be understated - particularly Captain Trips himself - Jerome Garcia! Jerry was and continues to be a reluctant musical prophet and genius - a "broken angel" if you will. Ya ever listen to "That's It for the Other One" on "So Many Roads" - @ the beginning of the tune, its so wonderful to listen to him try to describe the "truly strange" experience of being on stage and playing music under certain conditions -"beyond the pale" he gleefully asserts. Jerry, the Dead, Hunter, Kesey, and ya can't forget Owsley "Bear" Stanley - are all responsible for "opening" up music and life to experimentation, for destroying boundaries and barriers in music and life and ultimately being the founding fathers of what we know as "Jam" music today! [The importance of jazz music in the genesis of "our scene" can't be understated either - from Bird and Coltrane, to Miles and Herbie!] Hell - music is life, creation - and the spontaneity, mastery and understanding that Jerry displayed, through and despite all his flaws, preaches creativity and living in the moment, adaptation and communication and even humility.

But that curiosity is also what killed the cat - literally and figuratively. The psychedelic experience is powerful and omnipotent - and its like Ram Dass says in (the highly recommended) "Be Here Now" - coming down is like "being cast from the kingdom of heaven." Yep - the Days Between can be tough and burdensome and shoudlering the load of an entire organization grown out of control, with so many people's livelihoods depending on touring and so many heads lives revolving around the Dead and road experience... hey man... our jamband prohet was only human!!!

Jerry's life and musical contribution is truly invaluable and often mocked, misunderstood and downplayed by mainstream media, music critics and listeners and particularly, the scared "square" world. Though perhaps equal part historical accident to match the originality and trailblazing "way," Jerry and the Dead created a sound and structure in the music industry that has served as the foundation for countless independent artists, whether acknowledged or not. Bands like Phish and particularly String Cheese have followed the Dead's lead in creating hugely successful business ventures that, in the end, allow one critical opportunity: the ability to create music on their on own terms - true artsitry indeed.

Jerry's contribution to music goes beyond the Dead too - Old & in the Way is one of the most important bluegrass bands of all time, JGB provided some funk and soul, Legions of Mary was groovy beyond imagination, New Riders of the Purple Sage florished with Jerry. Hell - I even have this one show from The Great Amercian Music Band - featuring Jerry, Grisman and Taj Mahal - damn awesome indeed! Jerry channeled music theory and history in his playing and various projects. From folk to Americana, country, blues, rock and roll and jazz - Garcia was all things past, present and future. He was (and is) a time traveler, a shaman of consciousness, a figurehead of a movement and ideal, an angel trapped in the shortcomings of the flesh, a revolutionary, a genius, a musician - though humbly so, in his words, and in passing, he was only the last thing - a musician and true artist. So "Sing Me Back Home" Jerome, because the "Brokedown Palace" is now empty for "He's Gone." His spirit lives on! -- THANKS JERRY -- LOVE AND LIGHT -- JOHN SMRTIC

10 years ago, my very pregnant wife and I took a day trip to the Jersey Shore, oddly we never listented to the radio. When we got home there must have been 20 messages telling me of the bad news. My beautiful daughter came 2 weeks later, we named her Cassidy. Peace to all.

Don't Forget.... stay tuned to JAMBASE this weekend and next week for coverage and photos (my little contribution to the scene and legacy) from GATHERING OF THE VIBES as the Jambase tribute to Jerry and the 40th Annviersaary of the Dead rolls on!!!!!
Friday night is Ratdog!
Saturday night: Tribute to Jerry & the Dead with Dark Star Orchestra & special guests: Peter Rowan, Keller Williams, Marvin Seals, Tom Constanten, Donna Jean, David Nelson, Martin Fierro, Gloria Jones!!!!!!!!
And hey, while I'm at it, though un-Dead-related, Sunday:
MMW with Schofield!!
Yahoo!
KEEP IT LOCKED HERE TO JAMBASE KIDS!!!
John Smrtic

i was at irvine meadows 4-17,18,19-87. my first show. I had tickets for sat and sun but not fri. my friends and i got to the lot early to scout out tickets. "why is everyone walking around with thier arm in the air and one finger extended?," i asked my friend."they're looking for a miracle ticket." he said. cool, so off i went with my arm in the air. after hours of that i just resorted to kicking back at our car and asking heads as they cruised on by and still no luck. i began to play frisbee with some guys that were parked next to us and when it was time that everyone that had tickets started to go in, one of the frisbee guys asked if i wanted a ticket. hell yes! how much? -- nothing. what? free?
he said a friend of his couldn't make the show a told him to miracle someone with his ticket. i was blown away! i couldn't believe that there really was such a thing. i was completly hooked to the whole experience. miracles,music, friendly strangers,shakedown and everything that embodied a dead show. what a weekend! Since that day i was lucky enough to see jerry and the boys about thirty more times and even gave some miracles myself. regarding the grateful dead and deadheads: what we all learned in the first grade really rings true - the golden rule -
jerry,i will always miss you.

thank you!

Last night I gathered with old friends from allover the country at our local community center to dance to Jerry again. We chose a Warfield show from 01.30.93. What an incredible time. There was about 40 of us spinning shaking and getting off with the music...many of us started dancing together in the mid 80's, so it was incredible to feel that spirit again together.
Thanks Jerry.

the day before:

by this time, we were able to schedule meetings around shows. I came down from New Hampshire and met a buddy who was a group publisher for a set of trade magazines where we ran ads. We decided to meet at their office in the city, duck out early and see Bob Weir's band in Central Park.

Dancing around sort of off to the side, I said they should take it down a notch. Its too big and summer 95 was too weird. This was kind of fun Little show. Jerry could do bluegrass. Just dancin in the streets.

The next morning 9:30, August 9th, I'm in my office at corporate headquarters in Greenwich. This really cute girl with brown curly hair and green eyes stops in and says Hi, I'm Christy. I say hello and she asks if I was in New York last night. I said well...

She said, I saw you dancing around at the show. I told my husband, that guy is a vice president at our company and he didn't believe it. I asked if she had fun and she said it was fuzzy mellow . We said goodbye, nice to meet you etc. She left.

I was tired, a little crispy and just grooving on meeting her.

Later that morning Christy comes back and says, I don't know how to tell you this but, Jerry died. My husband is at home and not going to work. He's listening to the radio and feeling bad. I believed her mostly but went over to my computer and checked The Well and an AOL message board. The screen was flying like instant messaging. 1995. Checked CNN. It was true.

I just wanted to leave the office. If a family member had died, no problem. Jerry was like family but if you weren't on the bus you wouldn't get it. Still, a bunch of people stopped by to check in. I said I was really bummed and I guess his body just couldn't keep up. I went through the motions and checked the web a lot. I cried a bunch in quick breaths and salty eyes for seconds and blinked it back . Pretty much all day.

Five o'clock. I was supposed to go sailing with my Dad. I don't get down to see him that much. Whenever I'm in town for work, we'll go out on his boat and sail until just after sunset. And talk. Good times. He called and said I guess maybe we shouldn't sail tonight. I said thanks.

I'm on my way out the door and Christy shows up and I make like the wooden cross to scare away vampires with my fingers thing and say, three times is bad. Kind of a joke. She just says I wanted to see how you were doing. I'm ok. I guess. Our network administrator is walking out the door with me at the same time and says, who was that?

I said, that's Christy. I think she works for Ralph. He goes, I don't think I set her up.

I'm driving over to my Dad's boat just to sit on it at the dock. One fatty down. I could take it out but I've got my mandolin and its a warm, not very windy night. I'm listening to the Fordham station and feeling the wave of bittersweetness crashing across our continent. It helps. I try to figure out Standing On The Moon but my brain is pretty much cancelled.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe Christy was an angel. Sent to tell me the truth and help me on my way. I mean, I'm sure she was a real person and I know she didn't have hidden wings or anything remotely not human about her. She could have been the most human person I'd ever met. She said she worked for Ralph. But, I'd never seen her before. I'm sure of that. The company wasn't that big. I went down to the main office a couple of times per month. I'm totally, happily married but, there's no way I wouldn't have at least noticed her. She was amazing.

Maybe that's how this angel thing really works. They aren't fairy creatures, they are just the archetypical messenger sent to those in need. People just receive the word the way they can handle it best. Sometimes you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right. That's way more likely than that other kind of angel.

Jerry, Im safe to say we all miss you, and you will always be in our hearts.
Peace to you Jerry.

ask some new questions, maybe tailor them to the artist...the responses get kinda repititive

On August 9th 2002 I walked into my local neighborhood bar, and sitting on a stool at the end of the bar was my friend Bulldog. Now Bulldog was one of the guys who had turned me on to the Dead and hooked me up with some the classic tapes when I first started taping and trading.(Y'all remember cassette tapes) So I sat down with him and had a beer for Jerry, talked about Mikey's last show in Iowa the month before, and bullshitted about our lives in general. It was a wonderful little evening, a piece of rememberance and tribute between two friends. That was the last time I ever saw Bulldog, he saddly passed away a week to the day after Mikey died. Now August is a time of rememberance for me of three beautiful people who loved life and music, and I know Jerry and Mikey are sitting in heaven wondering who this short little guy is who won't let them stop playing. I love you man. Bulldog forever!

ripple...>"}}}><
inn trey we trust

I have many fond memories of Jerry and the years I've spent following the Grateful Dead but some of my fondest are those things that can't be pointed to as a singular incident but rather an overall feeling for the time.

Mail order, jamming out, friendships formed with the folks next to in the lot, the Double Decker Hare Krishna bus, fine herb, miracles, the tingle you got an hour or so before the show began, Jerry and the gang, veggie burritos, the warmth of your engine as you lie in the back of your Volkswagon bus on your way to the next show and that smell (what is that anyway)? Reuniting with old friends (the folks that were next to you in the lot two years ago), drum circles, bumping into stangers in the middle of the night making their own beautiful music, I could go on for days but most of all the sweet, sweet memories of all these things that will last forever and be remembered each time you slide a show into your tape deck.

Thank you Jerry, the Grateful Dead, and all of you that made the experience possible for so long and continue to do so.

God Bless the Grateful Dead!

once again i find myself wandering why you people(jambase staff)choose to exclude and or add some of the comments on these stories???did ajerk really add to the discussion with his retarded "in trey we trust"comment?is nothing sacred in this scene? captain trips deserves better!! by the way it's one n in inn jerk.shame on you staff and your gills are showing!

I was lucky enough to see almost a 100 Dead shows and witness Jerry's magic that profoundly shaped the rest of my life but my relationship with The Grateful Dead wasn't all roses. As time went on in the late 80's into the early 90's it began to wear thin and found myself feeling either I or the band were losing it's magic. During my early years I poured alot of energy and focus into my fascination with Jerry and the magic of The Grateful Dead but I began to see them less and less in the 90's due to an increase in what I saw as off nights. The Exceptions were fine weekends in Eugene. I began travelling out of the country and one trip through Asia lasted a full year. I returned to the Northwest in late 94 and in the Spring of 95 The Grateful Dead were playing Memorial Stadium in Seattle during Memorial Day weekend. I didn't think much of it at the time and made no plans to travel from Bellingham to Seattle (90 minute drive). Given how little The Dead played Seattle and how big a role they played in my life is worth mentioning that I didn't think of going. When the weekend they were to play arrived I got a call from an old touring friend who was in town visitng mutual friends and was also there to see the dead. He was pretty amazed I didn't have tickets or plans to see the shows. I said I would think about it. throughout the morning I started to think "What the hell am I doing?! Jerry is playing 90 minutes away and your not going to see him?" My girlfriend and I packed for the weekend and left in the afternoon. I hadn't seen the dead in over 2 1/2 years and most of my friends had given pretty poor reviews of how hit and miss they were these days so I expected nothing. The first day of the shows the stadium was half full yet the show was pleasantly and surprisingly for me - Fun. Next day the stadium gathered quite a few more people and the show had more energy and was considerably better than the last eve the vibe was really good with the crowd and the weather. The last night every deadhead in Seattle came out of the woodwork and came close to filling the stadium. The evening carried some classics and the band seemed quite energized notably Jerry. Our group was in a super good mood and at set break a couple got married next to us on the floor, phil's side. A tried and true Scarlet>Fire>Playin>Uncle John's Band lifted the crowd to pace the second set. Jerry began belting out a Fire On the Mountain chorus and harmony that roused the stadium. I thought to myself "Well this certainly isn't what I expected - for me this is as close as we are all going to get to Good Ole Grateful Dead" Everybody was on the bus and shakin it. The set ended with a rousing "Good Lovin'" I remember seeing people lookin down into the stadium from their apartment building windows taking in the scene during the Good Lovin' as it was a party that couldn't be ignored by anyone in the vacinity. It was smiles all around and for me mainly that I found a return to the magic of my early days with this group of musicians and fans. I think I was so taken by the end of the show because my interest was as close to an all time low with the dead. My faith in anything and anyone finding their true spark/gift no matter how much time has passed was rekindled in that moment. I was truly happy as I left that show dancing my ass off to Joe Cocker's "Feelin Alright" thru the PA. We shared some yucks outside and one of my friends turned on his boot heel said "See ya later." and left for the ferry - we all had plans to have a few beers. I asked him later what happened and he told me he knew that was the last time he would see Jerry. About 2 months later he was the one who called and gave me the news as I answered the phone in bed. I immediately went back to that night in the stadium: The Wedding on the floor, Jerry during Fire and the rollicking Good Lovin' to send us home. I loved that I was fortunate enough to end on that note for seeing those guys live. Here am am now typing this realizing I was one of the lucky ones. I am happier than ever that I made that decision in May of 95. I wonder if Jerry knows how much he is missed.

Short & sweet, Reid's response re: Jerry's biggest contributions to the world have been my favorite so far. Outside of the wonderful, wonderful music, a lot of the 'Pied Piper' effect Jerry had (and still has) on so many can be attributed to his personal ethos. I think many deadheads recognized elements of the strong character behind this self-admitted far-from-perfect individual ("Anyone who thinks I'm God should talk to my kids.") as things to aspire to, things that mainstream materially-motivated society had cast aside.

Soul, hope and humility.

Yes, that really is such a key part of what carries me along every time I drift off on those waves that only listening to the music of the Grateful Dead can raise for me.

Paradise waits ~
on the crest of a wave
her angels in flame...

Wow, from '76 till today, from the moment we decided to grow our hair and join this hip crowd, if only to appose the English Beat, to read Tom Wolf and H S Thompson and Jack Kerouac, buy a Harley, wear black shirts for life, drop acid and see God . . . it's been a ritual that has been replayed innumerable times over these past many decades. It will never end. The music never stops.

I like Vince's reflections on Jerry and the GD experience. The whole group mind thing seemed to give the band much of its staying power in the culture. Seems like natural phenomena also worked along with the band -- I remember seeing lightning dance during Lazy Lightning (at outdoor shows) or rain fall during Looks Like Rain. And the crowd was attuned to these things. Everone and everything was very "in the moment." It made people feel alive.

Just a short story.

The first time I ever heard Jerry Garcia, I was 13 Years old and away at boarding school. One of the seniors put on this tape. I have no idea where it was from or when but the first thing I heard was Jerry playing Ramble on Rose. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard and it changed my life. I was never able to see The Dead but what that recording did for me was unbelievable. I realized that there is more love and emotion that can some out of people than I could imagine. I have spent the last fifteen years exploring the scene and learning about the universal language of love and friendship that we all can share. So thanks Jerry for opening my eyes and helping me to see the beauty in all things

My father was in the Vietnam war ( regardless of my own beliefs on that, its a part of the story)and when he returned he lived in San Francisco. He got pretty heavy into the West Coast music scene and definately has some great stories.

After some time, he moved back to Minnesota and raised a family, but one thing that he never lost was his love for the Grateful Dead. Growing up, ever since I was real little I remember hearing the sweet sound of the Grateful Dead flowing through the house.

As the years went on , I became a huge fan myself and as I remember I was the only 6th grader listening to the Dead. I kept really involved through high school collecting tapes and sitting around getting buzzed listening to Jerrys guitar.

After my senior year of highschool, I was getting ready to get shipped off to Colorado to go to college when I realized that the Dead were playing Soldiers Field in Chicago. My dad approached me and we got tickets and I grabbed a few good buddies..some other Panic/Dead heads and we got ready to go.I had yet been to a show at this point and couldnt wait.

A few weeks go by and we pack the car and hit the road. Its about a 5 hr drive no traffic from Minneapolis to Chicago and we chatted and sat and listened to stories that my dad told about the S.F. days.

We got to chicago and tried to get tickets to Saturday July 8th but couldnt so sat in the lot and waited until Sunday July 9th, 1995...the last show! This gets to the pinnacle of my fond memory...

The whole trip was great and hearing (live) and seeing (live) all the boys was AMAZING, but as we are all grooving, I look to my dad and he looks to me as he was doing the half-groove head bob, and he said "Do you feel it?" I felt it with my old man at Jerry's last show!!! Intense!!

Nothing was said after that...just tons of dancing. Jerry changed my life! I listen to the Dead every day and no matter what, "theres nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile"

Thanks Jerry - Grateful Dead

http://www.petitiononline.com/Garcia/petition.html

My last Dead show was such a dissapointment at the time...100 degrees in the lot at the Meadowlands in 95, less that a month before Jerry died. Watching a few huffers go down after inhaling a baloon. I got bum shrooms and a had to break up a fight on line to get inside...This was not my transendant dead experience. Once inside the music seemed distant, the jams were off, jerry sounded old.

But as Jerry taught me, all i remember now is the positive...which is: The last thing I ever heard jerry and the crew perform was a "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"...thats how I want to remember my last show>

i've greatly enjoyed reading all of these thoughts on the impact garcia had on music, the players, and the scene in general.

however, i can't help but wonder, "did garcia only influence men?"

donna jean is the only woman represented and i can't help but wonder if there aren't other female musicians out there that were influence as well.....there has to be. how bout a bit more representation for the ladies?

Why are you interviewing people who have never seen the dead or garcia? when you ask "What is your fondest memory of Jerry Garcia?" and they say "well never saw him or the dead" "got into it late in the game....." come on. lets hear some real stories and interesting responses..

Yes, we would all like to say that we experienced Jerry Garcia, first-hand. But not all of us got into it "early", as you may require, Jazzgtrl4. This should not be an exclusive club only for people who were into the Dead when they were touring. I think responses like Dan Leibowitz and Al Howard are totally appropriate. I personally love what Al had to say about his first experience and how he sees the music of Jerry and the Dead has influenced our world, and in that it is totally interesting to many more people beyond yourself.

I find it interesting that you have interviewed exactly one woman for this piece. I am sure there were a few more female musicians who could have contributed their thoughts to the article?

i remember the darkest day for me, i had just broke down in nashville and was hitching to michigan to see some old friends, i was at a little truck stop just out of town [nashville] when in walks my uncle who drove truck and lives in mich. he asks what im doin and i tell him im tring to get to mich. and he says well lets go. it was just past noon and of all the people to hear talk good about jerry i would never have thought it would be paul harvey. he started his news cast with the words "the world of music has lost a legend, jerry garcia died last night in a rehab hospital in ca." i was in shock id all ready ordered fall tickets and was kooking forward to another great tour with the MAN and his troops. all i can say is im glad i got to see 100+ shows god bless and all good to you jerry youre gone but not forgotten........

With all the connections Jambase has can you guys please get some people to make comments about Jerry that have really been to a Dead show and spent some time with the band there is a handfull of people that have never even seen the man so tell us about Jerry well daaa I never saw a show but I read in a book that he was cool. Come on get some really good souls out there who know the experience and feel the experience because it lives amoung us in our everyday lives. The impact is immense and truly lives on through the spreading of the sense of family and sucess for us all. May the force be with you and if you are not a member of the club than sorry cosmic charlie don't let the deal go down. why thanks

I will say I am glad that there is a forum like this for fans to discuss memories or feelings on the Dead and more specifically, Jerry.

A few comments I read were harsh, saying that people who never met the band or talked to Jerry or bought a VW bus and went on tour for 20 years, cant be touched or have emotions of Jerry b/c they would have no clue.

That mentality reminds me of the preppy, meat heads in highscool that picked on people b/c they were different. All you have to do is listen to feel it. Lets not be snobby Dead Heads!!!

I agree we are all entitled to our opinions, but this in rememberance of Jerry and how he touched us all.

His tunes were played on a harp unstrung......God I miss Jerry. I saw one show...the last, and I had many years left in me, but Jerry will never be forgotten.

Surely the only folks who here who have missed the bus are those dim enough to think that Jerry, of all people, would agree with the self righteous idea that only those lucky enough to have seen him live are 'allowed' to experience and share in the timeless resonance Jerry's spirit and music have had on this world. MLERNER, if you really want to show his impact 'through the spreading of the sense of family and sucess for us all', try for a second to embody the selfless, non-judgemental, and inclusive attitude Jerry fostered in his life and music. Instead of honoring his memory, your divisive words exhibit a childish conceit that has no place in the philosophy you claim to live by. The world we live in is polarized enough as it is.

My first and only trip to see the dead was in 95. My dad and I went together. I was in high school. Totally out of my element. We arrived that morning and walked thru the enchanted forest at buckeye lake. Had no idea what I was about to get into. The scene was something I had never experienced. The sights, the sounds, the smells. Oh the smells. First time I realized my parents were "cool". I had always been told that "that smell is what happens when cigs burn down to the filter." Yep, naive I was.

It was raining that morning, Traffic is on stage, My dad and I made our way to about 50 feet or so from the stage. The rain kept comming down, people were holding tarps above thier heads so people could escape the rain/hot box.

Then Traffic leaves the stage after thier set and a miracle happened. The rain stopped. The sun came out.

The Dead came on stage.

It was a day I will never forget. I went to coventry, but that day in the summer of 95 with my dad in his cowboy hat sticking out in the crowd, the two of us sharing something that we knew we would remember the rest of our lives. We had no idea it would end so soon.

Thank you Jerry,

I think it's even more wonderful to have folks comment on Jerry that have never met him or saw him play live. It shows just how powerful the MUSIC really is. I was able to see some shows, but my children weren't so lucky. I'd like to think someday they will be able to express a few good comments on the music of Jerry Garcia.

Nobody could say it any better than Martin. Thanks so much for your input Meester. Jerry gave us all so much and I want to thank him and his spirit but also Martin who has given me that energy he learned through the big guy. I only met Jerry once, he was so sweet but I'm thankfull for all the experiences I've had with Martin over the past two years and I think alot of us learned through Jerry, even if it was second hand like my experiences listening to Martin tell stories till late in the morning while cutting tracks for 7th Direction's album. It's nice to hear Martin acknowledge how Jerry helped him gain notoriety, it's just one of the many things I'll always be grateful to Jerry for.

Well I didn’t think it was possible in my life for one person to change my life twice. When you have someone enter into your life you expect them to have an impact, but never could I imaging the impact that Jerry Garcia was going to have on mine.

I was a lost 17 year old girl who was not really into the whole hair and makeup thing that most girls are in high school. I was at the beach and someone I was riding with put in a tape. The first song that played was Casey Jones. That song forever changed my life. I fell in love that day with the sounds that flowed from the speakers. I had to know more about the man and the group that was speaking to me so intimately. As I began to discover the Grateful Dead I also began to discover myself. The true self and the true nature of being at home with a room full of strangers. I hit the road to my first show in 1990. I found myself drawn to the music and drawn to the feeling of family that I found on the road. A family that I did not know I had. A family that opened their arms to me so naturally and honestly. I spent the next 5 years seeing as many shows as I could. I found myself longing to be there to hear the next song, to see the next strum of the cord, to feel the vibration of the dancing feet.

I spent my off time from traveling working at a natural food store and making clothes for the next show. How I managed to get a college degree too still baffles me. I can honestly say that I felt whole for the first time in my life. I was truly happy. Whether it was seeing The Dead at a huge arena like RFK or seeing the Jerry Garcia Band at Ziggys, I knew that I was where I wanted to be forever. I envisioned bringing my future children with me one day to experience what was so beautiful about life and how the world was not always so dark. That on those days when the music was playing the light shines so bright that you almost can’t believe that it is real. Why would I even consider that such ecstasy would end so quickly? But alas the cruel reality struck.

On Aug. 9 I was up way to early driving home from a road trip and as I turned on my car the radio began to play. Play a voice that was so sweet to me. Sweet like the rain on a summer day. But that day was not a sweet day because as they began to speak the world began to change. Jerry Garcia had passed to a new venue that was waiting to hear his sweet sweet voice. I had a tape in my player and hit play as I sit on the side of the road crying tears for the life that was lost. The first song that played to me that day was Jerry singing Knocking On Heavens Door and I knew he was speaking to me. Saying goodbye and wishing me well.

As the days, months and years flowed I did those things that I never imagined. Got a real job, got a house and got lost. I found that I had forgotten that music makes me happy. I realized that about two years ago. I discovered my love for music again and I realized that yes it wasn’t the same as when Jerry was alive, it was different. It was good music and it was good people. It would never be the same again and that was ok, because without those years of joy I would not know the person I am today.

As I sit here listening to Like a Road I know he still plays to my soul and when I hear a beautiful note today no matter who is playing I look to the sky and thank the man who changed my life forever, twice.

Blessings.

It was summer tour 1990, RFK Stadium Washington DC. I had a tough time purchasing all the tickets for this tour via mail order and had to use Ticketron after MO was closed for this show. My seat was in the 500's section, my buddy had Mail Ordered and was on the field. So, I put on my roller skates and set off to find a field ticket to buy/trade. I skated maybe 10 minutes and saw a head selling a ticket. I paid $2 more than face, which did break my "face value" policy, but I was on the field. I got back to the car and showed my buddy my ticket, he did a double take, then took out his ticket. WHOLLY SHIT the tickets did match 100%, the color was a tiny tiny bit off, and the foil stamp skeleton was not as crisp as his was. I think I've got a counterfeit ticket. So I skate over to the backstage entrance to wait for someone "official" looking to come out. This guy with a stack of laminates comes driving out on a golf cart. So I asked if he could tell me if the ticket was real. He looked at it, handed it back to me and said “It’s real”. I replied that I had just looked at my buddies Mail Order ticket and mine is different. He said “ok, give it to me” I said “you’re not going to take my ticket are you?” He replied “My name is Henry Sullivan, I’m head of Grateful Dead security, if I don’t get you another ticket I’ll drive you onto the fucking field myself…..forget it………GET ON!” and he gestured to the back of his golf cart. So I got on. We drove backstage where he produced a set of blank ticket stock, no prices or seating information, but all the other info date, foil stamp, etc were there. He compared them side by side, tore a bit of the ticket to see the inside paper, and then started FREAKING. In a matter of minutes I was standing backstage with 10 of the largest heads I’ve ever seen. I was told that I needed to find this counterfeiter and point him out to the team. We set off, I didn’t get 50 yards from the spot when I saw him, he looked at me, saw the gang of people with me, and bolted like a bat out of hell. They caught him with several thousand in cash and another 50 counterfeit tickets. Henry invited me back onto the golf cart and we went backstage with 2 others, Bob and Kevin. He said he was going to get me a ticket to the show in the Bands box seats just to the side of the stage. While standing there, believe it or not, Jerry walked right past us after finishing sound check. Bob called out to him “Jerry, do you have a second?.....(he points to me) this kid just helped us bust a counterfeiter with a few grand in cash and 50 counterfeit tickets” So Jerry looked at me, smiled, and offered me his hand, which I gladly shook and left me with a “Hey, thanks a lot man!”

That’s my Jerry story.

For me... Words can not begin to describe Jerry's impact on my life. Due in most part to his vision and leadership regarding the energy direction when he played, shows became like church to me, being a Deadhead became part of my identity and the inspiration I gained at shows guides me to this day. From my first show I had a profound feeling of being HOME. Being raised by a "hippie" mother, I was used to seeing energy and experiencing altered states. I could see energy flowing through the band, the largest beam through Jerry, into the audience in a web like pattern, and then being reflected back in this synergistic loop that lifted people to inspiration and transformation. This was the first time I had experienced being ONE with the band and the crowd instead of just entertained. When I graduated 3 years later ('90) I went on tour questioning if I should go to grad school, do research in psych to expose media ads, and become a psychologist... OR.... stay on tour. The answer came at Shoreline in the form of "Fire on the Mountain". Off I went. When I experienced doubt, loss, fear, weakness, I held on until the next time I could see Jerry, and connect with the energy flowing through him to us all. I was rarely disappointed. His death was a HUGE blow to me. I finished my Ph.D., but with little energy. I searched other scenes for what I needed. Good music, but not church... not archetypal and inspirational. Then it hit me. The bands now are the next generation. They grew up with the Dead and Jerry as their parents and now they each reflect a different form of the same spirit and energy I found seeing Jerry. Jerry's influence was so HUGE that it affected me personally (my career choice, my choice in friends and my boyfriend, my choice in how to eat, decorate, LIVE), and spiritually (no words to describe), but it also changed the face of music and planted seeds of a new way of engaging with music and people at a live show. I know that decades from now, Jerry's influence will only be more obvious, like Bob Marley now. Jerry gave himself to be a conduit of energy for US... I am FOREVER Grateful.

too many memories, too much magic too big a void still to go into..plus I have to watch out reading these posts at work because people wonder why I am crying......

but to add to the jerry jus folk category - I remember during the late 70s, i think it was Springfield MA being slightly in a different mind space, first few rows at a general admission concert (6'4 250 pounds made them my fave)and being mesmerized by a cigarette butt stuck on the side of jerry's sneaker the entire first set.....realizing the incongruity that he was just another down to earth guy with trash stuck in his foot but looking up and heavanly sounds emanating from those hands

fave show - Lewiston Fairgrounds 1980 [25 years ago this week!]

hey remember the naked woman who squeezed by me in the aisle in Providence and jumped on stage and grabbed the dead mike during set break?


and on
and on
and on
and ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

my first time smoking pot was accompanied by the grateful dead compilation, skeletetons in the closet and a dark room. to say the least, i came out of the experience a changed man. jerry garcia has a way of tapping into a part of your soul that otherwise remains dormant. at sixteen, i finally found what i had been looking for. its a shame that energy flow is not tapped into the same way jerry was able to do it.

I MISS YOU but I will see you soon I know ;)