Intervention is the fucking worst. I've never, and never will, understood that approach to help. It's not "tough love", it's not "keeping it real", it's people who could do the MOST good choosing to turn their back and abandon a supposed loved one. It's fucking sick.
I've struggled with this stuff my whole life, and…

Oh absolutely, there's snobbery in every 'clique'. It never bothered me much because like I said, most of the old timers (who could have been snobby since they'd seen 50 plus shows) were extremely welcoming to newcomers. It was a byproduct of the huge influx of new fans who wanted to claim their 'bonafides', I guess.
…

No, don't mind at all. And it might sound shallow, but probably the first show I attended is the one that comes to mind. That would be 10/08/89, the start of the second set. The whole thing's awesome, but the start of the second is really special to me.
What I meant, I guess, was 'comfort' music. Doesn't have to…

After Mydland died, Garcia seemed to lose a bit of the passion he had for the Dead. It kind of stands out that the JGB shows I saw during that period were better (to me, you MMV) than the GD shows I saw.

Yes to this. I wish I could give you a million upvotes.
For me at least, they were kind of a Rosetta Stone for a Ton of music I probably never would have sought out otherwise.

I can confirm (at least post In The Dark), that there were 'some' Heads who got really had some weird 'heirarchy' thing going on.
I'd get the "you don't follow them on tour, you just catch them when play within a 200 mile radius of where you live, so you must not be a real fan" type of attitude occasionally. That…

You'd have to "really" like 'em to get that effect. If you do, than I'd imagine there's a couple thousand that might do the trick.

Sup scrotumnose.
Do I have my own personal troll? I have truly arrived.

Yeah, they could have existed, but they wouldn't have gotten as huge and as quickly as they did if the Dead scene was still going strong.

I love the band, but "Dark Star" is really far down the list of 'my favorite Dead tunes'. The long songs are fine (esp. the 'suites' like Scarlet/Fire, China/Rider, and Estimated/Eyes), but Dark Star kind of just meanders and floats around. And yes, I know that's kind of the point of the song.

Sounds like you went to school with a bunch of pretty fuckin' cool kids!

Oh man, I hope you have a great time!
Even though I did get to see them with Jerry, I'm with you Mayer. He fits in really, really well.

That's awesome.
My first was the first night of "The Warlocks" shows in Hampton, VA 89. The hooks sunk in, and they've never left.
Jerry played on The Wolf!!

I like that. I always picture sunlight sparkling on a gentle river.
I know it's a hippie cliche, but "organic" is really the perfect way to describe their sound.

No, I realize that, and they haven't ruined the AVC for me.
If I'm being totally honest, I probably get a bigger kick out of mixing it up with the anti Dead trolls more than I should.
But this is really the most laid back Dead comment section I think I've ever run across on this site. Pretty encouraging.

I was insanely lucky to get to see them during the 89-90 period you're speaking of. I honestly wouldn't trade a winning lottery ticket for it. Pure magic.

So far, so good, at least with this comment section.
I got into a nastier than I wanted "discussion" with a commentor last week about the Dead, because the guy was really dismayed that they seem to be getting a second look from by sites like Pitchfork and the like. If there was ever a band that did Not need approval…

Not many people around this site feel that way, but I love 'em and have defended 'em here many times. Like you, nothing else makes feel "at home" like the Dead. I've had panic attacks and calmed down from them just by listening to a favorite live show.
I've used this analogy many times, but most "jam bands" (ugh)…

Nah, we never left. We just got quiet for a while.

It's a great, underrated comedy. I laugh like an idiot every time, and I've seen it a bunch because I love showing it to people who haven't seen it and watching them laugh like idiots.