Adam:
What can I say? A live Dead show, when the muse graced us with it's presence, was the nearest thing to a religious experience I've ever been privy to. It was more than music. I love a lot of different types of music, from Bob Wills to Beethoven, but, as many before me have noted: There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.
After Winterland closed, Bill Graham had the following painted on the side: They're not the best at what they do. They're the only ones that do what they do. The Dead had their own, unique approach to music and the music business. They were in it for the art/music/whatever you want to call it. No selling out (arguably, towards the end they played in larger venues than they wanted because they had a family of about 60 employees to support .... but not for personal gain). The bottom line is that when they were running on all cylinders, we together took our minds, spirits, (and sometimes bodies!) on a breathtakingly beautiful trip through the cosmos. By we I mean not only the guys up on stage, but also the 5000 or so of us crowded into Winterland. At those magical moments the audience was every part a member of the band as any of the instrumentalists. And I don't mean it in the usual sense it is used in rock 'n roll. With the Dead it really happened, it was amazing, and it never failed to completely blow my mind. I miss it.
Bill, tgo
