I LOVE the Grateful Dead

Way back in the last century, in the time of dinosaurs, the Rolling Stones with their style of rock based on black American blues ranked #1 with me--don't tell anyone, but even ahead of the Zep (Led Zeppelin, in fact--you can look it up in the musty, dusty--Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga-- history books with actual paper or on the infernal google machine if you wish.)

Back then when I knew everything, I looked down on the Deadheads and their constant quest to attend the next Grateful Dead show.  Sure, my album collection contained Skeletons from the Closet
and the double live album known as Steal Your Face.

Nevertheless, some of the long, live, jams on the latter like Sugaree just seemed too slow and turgid.  Probably should have listened to the Dead while doing mushrooms rather than Pink Floyd to fully enjoy the American psychedelic jams.

As have aged and hopefully mellowed a bit however, have come to enjoy the intricacy and entwined interaction between the band members as melodic and delightful.  Also, they never played the same song the same way twice.  Not for them to become a legends band playing their hits in Vegas "residencies," playing it all over and over again.  Even though they reformed without Jerry Garcia to play again in 50th anniversary shows it still sounded fresh and fun.

Although Jerry has gone to that great Greatful Dead jam in the sky--where we will all go some day, at least the cool people--the music still sounds as great as the first song on their first album, Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion:

See that girl, barefootin' along,
Whistlin' and singin', she's a carryin' on.
There's laughing in her eyes, dancing in her feet,
She's a neon-light diamond and she can live on the street.

Hey hey, hey, come right away

Come and join the party every day.