The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful Dead

Posted on by

The Grateful Dead create an environment like no other. The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadIt is a simple thing, marvelous and sweet, just music, but music to live in, breathless and divine at moments, raucous at others, insane in between, just music, music that never seems to end.
The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadYeah, I love The Grateful Dead. That’s why I wanted to go to the 50th Anniversary Shows in Chicago. That’s why I entered the mail order. The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadThat’s why, even after only 10% of the orders were fulfilled (not for me) in some sort of unpleasant insider deal with Ticketmaster, Stubhub, Ebay, etc, I tried again.

That’s why, even with tickets marked up as much as 1200% (yes, twelve thousand percent), I am still considering going to one of the nights. And that’s also why I’m questioning the whole thing…or to be more honest, why I’m so pissed off at the band right now. The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadThis astronomical pricing indicate that there is a possibility of Jerry Garcia might show up when it’s going to be Trey Anastasio instead, a guitarist known for his obsessive Zappa-like changes, and on-stage shenanigans.The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadThe ugly tenor established by the promoters of this event indicate that this show could even feature a bastardized setlist or two. And it could be real bad: Day Job – Big Boss Man – Money – Deal – Money Money – Might As Well – Sell Out.

The Dead do not have a good business history, messing up Grateful Dead Records and every big concert they staged; as Bob Weir admitted many years ago, “We always blow the big shows”.

The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadIndeed, for this show of shows, how is that Deadheads will even get in…The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful Dead…when the market for tickets has been cornered by Deadheads who have lost their way?The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadThe band has never been known for empathy. Many anecdotes in Dennis McNally’s What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been focus on the band members’ personal indifference toward one another, including when drummer Bill Kreutzmann had to leave a tour to visit his gravely ill father, and only Bob Weir bothered to talk to him about it.

The musicians are known for their personal indulgences in sex, booze and drugs, and not much else…except of course for the music. The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful DeadIt is the music that is supposed to take us away from the scourge that is us, the burden of who we actually are, this detritus, our ugly state. And, yes, this music really can do that. It’s just that now The Dead are demanding a heavy price..and it isn’t just money. And yet…I still wanna go. How much is it again?

3 thoughts on “The Big, Bad Business of The Grateful Dead”

  1. The idea of a 50th is so repulsive how could the music erase that? Sorry, it’s another band that isn’t the band we knew and without Jerry…

    • I should say the 50th Anniversary show – not the idea of the Dead at 50. The marketing is just too ugly for me.

Comments are closed.