May the Four Winds Blow You Safely Home
Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, there is a golden road that winds through all of our stories, a road that welcomed us each home. To be a Deadhead is to be more than a fan of the music of the Grateful Dead, it is to be a part of the Grateful Dead Family. A family for whom race, lifestyle, religion and age are useless constructs. A family in which you are as free to play the part of the grinning fool as that of the business man. A family of technicolor misfits in a gray-scaled world. After 50+ years, the messages of peace, love, laughter and light that we learned on the road and honed in our lives off tour, are still resonating throughout our beautiful community, passed down from generation to generation. It really is a beautiful thing.
We are, and will forever be, Grateful.
“The word Deadhead, to me, is a badge of honor, to be worn with a smile. A big, fat, glorious smile that blasts right out of your eyes, taking your whole body with it. Into the dance.”
– Allison Moseley
“When we got there a day early, it was like a meeting of the tribes. We were all of like minds and spirits. It’s hard for some of your younger Heads to imagine how it was back then. ‘The Establishment’ was a real thing. We were looked upon like some kind of vermin that was going to invade their suit and tie, brown-shoe world and fuck it all up for them. Anyway, there was no Establishment there. Just a bunch of people like us. The date was 08/27/72, and the band had just come off of their Europe ‘72 tour and were ready to let us have it.”
– Mike Mott
“The community created surrounding the band has helped me see just how beautiful people can be. For that I am forever grateful. The magical experience that can happen during the show is indescribable, that feels like there is something so much more going on between the music and the band and the crowd, all combined into a place and a feeling of pure magic. It’s a feeling that keeps me going again and again.”
– LM
“I am the person I am because of The Grateful Dead. And once, that magic moment came: the time I was listening to ‘High Time’ and tears just started rolling down my face. The time that Jerry reached in through his music and just grabbed ahold of my heart and said, ‘Time to open up, girl.’ That’s when I realized they were just so much more than a band. Yeah.”
– Paula Hamilton
“Getting on the bus to me was coming to the realization that I was now part of a large ‘family’ who shared my interests and cared for each other.”
– Mike Pawelko
“Can’t remember if I said, ‘I love you,’ or not, but we usually ended our calls that way. Through this amazing music, I had met a brother, someone whose love I knew would never fade away. We had plans, not detailed, most unspoken, but man, we were going to be a force to be reckoned with on the road to golden devotion.”
– Brooks Whittington
“So many amazing stories, wonderful stories, crazy stories, funny stories. Lost in my mind stories, and jam it out in front of the boys, stories. The most valuable thing is that every single time I have ever been to a Grateful Dead show (many), I have had the most positive experiences. Those experiences have made me the person that I am today. It is the wonderous gathering of beautiful people. The kindness and the love, the amazing energy… and let’s not forget the music, awww (neurological orgasms on repeat). I wouldn’t be a part of any other family outside of this one.”
– Ali Berman