Posted on 01/13/2026 6:02:09 AM PST by MtnClimber
Contrary to what non-Deadheads might expect, conservatives across the country were saddened last Saturday to hear of the death of Bob Weir, Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist and the cute, preppie one.
Although a psychedelic, tie-dyed rock band out of Haight-Ashbury doesn’t seem synonymous with right-wing sensibilities, it was—a lot more than people probably think.
The Grateful Dead was supremely American. No other nation on earth could have produced music like this, a synthesis of blues, R&B, country, folk, rock, even a little jazz. Nowhere else would a band origin story be the following: The 16-year-old Weir and friends were bumming around Palo Alto on New Year’s Eve 1963, heard the sound of a banjo, and followed it to a music store where they happened upon Jerry Garcia waiting for his banjo students to show up. They never did, so Bobby and his friends picked up some instruments and played jug music with Jerry into the night. It was so much fun, Jerry and Bobby decided to form a band called Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, which became the Warlocks, and then the Grateful Dead.
Find that in Japan—find it in England.
Bobby himself was deeply American, a lover of cowboy culture. In fact, before meeting Jerry, he had worked as a ranch hand in Wyoming. Fortuitously, he spent his evenings in the bunkhouse with the old horsemen, playing guitar as they sang songs. Several of his own songs for the Dead, like “Jack Straw,” and “Mexicali Blues,” told cowboy stories, as did some of his staple covers, like Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” and John Phillips’s “Me and My Uncle.”
The band was wildly individualistic and self-reliant. Long before the internet ended music studios’ role as gatekeepers, able to make or break musical careers, the Dead were off on their own, giving their music away and making money almost exclusively through their concerts—unheard of at the time. In their prime, they were among the highest-grossing band in the world.
The Dead’s stalwart fans would go to an entire run of shows in one town. Every night was different. Hardcore Deadheads followed the band from town to town, either as “trustafarians,” or supporting themselves by selling copyright-violating t-shirts (Memorex ad: “Is it live or is it Dead,” “Absolut Dead,” “Phils’ Bass Rippin’”), candles, jewelry, and frightening-looking “veggie burritos.”
Special tickets were available for a “tapers” section, allowing audiophiles to record the concerts from the floor, then give the tapes away. It was all about the concerts.
(While we’re on how creative Deadheads were, the “-head” thing is ours. Phish-heads (Phish), Parrot-heads (Jimmy Buffett), Crue-heads (Motley Crue), Diamondheads (Neil Diamond)—get your own names.)
Deadheads’ obsessive attention to detail is reminiscent of Talmudic scholars. The Deadbase, an encyclopedic set list of every Dead concert, minutely recorded how often a song was played first, last, preceding and following intermission; the first song after “Space”—i.e. rambling atonal sounds, or “time to get a beer for non-drug-takers”—which songs were played in which city, state, country, and venue. All this was compiled by the fans. Once only available in telephone book-sized volumes, now the database is available on the Internet.
You can find out, for example, that Weir was the lead singer on about a third of their songs, including the band’s first and second most performed songs, “Me and My Uncle” and “Sugar Magnolia.”
One oddity was the band’s ludicrously detailed instructions for ordering concert tickets by mail—requests had to be sent in a #10 envelope, holding a 3”x5” card with your name, address, phone number, plus the show requested and number of tickets; a money order for the precise amount; and a return envelope (also #10!), stamped and self-addressed. Finally, the envelope had to be postmarked on the day tickets became available. Failure to comply with any of these instructions would lead to rejection.
You’d imagine such exacting instructions for tickets to a gene-splicing seminar, not a rock band associated with psychedelics.
Deadheads’ Asperger’s-like characteristics would not be surprising to Critical Race Theory devotees, who claim characteristics like independence, self-reliance, hard work, and linear thinking are markers of “white supremacy.” It is at least true that, outside of a ski lodge hosting a croquet convention, you would be hard pressed to find so many white people in one place as at a Dead show. There was little else to distinguish them: college students, doctors, lawyers, politicians, hippies, and preppies—all well represented at Dead shows.
The fans were also eminently polite and conflict-averse—other supposed markers of white supremacy! When a “Greenpeace” sign flashed before a Dead show at RFK stadium once, some in my crowd booed. It was for our own amusement, but the people in front of us asked why they’d booed, purely out of curiosity. My friend explained, saying nuclear power was the cleanest energy and Greenpeace was against it. They listened attentively and said something like, “Cool, man,” then offered him a hit off a joint.
Unfortunately, the band did get a little political after Jerry died, holding concerts for Obama in 2008. Based on his own statements, it’s hard to believe Jerry would have gone along with this. He called the politics of the ’60s “lame,” saying it was the spirit of the time that was the important thing, and criticized bands like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for bringing politics into music.
Appropriately, Jerry’s last words to Bobby came as they were leaving what would be their final performance, on July 9, 1995, at Soldier Field. Jerry slapped Bobby on the back and said, “Always a hoot.”
I regret that I never saw them.
Sammy Hagar with Bob Weir Las Vegas May 2025.
Bob had his stuff right ‘till the end.
RIP Sir 🙏
https://youtu.be/fP8hY529_kI?si=AAinCQuAifrMjOVM
Among fans, songs were broken down into Jerry songs and Bob songs. I was in the Bob camp. I thought he was a very unique singer/performer, he had a deadpan sort of delivery.
Playin’ in the Band! R.I.P.
Throw in outstanding musicians like Jeff Chimenti and Otiel Burbridge, and those Dead & Co. shows were a really nice tribute to, and continuation of, what the Grateful Dead were.
In a way, with the advent of AI-generated music, it marks the end of a era.
You will never have anything like this again in music, the “shared experience” aspect, everybody will have their own playlist, they listen to by themselves, without the masses of like-minded people enjoying the music together.
I saw them numerous times in the late 1980s.
Their concerts weren’t simply replaying songs from their albums, although that was in there.
A lot of their concerts were musical “talking”, very much like folk music or jazz, where one goes off on a new melody and the others follow suit, talking back and forth with their instruments.
It’s certainly a talent and Bob had it.
Other than pushing acid and downers they were wonderful.
I really liked the version of Truckin’ on the Europe ‘72 album.
This video might give you an idea of the tremendous energy that they had in live performance then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IORPscB3vbc
or Sugar Magnolia (cued up to best close camera shot of Bob)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkmtOGAsCmE&t=105s
Never cared for them or the other psychedelic scene bands.
Yes. It makes me sad for younger people, that they will likely never experience an entire arena, or an entire stadium, so in tune with the band on stage, and with each other.
You see it in the "reaction" videos from young people on YouTube. They are almost always amazed by the musical skill and complexity, and the focus and "in the moment" nature of the crowds (no cell phones to distract them). Many remark that such musicianship and spontaneity simply do not exist in today's music. And they're right.
Saw them 7 times. Last time was Birmingham AL about 3 months before Jerry died. Unfortunately Jerry was obviously in bad shape and that was the worst performance I ever saw. Best was the free concert at Vanderbilt...can’t quite remember what year...probably 1973 or so.
As they say...”There’s nothing like a Grateful Dead concert”!
Exactly. And no phones or video. Beautiful, pure experiential.
I was never a fan of the Grateful Dead.
I thought every single one of their albums sucked.
However, I did see them live in San Diego in the late 70s.
Excellent show, right up there with the Stones.
And every single one of their albums still sucks.
Americana, yep.
Good description of a Dead Show.
Their music was not political. Such a shame that they got political, supporting democrats, corrupt, destructive creatures. It’s always a mistake and a poke in the eye to at least half the audience
Bob always seemed to take care of himself, I doubt he indulged all that much, certainly not to the degree that Jerry did.
The parking lot of dead shows was the most pure libertarian place on earth. No sales tax, no business permits, no food establishment inspections, no liquor license and not restrictions on what could be bought. A couple selling grilled cheese sandwiches on a portable grill to make enough to get to the next show might not sound like conservatism, but it is. It self reliance and no government dependency.
Ann Coulter didn’t seem to mind, she was a big-time Deadhead.
They were the ultimate Capitalists.
Of course their left-wing fans wouldn’t want to hear that.
I saw them several times when I was at Syracuse. They would play the Dome a couple times a year.
It was like the circus came to town.
All the Dead Heads would show up a few days prior to the show. They would be sell beads, trinkets and other groovy stuff just like it was still 1969. Except it was 1982-85.
There was a certain scent in the air.
I knew a couple of stoners in college that were really into their music. I thought there music was Okay. But I never bought any of the albums.
I worked at the Carrier Dome my junior and senior year in college. In events production. Setting up for games, concerts and other Dome events. I once got paid union wage to be a cable puller for an ESPN cameraman. For the NCAA track & Field championships. However, the rest of the time it was the best $5/hour job I ever had.
Got to meet a lot of the athletes and multiple rock stars up close and hand shaking.
When we set up for the Dead. We set up the two locker rooms.
Bob and the rest of the band had one locker room. Jerry Garcia had the other all to himself. In the bands locker room they had all the normal stuff. Like certain drinks and food we had to provide as part of the tour package. Certain brands always sponsored the tours. In Jerry’s room he had only three things. A folding table. A chair and a lamp.
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