My "deadhead" bona fides

I charactize myself as a deadhead - with a small "d." I make this differentiation because I never followed the band for a tour, I never sold shirts or burritos in the lot, I didn't count the shows I've seen, and rarely traded tapes. But I have been a fan of the music for a long time!

My first show was June 26, 1976 at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago. (I was 20 years old, children.) The Auditorium Theatre is a super elegant Louis Sullivan building with fantastic acoustics. This was the Dead's first Midwest show following retirement of the Wall of Sound and their two-year hiatus. The crowd was out of its mind, as you can well imagine. . . and Stella Blue literally brought me to tears.

The Wall of Sound - circa 1974 

© Richard Pechner (pechner.smugmug.com)  

I saw them often when they played Chicago area theaters during the 1970’s, including many shows at the Auditorium, the Uptown and the Chicago Theater. And I had many magic experiences.

I began to lose interest in the stadium shows that followed the popularity of "Touch of Grey," and my last show was in Milwaukee at The Mecca on April 16, 1989.