The majority of those who sent in for partial refunds have temporarily stopped saying, “FUCK SHAPIRO!” for now, but there’s others that haven’t given up their mantra yet. The vast majority of people have received their check in the mail and have reported that their refunds were correct and their tickets were returned in the same condition they were sent. While the process took a little longer than anticipated, I’m glad it’s mostly behind us. If you still haven’t received your refund at this point, you can find contact info here to have your problem resolved-> “Refund Issues”.

In the meantime, the gear has been loaded up and is heading east as Dead and Company are set to illuminate the country. Scalpers are getting screwed like Perez Hilton at a Gay Pride Parade after party. I’m not sure if our favorite musicians thought that since the demand for the Fare Thee Well Shows greatly exceeded their expectations, they would sell out arenas across the country on this tour but that obviously isn’t happening. Tickets are still available for damn near everything and prices on StubHub are below face in many cases and dropping daily. This one is shaping up to be the perfect storm for US as not only are WE ALL GETTIN IN but if you waited to buy tickets, it’s likely you’re getting in for free. Cash or Trade is looking like a Flea Market for Dead and Company tix with many ads nearly begging people to take their tickets. There’s gonna be plenty of room to dance at these shows!

Where the hell are all of John Mayer’s fans? He’s supposed to be popular, right? Didn’t they buy any tickets? Maybe they should have had Taylor Swift singing Donna’s parts. I wonder what ticket sales would be like if Trey was playing? I’m looking forward to what John will be bringing to these shows musically but one thing he’s obviously not bringing is fans. This goes to show why playing 3 shows, that ultimately became 5 shows, for the 50th Anniversary was a brilliant idea. If Dead and Co were only playing 3 shows at MSG the demand would be ridiculous. Scale that out to an entire 22 show tour and the results aren’t nearly as impressive. For those that have talked about the rumors of more shows being added, I’m not so sure about that. I heard someone mention New Mexico. You can’t sell out Philly or Mass and you’re gonna play a smaller market like New Mexico? I guess ya never know…

Fans who registered are discovering their fate on the lottery for tickets to the free show on November 7th at Madison Square Garden. Victory posts by winners have been circulating all over social media. Being that the 10,000 seats is just a little more than half capacity for MSG, I’m sure other opportunities for tickets that are “Less free” are on the way. Imagine if they hit folks with the service and handling charge on the free tickets pushing up the cost to $18. All hell would break loose. I don’t try to guess what Jerry would say or do often unless he actually has said it and he DID say, “It all rolls into one and NOTHING comes for free”. Gotta be some money being exchanged somewhere before long. I don’t imagine auctions will bring in big money for seats but I bet there’s gonna be a chance to give some loot to The Robin Hood Foundation and get your tickets. I struck out on the lotto but regardless, I know I’ll be in the Garden on November 7th and if you choose to be there, you will be also!

An enormous wave of freshly divorced 40 and 50 somethings are set to embark on another chapter of reaching for the Gold Ring. As the band readies for an epic musical voyage from Coast to Coast, for the first time in a long time, more salty genetic confetti will be tossed around the hotel rooms of the fans than the members of the band. Folks being reintroduced into the single world along with 10,000- 20,000 others in the same boat during a tour like this is a recipe for one helluva an orgy. If you’re reading this, you might be one of em. This has truly been a year of incredible come backs for the people in our circles. Sights, sounds and things from the past have returned with increasing intensity. I wonder if crabs will make the same kind of comeback into the community. Does anybody get crabs anymore? I think they vanished when folks started gardening their undercarriages. It’s amazing to think that all those years, all you had to do was shave your pubes and your chances of crabs would’ve been close to zero. Sometimes things like that amaze me. Why the hell did it take so long for companies to make underwear for men in a color other than white? Could there have been been a worse choice in color for a man’s underwear in the first place? 100 years later some genius at Fruit Of The Loom recognizes that maybe making them in black would be a good idea. 100 years of the single brown pinstripe before somebody handled that problem. How many other problems exist in this world that are that easy to correct but nobody has done a damn thing about it yet? Makes ya wonder…

The sports world felt the effects that Grateful Dead members have on the universe when the Chicago Cubs made it to the NLCS solely because The Fare Thee Well Shows happened in Chicago. The remaining members of The Dead not named Garcia definitely had something to do with it. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, the same members that left enough magic behind in Chicago to fuel them to the NLCS will be playing in New York during the week of The World Series. The writing was on the wall all along. Where is the band playing this fall? Is Dead and Co playing in Canada? Are they playing in Kansas City? How about Chicago? Nope… It’s perfectly clear that based on the influence our favorite musicians have on everything that happens in the world that The Mets are destined to win The World Series Many will think it was because of their incredible pitching led by starters with hair like Fabio or because of the play of their second baseman, Daniel Murphy. Most people will totally fail to realize that it’s all because of Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh. Those that have eyes to see, let them see… It’s all very clear to me…

News surfaced of a couple of spots of cancer on Phil’s bladder that were removed recently. I would encourage everybody to take just ONE minute from your day, every day for the next month, to visualize Phil in perfect health. The power of the Hive Mind is remarkable! Focused attention with specific intention in intercession for others has a powerful impact. 60 seconds of focused attention with intention for Phil by all of US will go a long way. I see every cell is his body completely healthy and whole with nothing missing and nothing broken! He must be feeling OK because he popped in to play at TXR with The Terrapin Family Band last night! We Love you Phil!

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m as happy as a midget at a mini skirt convention. We’re less than a week away from another large scale musical experience featuring our favorite musicians and John Mayer also. This time next week the first show will be grafted into our neurology and we’ll all be gathering together in The greatest city on earth! We’re just about there again! Can’t wait to see you all on the road!

Dead To The Core,

Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)