Returning to earth after a couple of weeks in orbit has been as comfortable as a rocking chair made of cactus. I’m writing this from the beach because after a week of returning to daily life, I needed to get away as soon as possible. The memories associated with getting away for 5 days reminded of what every day of summer was like in my youth. Along with every day of Spring… And Fall… And JGB at The Warfield in between… And New Years… And Chinese New Years in Oakland… More Warfield in between… Yup… We’re gonna be fucked up in the head for a while…
It’s interesting that a scene built around something called The Dead makes me feel more alive than anything else I’ve ever known. It’s also interesting to me that the folks that make up our community are often thought of as stoners by the mainstream yet our community is comprised of more people that are absolutely brilliant, fully awake and completely aware than most mainstreamers by far. Sure, we have a bunch of people that are a few sandwiches short of a picnic but at least most of them are kinda colorful. Even if your mindset has remained intact throughout the years, finding folks carved out of the same tree as US isn’t always easy. I miss hanging out with y’all already…
Questions have begun circulating about what other festivals everybody is going to but there’s no definitive place that exists where we’ll all meet for sure outside of Grateful Dead Land. There’s great music playing everywhere all Summer long but The Main Event came early. If I wasn’t so damn happy by nature I’d be awfully depressed about now… Who the Fuck am I kidding??? I wanna sell all my shit, buy an RV and go party in parking lots all over the country again. I’d quit my job if I could just for old times sake but I’m my own boss so that wouldn’t help much… The itch to ditch is driving me crazier than a Meth Head with an 8 Ball and a screwdriver in an appliance store… It’s gonna take an awful lot of meditating to try to get the gypsy in me at bay again… I’m about to freak the Fuck out… HELP!!!!!
Next topic… For anyone that’s interested in their partial refund, the info is now posted here. I won’t be getting involved with any of your complaints about how it is being done. It’s being offered and a lot of you will be getting a considerable amount of money back if you choose. If I was a lawyer, I might be getting a considerable piece of it back too. Fortunately, I’m just another one of US. It was worth the effort to help and I’ll stay on top of it until everybody that sends for their refund gets it but my work on that is done. The deal is fair, the terms are fair, the time frame is fair. It’s not perfect but it’s all fair. That’s all I’m gonna say about that… You’ll have to complain somewhere else, I won’t host the forum for that shit…
There’s some exciting stuff coming up before long. Our favorite musicians have a lot of ground left to cover before year end. That’s all I’m gonna say about that for now too… New York is nice in the Fall… If I had to guess, Phish Tour this Summer is gonna be Off The Hook with Trey coming off of one of the best experiences in his life, aside from Big Cypress. That’s on the short list of this life’s most epic musical experiences. More to come soon, I hope your entry back into the post Fare Thee Well World is as easy as possible. Love y’all!!!
Dead To The Core,
Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)
Really enjoying your posts throughout the ride… Hang in there gypsy, you’re not alone!
Yup! We’re all gonna be fucked up in the head for a while!!! I am afraid that going to another concert will take the feeling of these shows away! It’s madness. It’s so much more than music. Loving your posts Dean!
Yup, I wanna rock my gypsy soul
How do you know how a meth head feels shopping?
I want to go back to Chicago- I’m not ready for reality yet!
Come visit Europe!I I came here to Austria for a summer in 2002 to visit an Austrian woman I met in Maui back in 2000, and well, I still live here in Salzburg and Vienna! Austrians and others will pay 20 euro per hour to practice their English! You just need to study at one of the many very cheap state universities, if you plan to stay longer than three months! The women here are similar to dead head women back home in the U.S. as they are much easier to hang with and flirt with than most superficial American money hungry spoiled women I have found in mainstream America, and the Alps are loaded with clear mountain lakes which are not too cold to swim in. I just miss the total lack of jamband culture here in Europe! Anyway, your gypsy soul will love exploring all that Europe has to offer! I can’t handle how the U.S. has become a police state. Police here never arrest for misdemeanors. I feel much safer and more free here in Europe and nobody carries guns around into restaurants! They laugh at Americans’ paranoia and obsessions with guns.
Back in the day, the post summer tour blues were always tempered by knowing there was fall tour to look forward to, even if it meant going to Rochester, Meadowlands, Providence, Harford, and Cap Centre etc again. There was always the next tour, even after the last tour in 95 when so much was wrong on so many levels, there was hope Jerry would clean up again and be ready for fall tour. As with all Dead tours, Jerry left us wanting more, but anticipation for the next shows was gone with him. Now, there is plenty of music to look forward to this summer, and of course the String Dusters and Lockn’ in the fall, but it’s not the same. My family commitments are now my speed limits and the amount of time and money I can spend on things that used to be part of my being are now part of a discussion. Phish shows are tons of fun and I can’t wait to see how they mesh this summer. And of course knowing, or at least hoping, there will be New Years shows and summer 2016 to look forward to as well.
Great post, Dean. I have that gypsy itch constantly. I’m catching Tedeschi Trucks and also Phish this summer, so let the good times roll….
Thanks again for your advocacy on the refund issue. I too believe it’s fair. And I’m not ashamed to admit I’m going to turn that refund around and spend it on dead.net.
The first part I couldn’t agree with you more Dean
. I crash landed pretty hard into the flotsam and jestam of everyday reality as well upon returning home to the Bay Area. Santo Clara was a beautiful start and buildup to Chicago. By the beginning set of first night of SC (my second favorite, 4th of July is my first, strictly from a music perspective.) I was all in.
The few days in between cities went so fast. It was an easy transition toward Chicago. How quickly I got into the flow…
I miss you all. Thank YOU for a real good time.
I meant to say I couldn’t agree more with Dean in my first sentence.
gypsy +1, indeed!
love your stuff….
Yes, thanks Dean for your advocacy on all ticket related issues.
Not a complaint but a question: How do us Heads outside the US include a SASE to get our refunds and ticket stubs back?! Wondering if I’ll have to stick some cash in between my tickets and hope for the best…
That’s a legit question for sure… You can’t purchase a prepaid envelope for return?
Today I researched International Reply Coupons, but no need – the claim form FAQ was updated today to include this:
“If you are an international claimant and cannot purchase U.S. postage, just send a self-addressed envelope, and we will deduct $2.00 from your refund to cover the return postage.”
Yet another seat of the pants fix for unanticipated issues. Not that I’m complaining. 🙂
How did you send it for Your tix in the first place?
I spotted the earliest announcements, but knew I couldn’t put together a successful mail order from here in Tokyo. So I alerted a couple of friends in the US from my original touring crew, and acted as project manager for their mail orders. We made a pact to share whatever we got, and we got lucky!
Thanks Dean, for saying what we are all feeling! I’d love to quit my job and drive around to shows, but not likely to happen. I love reading your blog, it really hits home. I’m headed to the Peach and then Lock’n (where I’m hoping Bobby makes a surprise appearance)…after that who knows! I have been asked several times now by non-deadheads what it was like at the final shows. Best I can come up with is that they made my soul smile. Nit just the shows, but being around such a loving community of people! Love & Light ~
NYC hmmm might have to plan a visit to the family……