Conference rdvax::grateful

    I needed that today, thanks for posting.

>       The first step, he said, is figuring out just how the band can go back 
>   on the road without the man who was one of its two lead singers, its lead 
>   guitarist and half of one of its two principal songwriting teams. Would it 
>   take two people, maybe even three, to replace him?


	(even though I'm anxiously awaiting to hear what they decide to do)
	...take your time, boyz, and do it right...

	Debess

    next summer was a little quicker than i expected too debess

    actually next summer is a little LONGER than i expected...  then again
    i wasn't looking for a tour per se so much as a few shows in scattered
    places....
    
    					da ve

I figured a few spot shows at small venues around April/May.

"Hundred Year Haul"? a Looooooooooooong Strange trip indeed ;-)

	speaking of them playing together again ;-)...
	has anyone heard ANY mention of a music memorial for Jerry
	(like what they did for Bill Graham)?

	Debess

re:    <<< Note 495.6 by STAR::ECOMAN::DEBESS "aaoooo werewolves of london" >>>

>	speaking of them playing together again ;-)...
>	has anyone heard ANY mention of a music memorial for Jerry
>	(like what they did for Bill Graham)?

    I've heard about something where Wavy Gravy says the one for Jerry
    will be *huge*, along the lines of but bigger and better than the BG
    memorial.  I think that they are planning on renaming Golden Gate Park
    to Jerry Garcia Fields at that time.

    /Ken

    Yeah I guess there's something in the works but "they" wanted to make
    sure the time was taken to really work out the logistics of the thing
    due to the anticipated numbers taht would attend. 
    
    
    No more Deer Crek fiascos - ya know that sort of a thing.

    whaddya mean ceparski????
    we can't scale the walls to the park for the jerry tribute?
    
    
    

    actually Chris, they're thinking of putting up walls for the sole
    purpose of letting you scale them... :^)

    Pace the halls and climb the walls and get out when they blow!
    
    
    I think the walls are gonna be there to keep Chris isolated from the
    rest of scene ;^)

    
    I would certainly hope a Jerry tribute would be free, as was the Bill
    Graham tribute.  Golden Gate pahk.  Save dough now.

    I would also sugguest frequent flyer miles be saved.

    This is from rec.music.gdead - most of you probably know of Jeff
    Lester's TOUR DATES, CONFIRMED and RUMOURED messages (very accurate in
    the past). Well this is one I received just now - rather suprised to see
    that header in a mail message again I must say! 
    
    BIIYNI of course. 
 ***************************************************************************
    Date:	 1-NOV-1995 15:48:26.41
    From:	CRL::"[email protected]" "Jeff Lester"
    Subj:	TOUR DATES, CONFIRMED and RUMOURED.
    
    Okay, it's been awhile. But there are a couple of things to say(nothing
    too earth-shattering).
    
    The Paradise Waits shows on November 21 and 22 at the Great American
    Music Hall are not Grateful Dead shows. They are a benefit for the Eyes of
    Chaos Foundation and feature a band of folks related to the Dead
    (Bralove/Constanten/Kaiser/etc.) under the "musical direction" of Gary 
    Lambert, who does the GD Almanac. Both shows are completely sold out. 
    Phil was to be the MC for the originally scheduled Aug. 13th show, but I 
    have yet to hear a definite yes or no as to whether he still will be. 
    WBAI radio also announced that this show would be in NY in early January.
    
    It sounds like there might be a Ratdog and/or Ratdog Revue tour in late
    November/early December, with a possible stop in Albuquerque.
    
    And based on contacts made by the Dead organization with merchandising,
    catering, and security concerns, there seems to be a Spring tour in the
    works. Maybe there will be some Bay Area shows before that, but that's
    speculation at this point.
    
    As for who will or will not be joining/sitting in with the band, I
    don't know anything more than most of you.
    
    ***************************************************************************
    I post this tour schedule to rec.music.gdead/dead-flames and the
    dead-heads mailing list about once a week. I have no rumour input other 
    than what comes across the net or what I get in email in response to this 
    post. I maintain the dates as being "rumoured" until they appear on the 
    hotline or are announced for local ticket sales. If you would like to 
    contribute something, please email me at [email protected]. 
    last posting was 8/17/95
    ***************************************************************************
    You can get the following files from the archives at gdead.berkeley.edu
    through ftp or gopher or www (gopher://gdead.berkeley.edu/). 
    You can also get them by sending email to: [email protected] 
    with one or more of the following commands (each on their own line):
    get dead-heads tour_dates          (the latest version of this TDC&R post)
    get dead-heads mail-order-instructions   (general mail order instructions)
    get dead-heads faq1.2                    (rec.music.gdead FAQ part 1)
    get dead-heads faq2.2                    (rec.music.gdead FAQ part 2)
    *****************************************************************************
    West Coast Hotline: (415) 457-6388 (10 lines), (415) 457-8457 (only 1 line)
    East Coast Hotline: (201) 744-7700 (same message, but maybe not until
    next day)
    
    ****************
    CONFIRMED DATES:
    ****************
    
    Nov. 21,22	Paradise Waits Concerts - Great American Music Hall SF 
    SOLD OUT
    		"Blues For Allah" 20 year anniversary
    		Eyes of Chaos benefit - originally scheduled for Aug. 13
    		Under Eternity Blues Band featuring (still everybody?):
    		Peter Apfelbaum/Bob Bralove/Tom Constanten/Henry Kaiser
    		Phil Lesh still MC???
    
    ***************
    RUMOURED DATES:
    ***************
    
    Spring Tour - based on info about merchandising and catering
    
    
    Ratdog and/or Ratdog Revue:
    Nov/Dec Tour
    Dec	Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerqe, NM
    
    Paradise Waits
    Jan. 11,12?	The Knitting Factory, NYC, NY
    
    **************************************************************************
    
    -Jeff Lester
    
                                                                        

    I'd say any rumor with venue is something to check out VERY
    seriously... especially when it say "Albuquerque" on it...
    
    The Kiva in ABQ is a small (500-600 seat) autitorium built as part of
    the Albuq. Convention Center... excellent sightlines and acoustics...I
    have seen the Tibetan Monks, Baxter Black (the cowboy poet), Miriam
    Makeba/Hugh Masakela, and Mark Russell (NPR satirist), among others, 
    there...
    
    ...michael t. "Yet another reason to go home!"Head

    
    OK!  *I'M*  impressed !!!     WOW 
    
    I especially love that you got to do all that and lived to tell about
    it.
    
    Living well is indeed the best revenge
    

 Dear -.2,

Don't be sorry for rambling!  In fact, if you can dredge up _any_ old
memories like that, I think we'd all love hear them!  Please do tell more.

 - Josh

    yeah, what he said... :^)

    ya! let's hear some more stories!!
    
    ...."yer place??" as in yer house or a bar youse guys owned? 
    a friend that knows Kesey????
    
    rfb

    whenever you get the time Davey MF (whatthef*ckdoesthatstandfor??)
    I'm *SURE* we'd like to hear some "stories"....and we'd probably be
    impressed!  %^)
    
    the feeling of brotherly love/family/etc. you mentioned is still out
    there......just harder to find these days...cept in this file
    
    rfb 

    hey! I was at that Cream concert in ABQ in 1968 too! The venue was the
    Civic Auditorium, which unfortunately has gone the way of many
    buildings... it is now a parking lot...
    Do you remember the opener for Cream that nite? It was some English
    band called something like "Hevy Balloon" or some such...
    
    oh, that's right... "Led Zeppelin!"
    
    ...michael t. "Where's LLano?"Head

    Tix for the ABQ Kiva show went on sale Nov. 10 at ten AM.
    
    By three PM they were sold out.
    
    Took so long to sell out because there was only one ticketshafter
    outlet carrying them in ABQ.
    
    ...michael t. "Proud husband of a woman who has two of these tickets...
    and who has promised to give me one when I get back to ABQ"Head
    

    oops... meant Nov. 4

From:	CRL::"[email protected]" "mark kraitchman" 13-NOV-1995 13:16:30.27
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	announce [announcement on grateful.dead.net November 15]

(The folks at the "Official Grateful Dead Home Page" have updated their
pages with some information.   There will be an announcement about
an Exclusive World Wide Web Broadcast later this week.)


(Culled from the grateful.dead.net Special Events Page:)

Special Events 



                   There will be an announcement on

                            November 15, 1995

          about an Exclusive World Wide Web Broadcast.

The Grateful Dead will go On-Line on a date to be announced on the 15th, to 
announce their latest albums, Hundred Year Hall and the brand new album Dick's 
Picks, Volume 3. On this day there will be a Chat Room where you can chat live 
with Grateful Dead (Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, or Mickey Hart.)
Selections from Dick's Picks Volume 3 will be available on-line for the first 
time. Stay tuned for the agenda of the event. 

A note of clarification; There will be no event on the 15th of November, only 
more information.

(Culled from the grateful.dead.net "Internet Relay Chat FAQ"):

IRC Information 

Internet Relay Chat Room

...telnet to grateful.dead.net, login=irc, password=1940xmas. 

For All PC and MAC users that have a better IRC CLIENT that they normally use... 
IRC-SERVER = grateful.dead.net (PORT = 6667) 


(Culled from the grateful.dead.net "Dick's Picks Volume Three"
There is info about this release including the setlist):

CD ONE 

1. Funiculi Funicula                (00:28)(242Kb AU)(362Kb MPEG)
2. The Music Never Stopped          (06:45)(230Kb AU)(358Kb MPEG)
3. Sugaree                          (15:54)(192Kb AU)(288Kb MPEG)
4. Lazy Lightneing (sic) ->               (03:23)(241Kb AU)(362Kb MPEG)
5. Supplication                     (05:35)(218Kb AU)(327Kb MPEG)
6. Dancin' in the Streets           (14:29)(197Kb AU)(295Kb MPEG)
7. Help On The Way ->               (05:24)(299Kb AU)(448Kb MPEG)
8. Slipknot! ->                     (06:30)(222Kb AU)(332Kb MPEG)
9. Franklin's Tower                 (15:32)(205Kb AU)(307Kb MPEG)

CD TWO 

1. Samson and Delilah               (07:32)(240Kb AU)(360Kb MPEG)
2. Sunrise                          (04:16)(196Kb AU)(294Kb MPEG)
3. Estimated Prophet ->             (09:01)(216Kb AU)(324Kb MPEG)
4. Eyes of the World ->             (13:39)(304Kb AU)(324Kb MPEG)
5. Warf (sic) Rat ->                      (09:14)(278Kb AU)(416Kb MPEG)
6. Terrapin Station ->              (05:58)(234Kb AU)(351Kb MPEG)
7. (Walk Me Out In The) Morning Dew (14:21)(229Kb AU)(343Kb MPEG)



                          Pembroke Pines, FL 5/22/77

                          Jerry Garcia Lead Guitar, Vocals
                           Donna Jean Godchauz (sic) Vocals
                            Kieth (sic) Kodchaux (sic) Keyboards
                               Mickey Hart Drums
				Bill Kreutzmann Drums
                                 Phil Lesh Bass
                             Bob Weir Guitar, Vocals

    Official Grateful Dead Homepage?????????????
    
    which URL is that?
    
    					da ve

    ...from today's Boston Blobe (er, the GLOBE that is!!)....
    word is that Bob & the Boyz are DEFINITELY getting back together,
    reforming themselves into another entity...they've received many
    offers from many talented musicians (Carlos Santana mentioned again!)
    to join the band, but that's all got to be worked out....word is
    they WILL reform and WILL continue the legacy....GRATE news indeed!
    
    Rat Dog (featuring Bob. Vince) are touring NOW, and are doing
    several Dead tunes as part of their repetior....
    
    newsworthy_macky
    

    thank you
    
    i guess i won't be touring with phish in the near future
    :^)           

    
    Just got off the west coast hotline!!!
    
     The trip is over, they said the GRATEFUL DEAD will not be coming back.
    The members of the band will do their own thing! 
    
     Divide Dave
    

I heard this on the radio also, a DJ just saying (after playing "Friend") "The band is 
calling it quits ... just announced this week" or words to that effect.  That's why I 
logged in here at 1:20 am Saturday ... to hear confirmation/denial.  

Well, makes sense ... retire the name to honor Jerry ... then play as Ratdog or 
whatever, whenever.

 

   Grateful Dead: The trip is over

   By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 12/09/95 

   The Grateful Dead have officially called it quits, ending speculation
   as to how they would replace Jerry Garcia. The band released a
   statement last night that broke the hearts of those Deadheads who
   hoped the group would somehow continue in a post-Garcia era. 

   The tersely worded statement said: ``After months of heartfelt
   consideration, the remaining members of the band met yesterday and
   came to the conclusion that the `long strange trip' of the uniquely
   wonderful beast known as the Grateful Dead is over.'' 

   That was it. No band members were available for comment, but 
   Dead spokesman Dennis McNally, reached by phone last night at his
   San Francisco home, said: ``We owe our audience the truth. This
   decision means that whatever the future brings, it won't be as the 
   Grateful Dead.'' 

   McNally wouldn't rule out that the remaining members - Bob Weir,
   Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Vince Welnick 

   might one day reunite under another name, but said, ``It certainly
   won't be soon. They have no plans as a group.'' 

   The announcement, which happened to come on the 15th
   anniversary of John Lennon's death, followed Weir's remark two
   days earlier that the Dead were going to ``regroup and make an
   attempt to reinvent ourselves.'' Weir added that he would be
   surprised if the band did not tour by next summer. 

   So what happened? ``That was one band member's private opinion,''
   said McNally, ``but when they got into the meeting, a different
   opinion emerged. All I can tell you is that the Dead don't do
   anything unless there's a consensus.'' 

   The decision ends all the ``silly rumors'' about whether Garcia's
   replacement might be Carlos Santana, David Hidalgo (of Los Lobos)
   or David Lindley. ``The band never discussed other members,'' said
   McNally. ``People started rumors and put them on the Internet.
   Clearly, it was wish fulfillment. I don't know if it accomplished
   anything other than to make some people feel better.'' 

   McNally admitted he was numb last night and that his answering
   machine ``blew up'' from receiving 70 media calls in an hour. But he
   said, ``I'm proud of [the Dead]. With all due respect to a great
   ballplayer, there's such a thing as the Willie Mays syndrome where
   you try to stretch it too long. I'm glad they didn't do that.'' 

   Former Dead pianist Bruce Hornsby, who was in Boston last night to
   play the KISS-108 Christmas party at the Hard Rock Cafe, was
   stunned to get the news, which this reporter broke to him after his
   half-hour solo set. 

   ``I am surprised. I really thought there was a good possibility they'd
   play again. They all love to do it,'' said Hornsby. ``It's such a great
   outlet for the type of musical expression they created - and I'm sorry
   they don't want to continue to have that vehicle of expression,
   because they created something so special. I'm surprised they want to
   put it away. I feel really bad for the people who wanted them to keep
   playing - and that's quite a large amount of people.'' 

   For others, however, the announcement may have come as a relief.
   ``The Dead just aren't the Dead without Jerry Garcia,'' said KISS
   entertainment critic Mat Schaffer. ``Any more than the Beatles are
   the Beatles without John Lennon.'' 

   The Internet was filled with responses last night from Deadheads -
   some crestfallen, others relieved. ``Statements just seem vain, at
   last,'' one Deadhead said, quoting a line from the band's song,
   ``Terrapin Station.'' Another wrote: ``God bless the Grateful Dead.
   I shall also revel in the experience.'' 

   Meanwhile, the message on the Grateful Dead West Coast hotline
   quoted another Dead song lyric: ``The wheel is turning and you can't
   slow down/You can't let go and you can't hold on/You can't go back
   and you can't stand still.'' 

   The Dead's last concert was July 9 at Chicago's Soldier Field. Then
   on Aug. 9, Garcia, the 53-year-old soul of the band and a
   countercultural icon, died of a heart attack at a drug rehabilitation
   center. 

   As for individual plans of remaining members, Weir and Welnick
   will continue to perform in Weir's band, Rat Dog. Percussionist Hart
   will release another world music album on Rykodisc and tour behind
   it next year. Bassist Lesh will in nine days announce a major cultural
   project that he's involved with in the Bay area. And drummer
   Kreutzmann will continue to pursue his oceanographic studies.
   (There has been Internet speculation that Kreutzmann was the least
   interested in continuing the group, but no one close to the band will
   confirm it.) 

   Lesh is also going online tomorrow night for a chat between 11 and
   11:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The web site's address: http://www.dead
   .net. It's sandwiched around a Fillmore broadcast of the Dead from
   the late '70s - a time that now seems very far away given this latest,
   perhaps conclusive, chapter in the band's history. 

   This story ran on page 21 of the Boston Globe on 12/09/95. 


   Search  Feedback  Talk  About Us  Email the Globe  Back to
   Boston.Com 

    From Chris Fields...
    
From:	MPGS::DGW::QGW::SLOHAN::FIELDS       "He's Gone but the Music Never 
    Stopped...." 11-DEC-1995 10:39:44.97
To:	61953::DGW::MPGS::WILLEE::OSTIGUY
CC:	FIELDS
Subj:	wanna post this in Grateful, tanks !

saw something in the newspaper Saturday about this....its over and not much can 
be said but....I'm kinda glad the end has come, for it could never be the same 
without Jerry. The band had loopholes in the past after the deaths of Pigpen, 
Keith and Brent but this was to great a void...I do hope the band can at least 
find some type of way to give deadheads a final release of the songs they had 
been working with on stage over the past few years and to kinda tie up the 
    loose end as it were...thats about all I could ask for.

so I guess YIKES is all I can say...

Chris
    

 
 
	My reaction to this announcement is "this is not what I
	wanted to hear".  I have this feeling inside like I need
	to cry.  It's not like the death of a person though and
	I'm not allowing myself that grief.  It's just that I
	never wanted it to end and am having a very hard time 
	letting go.

 	the day Jerry died, my immediate reaction was, it's over.
 	The Grateful Dead can not go on without him.
 
 	as time passed, I have been getting used to the idea of
 	them going on without him - welcoming it.  My new feelings
 	were that the Dead were much more than Jerry and even
 	much more than the band itself - there is a phenomenon 
	when we all gather, and how could it -not- go on...
 
 	well, with this announcement, it seems that the
 	bandmembers are feeling that, at least with this thing
 	we call the Grateful Dead, that it really can't exist
 	without Jerry as a part of it.  I understand that.  My 
	friend Mary Beth, who went to the Dylan show with me on
	Friday, has been to a few Dead shows over the years
 	but wouldn't consider herself a deadhead - from her 
 	perspective there is no question that there wouldn't be
 	a Grateful Dead without Jerry Garcia - just like there 
 	wouldn't be the Rolling Stones without Mick or Keith.
	She is surprised that I'm surprised by this announcement.
	I guess, with all the recent interviews we've been seeing
	with Weir, that I had started forming a mindset that they
	definately were going to continue.
 
	Looking for the postitive:
	This announcement said that the band called the Grateful
 	Dead is no longer, it didn't say that they won't play
 	together anymore.  It seems highly unlikely that having
 	played together for 30 years now, that they wouldn't
 	play together anymore.  And when they do, it's highly
 	unlikely that they won't be playing the music we know and
 	love.  The pressure's off a bit now as they "reinvent"
 	themselves.  
 
 	I'm feeling a bit despondent over this announcement
 	because I know that I -need- to hear them play together
 	more - no one else plays the space that speaks to my
 	heart the way they did...I'm telling myself though that
 	the music -will- go on, they -will- play together again...
 	I think Jerry lives on when other performers play his
 	music, and what performers could play it better than his
 	bandmates.  They know that.
 
 	Debess  
 

    A friend told me the news at Dylan on friday, just before the show.
    At first I didn't believe it, then read it in the paper.

    My impression is that this news is really no news.  Like they said before
    and like they said on friday, something to the effect of "we've played
    together for 30 years and of course we'll get together and play music
    from time to time".  So nothing's really changed, except when they do
    play it won't be under the name Grateful Dead.   Without Jerry, this
    seems fitting somehow.

    Maybe it's partially a PR move.  No Grateful Dead would hopefully mean
    no hordes of gate crashers and that sort of stuff.

    /Ken

	The Nashua Telegraph printed an AP story on the announcement,
	and ended with a quote from Mickey.  Unfortunately, the way
	they set up the page, an advertisement was over the last line
	of the column, so it's up to you to finish the sentence:

	"Everybody sort of knew inside.  Or course, it was hard.  But 
	everybody had a feeling.  It just wasn't there.  We put it to 
	pasture, righteously, as it should be.  We went out looking"

    	.34 Debess,
    
    Thanks for putting it exactly like I feel. I heard the news Saturday
    night, during the Grateful Dead concert shown on PBS... I immediately
    dialed into work, looking to get confirmation from this notes
    conference, but NECSC was unreachable. Yesterday I went to "Water
    Monkey" in Portsmouth, which is, for lack of a better descriptive, a 
    Dead-oriented store, and hung around for a time commiserating with some 
    other folks.
    
       But as sad as I feel, which is about where I was when I first heard
    that Jerry had died, I still know that the music and the feeling will
    always be with me. And at Water Monkey, I found some incredibly beautiful
    Christmas cards with Jerry on the front, in a Santa outfit, with white
    hair and beard, sunglasses, and a guitar and Bear sticking out of the
    bag slung over his shoulder... The artwork is like a luminescent Norman
    Rockwell painting. On the inside it says "Have a Jerry Christmas".
    That was the perfect kind of sad-happy thing I needed to see just then.
    
    		What a long strange trip it is,
    
    -chuck
    

When the music's over
	              When the music's over,    yeah
			                            When the music's over
Turn out the lights
		    Turn out the lights
					Turn out the lights ...

For the music is your special friend
				Dance on fire as it intends
Music is your only friend
	            
	Until the end
			Until the end
							Until the end

the wheel is turning ....

    Divide Dave called me Friday nite and told me the news....I chose to
    ignore it and not tell Patty for awhile cause I was looking forward to
    a grate weekend of getting stuff together for Xmas. I played a lot of
    tapes Sat when we weren't shopping, etc. and Finally Saturday evening I
    told Patty. Sunday we went and saw Shakedown at their annual Xmas
    party/show/food drive....there was no time to be sad then...Shakedown
    played mostly Jerry songs and Patty and I danced and talked to old
    friends and new friends, "we had a grate time while it lasted" was the
    sentiment of the evening instead of one of remorse and saddness. The
    long strange trip is officially over but *WE* are the trippers!!! and
    there's no reason why we have to be over!
    
    rfb

>    The
>    long strange trip is officially over but *WE* are the trippers!!! and
>    there's no reason why we have to be over!
    
	;-)

I had not read anything about this until this note. I've been badly out of 
touch with any news media for too long. BUt toward the end of last week I 
was begining to feel the loss again. Strangely I was feeling loss and sadness 
again when I'd hear Jerry tunes. I woke up Saturday with tunes from Terrapin 
playing in my mind and had to play the CD. Then I took special note of the 
lyrics "The story teller makes no choice, soon you will not hear his voice, 
His job is to shed light". 
	I was also beginning to wonder about the band playing as the Grateful 
Dead. Not that I would ever condemn them if they did, but I started to have
queustions how they could. So it seems like this is not a surprise. 
	I also felt grateful and privaliged to have the experience. I have
experienced so much goodness, peacefulness and good will through my association
with the band and the people around it (in here especially). I certainly can't 
change what isand will adjust to it. But I will alway cherrish what we've had and 
continue to find it in slightly differnet places. 


Geoff 

I extracted this article from r.m.gd before I heard the news, thought
it would be of interest here.  It still might be.
This ran in the AZ Republic, maybe Dec 3rd.... 
 
 Life after the Dead: Grateful guitarist tours with jam band
 by Salvatore Caputo
 
 Ratdog -- Bob Weir's latest effort away from the Grateful Dead -- grew out of
 his collaboration with jazz bassist Rob Wasserman.
 
 Wasserman and Weir had both lived in Mill Valley, Calif., for about 20 years
 before they met a few years back.  The bass player was scheduled to perform
 at a benefit for the town's film festival billed as "A Night With Rob
 Wasserman and Friends."
 
 As a resident, Weir also had been asked to be on the bill, and the venue's
 owner "had been on me for several days to listen to this CD that she had of
 his (Wasserman's) Duets album.
 
 "I finally put it on, and was transfixed," Weir says.  "So I packed up and
 got down there as quick as I could, and we rehersed for 20 minutes or so and
 then played all night."
 
 The duo's highest profile came during Woodstock '94, when their
 improvisational set showed off Weir's ghostly vocals, Wasserman's sinuous
 playing and their sympatico as a performance unit.
 
 The duo added one-time Primus drummer Jay Lane about 1 1/2 years ago, and
 harmonica player Matthew Kelly ("He goes way back -- he used to play with
 T-Bone Walker and a bunch of the old blues greats") came on board soon after
 for a tour.
 
 More recently, Phoenix-to-San Francisco transplant Vince Welnick, who came
 out of the Tubes to become the Grateful Dead's keyboard player, was added.
 
 What will they play when they visit Mesa Amphitheatre this afternoon?
 
 "We cruise a lot of different neighborhoods," Weir says from his home in Mill
 Valley.  "We play improvisationally for sure.  Every member is that way."
 
 The material comes mostly from Weir's solo efforts, such as Heaven Help the
 Fool, and his since disbanded Bobby and the Midnights band.
 
 Don't look for Weir's body of Grateful Dead songs.  As he says, "I'm going to
 leave that for the Grateful Dead if they want to use it."
 
 That doesn't necessarily mean that the Dead will continue after the recent
 death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
 
 "Time alone will tell," Weir says.  "We'll see if the Grateful Dead
 reconvenes and, if so, when, and how much of the year they're going to put to
 that task.  It would be idiotic to just walk away from that body of work as
 well."
 
 As for now, the 48-year-old singer and guitarist's energies go to Ratdog and
 such other interests as surfing, although he doesn't get to do that as much
 as he likes.
 
 Is it tough riding the waves in middle age?
 
 "As the years go by, you just get a bigger board."
 

	hey - did Phil do that "on-line chat" thing last night?

	Debess

	
	one thing that I didn't see in the Globe article Jamie
	posted, but part of the press release:

	"In making this announcement, band members were especially 
	mindful of their partners in this adventure, the Dead Heads, 
	urging them to remember that the music, the values, and the 
	spirit of this marvelous shared journey endure." 

    
    Great footage of Jerry during a Boston Gahdin Loose Lucy on CNN when
    this was announced.  
    
    Ok...I think I get whats going on here...so I'll ask the question...
    
    What will the Grateful Dead's new name be???????
    
    I recommend "Mother McRae's Jug Band"

	I think (hope) you're right, Deane.  Takes off some of the
	pressure and speculation and lets whatever does evolve be
	itself.

	my suggestion: the Dead Remains (just kidding!)

	Debess
 

    i doubt that we'll see much collaboration between the survivors...
    i'm guessing that htye've decided now that 30 years is "enough"...
    from various sources now i've seen comments that Billy isn't interested
    and is off into some oceanography project...  that Phil is in some
    big community cultural thing...  that Mickey is happy banging on drums
    with anyone who happens by...  and we all know that Bobby and Vince 
    are doing the Ratdog Revue...  it's starting to look like Bobby is the
    only one who wanted to keep it going, and he doesn't need the others to
    be a rock star... :^)
    
    can't blame them though...  30 years is quite a career no matter *what*
    you're doing....  an incredible ride to be sure...
    
    
    						da ve

    I agree da ve , the rides over.....I think 
    ratdog will be the only game in town....we are already planning our
    "southwest tour" for next year
    
    rfb

	hmmm...I can't quite slam that door shut just yet.
	I'll agree that this means don't expect a summer tour ;-)
	but I don't agree that this is the last of that group
	of musicians playing together...forever...

	like, I'm kinda hoping that they'll have a huge musical
	memorial for Jerry in San Francisco come next spring - 
	and they'll play together there (and realize what -they're-
	missing ;-) ) - and then they'll do some short tours now
	and then...

	Debess_who_even_now_cannot_stop_speculating ;-)

    
    re:49
    
     Ok so now we will getting to Ratdog!!!!
    
     So will how will id ourselfs?
     
    
    Ratdog Heads
    Rat Heads
    Dog Heads
    Head Rats
    Head Dogs
    
    None of the above hit the nail on the head!
    
    So any suggestions?
    
     Divide Dave
    
    

	dead dogs?

Ratitudes?

Rat Dog Revue(rs)

    
        rat-puppies!!!
    

	Purina heads
	
	purrrrrrrEEEEEEEEEEna

    ratb*stards
    
    ratf*ckers
    
    
    actually I think I'll stick with deadhead
    
    
    rfb

    What's the story behind the name Ratdog?  Who thought it up?
    
    Does it have anything to do with that urban legend?: some couple comes
    home from vacation with a 'dog' they found wandering the beach.  They
    take it to the vet for shots and find out its a kind of rat.
    
    Just curious...
    
    'noky
    
    (Ratheads?!!  Aaaaigghh!)

    RE: urban legand and Ratdogs
    I don't think so.....the t-shirts had "If you can't  run with the
    ratdogs, stay on the couch." on the front...I *THINK* the name is a
    takeoff of the saying "If you can't run with the big dogs..."
    
    don't really know though...
    
    rfb

	I always thought a "ratdog" was one of those little, yippy
	annoying dogs (sorry if any of you has one, and loves those
	qualities)...

	but, then again, I have also used it as a "term of endearment"
	for my dog...I think she knows by the way I say it that I'm
	showing her that I love her ;-) ;-) ;-)

	Debess

    HOT RATS !!!

Rattails...

Somehow DC and I have fallen into a series of bad puns (in honor of 
Phyllis?) regarding ratdog and cheesey things. There were a couple of guda 
ones, but I'll be edamed if I'm gonna munster up that here... :-)

    woulda been GOUDA if you did tho..
    
    

  Bob Weir, 1997:

  "Gee, wonder if Jerry left any old DEMO TAPES lying around..."



  (Just kidding, I like the Bobster.  8)    - JayC.