10th Anniversary of the death of Jerry Garcia

Well, it's been ten years since the passing of music icon Jerry Garcia, classic rock stations around the country are paying tribute today to the musical leader of a generation. It all ended at the Serenity Knolls Drug Treatment Center 10 years ago today.

Mr Garcia had checked himself in just the day before. Jerry had battled drug addiction for years and he had come here to Marin County near his home to confront the demons again, but it was not to be as he passed away of a heart attack his first night in the facility.

The tree in front of the cluster of buildings became a makeshift shrine with pictures and candles, I know I was there and it continues to this day... It signaled the end of something and it was and is a very powerful thing...



Few people on this planet have such a life changing effect as Jerry Garcia did on so many, in 1978 I was in line to buy a ticket to see Neil Young film his now legendary "Rust Never Sleeps" Concert, when this group of guys in front to me asked if I was "going to see the Dead"?, "No , I answered, I was there to get my Neil Young ticket..."

Well they were buying tickets to see the Grateful Dead at the WinterLand Ballroom in SF as the band was coming back from Egypt, I asked "Which show are you going to?" ALL FIVE was the ANSWER...

I thought to myself, "what the hell makes someone see the same band five nights in a row?" we chatted some more, and it was clear these people were obsessed, but not in a bad way, they just knew what they liked and seemed harmless but at the same time were willing to convert someone if he wanted to be...

Well needless to say , they talked me into buying a ticket to "the thursday show" because like they had some "inside" knowledge I would enjoy it...

Enjoy it, hahaha, I had never heard anything like it, it was like I was watching a revival as the band played the music the music played the band and in turn the crowd spun like tops...I was hooked, as Bill Graham would say " They aren't the best at what they do, they are the only ones that do what they do..."

I saw around 500 shows in the years that followed, went to Alaska for 3 shows in a High School Auditorium, London's Rainbow Theater 4 more, 15 nights at the Warfield theater in San Francisco, Portland one night Seattle the next, Reno on Saturday, University of California at Davis on Sunday just to name a few... and along the way, I brought along people who wanted to be converted and they were...I remember sitting in a classroom at 9 am on a friday morning, Jerry was playing solo accoustic guitar in Portland that very evening, by 11am I was consumed by the idea of seeing this rare event, by 2pm I was on a plane to Oregon, and by 3:15 pm I was standing in front of the Rose Theater where he would be playing to a intimate crowd in a small building...

Crazy you say?, ya probably, but as I stood there I was tapped on the shoulder, "your chuck right?" I turned around and Mr Garcia's manager at the time Rock Scully was standing directly in front of me, I said "yes" and he said "Randy had called and said I was coming", Randy of course of the "you need to be anywhere any time for anything travel company" called me... I told Rock that yes indeed Randy had gotten me up to the show at the last minute...

At this point Rock handed me a ticket for both the early and the late shows that evening, I was amazed, at 9am I was taking a test in california , now karma was swimming downstream like a rocket and I along for the ride...if you dream it , it will happen...

I got out my wallet and Mr Scully said, "what are you doing?", I said "paying you for the tickets"
to which he replied, "No dude, these are ON JERRY", you've gone through enough to get here without having to pay for the shows... THATS WHAT THE GRATEFUL DEAD WERE ALL ABOUT...A feeling of family with people you have no blood relation...and on a good night, music like nothing you could ever imagine...

So as we collectively reflect on the loss of Mr Garcia ten years ago, I'm sure those of us who were fortunate enough to have been allowed on a small portion of his journey will smile a little too...as it was a long strange trip that brought so many kindred souls together...forever...