The Wall of Sound: Engineering Behind the Music
The Wall of Sound: Engineering Behind the Music We remember the first time we saw footage of the Wall of Sound in action — a towering wall of speakers stacked seven feet high and three…
Fan website dedicated to the Grateful Dead: performances, symbols and history
The Best Performances of the Grateful Dead
The Best Grateful Dead Performances: A Fan’s Guide Picking the best Grateful Dead performances from a catalogue of more than 2,300 concerts is a bit like trying to choose your favourite star in the night…
Setlists and Song Structure
Setlists and Song Structure: How the Grateful Dead Built Their Live Magic Picture the Lyceum Theatre in London, May 1972. The house lights dim, and instead of launching straight into a hit, the Grateful Dead…
Jerry Garcia Beyond the Dead
Jerry Garcia Beyond the Dead: A Fan’s Guide to His Solo Work and Side Projects For most listeners, Jerry Garcia is inseparable from the Grateful Dead: the bearded figure at stage centre, weaving long improvisational…
Iconic Grateful Dead Venues
Iconic Grateful Dead Venues: A UK Deadhead’s Guide There’s a moment during the 8 May 1977 show at Barton Hall when Jerry Garcia launches into “Scarlet Begonias” and the whole room seems to tilt. Deadheads…
How to Start Listening to Live Dead Shows
How to Start Listening to Live Dead Shows: A Beginner’s Guide for UK Deadheads Picture the scene: it’s a rainy Tuesday in Leeds, you’ve just finished watching a documentary about San Francisco in the late…
Grateful Dead Symbols Decoded: Skulls, Roses and Bears
Grateful Dead Symbols Decoded: Skulls, Roses and Bears Picture a Grateful Dead poster from 1966: a grinning skull crowned with a garland of roses, beauty and decay sharing the same square inch of paper. Why…
Deadhead Resolutions for the New Year
Deadhead Resolutions for the New Year: How We Plan to Keep the Dead Alive in 2025 Every January, we find ourselves returning to the same ritual: a pot of coffee, a well-worn copy of Europe…
Deadhead Culture: Tapers, Tours and Community
Deadhead Culture: Tapers, Tours and Community We still remember the first time a crackling bootleg cassette changed everything for our team. It was a rainy Tuesday in a cramped London flat, and a friend had…
Collecting Grateful Dead Vinyl
Collecting Grateful Dead Vinyl: A UK Deadhead’s Guide We still remember the afternoon vividly: a rain-soaked Saturday in Camden, sheltering in a charity shop, flicking through a crate of battered James Last and Brotherhood of…