The Grateful Dead Experience
The Grateful Dead Experience
As she entered the restaurant, Emily Jerome’s hand held a felt flower of red, blue, and white with the familiar zig zags of the Grateful Dead’s logo: “Steal Your Face.” She explained this handmade flower was gifted to her when buying tickets from a fellow Grateful Dead fan. It was symbolistic of the late 20th century psychedelic rock band, a community before all else.
The Grateful Dead was formed in the Bay Area in 1965 and was known for their recognizable fusion of genres. Their loyal fans, known as “Dead Heads,” have followed through the band's 30 year career of over 2,300 concerts.
Growing up in rural Illinois, Jerome would visit any show she could at the nearby Alpine Valley Amphitheatre. When the Grateful Dead came in 1989, she was hooked. Jerome described the music as a universal experience, “you don’t realize everyone is going through the same thing until the beat changes and everyone has similar reactions.”
On a whim, she decided to transfer to the University of Oregon from a small conservative law school in Illinois. The day of her move she realized the Grateful Dead were playing and immediately headed toward Autzen Stadium. Outside the stadium, she struck a deal with a biker for an extra ticket. The pair attended the show together and later became friends. Jerome recounts her first night in Eugene as the perfect sign she was in the right place, saying "with that many people with good intentions, good stuff is going to happen."
The Grateful Dead continues to connect to younger generations. Henry Wease, a fan at UO, emphasized “their music is more than just music, it’s a feeling that’s so positive and powerful and many people our age see that.”
Jerome says she has never found something similar to The Grateful Dead experience. She continues to attend shows and values the Grateful Dead’s ongoing gift of being able to find a friend anywhere. “Whether a houseless person or banker, if someone has a Steal Your Face on, we would have a connection. The Grateful Dead is an equalizer.”
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