After already beginning this project I decided to start to document my progress. The idea was to display my many years of Grateful Dead ticket stubs... the earliest from August 1984- Jerry Garcia Band at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA. For some reason I no longer have my first show tickets... which is disappointing. That was three shows from September 1983 at the Spectrum in Philly. I was 15 years old.

Anyway, this was a way of reliving the good ol' days... and waving my freak flag high! Show your Dead!

The Family

After drawing the dancing Dead on the poster board, I started to paint it in with white acrylic... while having some frosty beverages. Above is me and my friend Chris. Below is my friend Zippy's car... as we caravan to a show.

It had been a while since i had painted and I was remembering when I used to paint the backs of all my friend's jean jackets. I did alot of Dead jackets, some Led Zepplin... one of Jimmy Page that I was incredibly proud of for my friend.  Lots of others of various Dead album covers, Kelley Mouse art and original artwork as well.

This project really started to come together and I could see what the happy guy was gonna look like... but every time I looked at all those tickets I would panic thinking how was I gonna fit them all on there... nicely... so that you could read them... I wasn't sure they'd all fit (which they didn't). But it's all good... it's a great representation anyway.

He's a happy guy...

I was listening to live JGB while painting this...

Now for the fun, nostalgic, sentimental part... looking through all those stubs and remembering each show again... and the variety of memories attached to each venue... each version of Eyes Of The World... Help/Slip/Franklins... Terrapin... Drums... Space... Solstice shows at Shoreline Amphitheater... The California sunsets listening to my band play the music I loved and lived...

The picture below was taken at the Laguna Seca shows in July 1988. Written in the dust is a message from our bud Scotty "I'm not busted! I'M FREE! -Scotty"... we watched him get caught hopping the fence to get in the show!

A special place for special memories. I saw the entire country many times over because of this music and this family....

"I wanna THANK YOU!...

For a real good time!"

RIP Jerry...