The Grateful Dead played more than 2300 concerts between 1964 and 1995. They were known for their unique improvisational style, and also their unique way of bringing their music to their fans.
Most bands in the 1960s and 1970s recorded albums, and did a little bit of touring to support the sales of the album. The Grateful Dead did things the opposite way. They would do a little bit of recording, in order to support their ability to go out on the road and bring their music directly to their fans.
They loved playing their music in front of fans. They felt that what they were doing couldn’t be properly expressed in the confines of a recording studio. They enjoyed looking into the audience and seeing (and hearing) their fans singing along with songs that had never been recorded on an album. (When your fans know the words to songs that haven’t been recorded on an album, you have dedicated fans).
The Grateful Dead were the first band to allow their fans to tape their shows. That was revolutionary at the time. Their record company tried to stop the fans from recording, but the band said “once we play a concert, we are done with it-let the fans have it!” So many people wanted to tape their shows that the Grateful Dead set up a special section for tapers, called “The Taping Pit”. The taping pit at a Grateful Dead show typically looked something like this:
Deadheads would tape the shows of the Grateful Dead, and then listen to those tapes. They also would make copies of those tapes, and trade them with their friends. Most Deadheads initially heard the Grateful Dead by listening to these homegrown concert tapes.
The members of The Grateful Dead were initially surprised when they saw people recording their concerts and following them from town to town. They were amazed at the response, and the dedication required to tape them and follow them around.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I was one of those people that followed the band from town to town. I loved the idea that every show was different (they never played the same setlist twice), and even when they did play the same song a few days apart, that song would be played differently.
I went to a lot of Grateful Dead shows, because there was always the possibility of magic when the house lights went down.
Like the Grateful Dead, I am trying to make magic. But instead of making musical magic, I am trying to make recovery magic. Like The Grateful Dead, I want to give it away to as many people as I can. I love what I do. I am ridiculously lucky to be able to write for people who love to read my writing.
So if you want to set up microphones in The Taping Pit and record this, go ahead. If you want to share it with other people, go ahead. If you want to copy it and use it or read it to someone else, go ahead. The record company may not like it, but what does the record company know?
Eight weeks into the life of this site, we have an email subscription list, Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and people are subscribing with an RSS feed. We will soon launch an Instagram page, because I think younger people will connect better that way.
Now it’s time for the house lights to go down. Let the magic begin….
With Love,
The Recovering Urchin
