Class met in the Danger Shop today, and it had been programmed to look, sound and smell like a
Grateful Dead concert in 1980. Didi hit a button to mute the music and crowd noise as she spoke.
"Hey, today we're talking about
Deadheads," she said. "These were people who spent months or years on the road, following a psychedelic rock band called the Grateful Dead. Some of the most hardcore fans sold food, taped shows or t-shirts to other fans so they could afford to stay with the band indefinitely. For them, it wasn't about music -- it was about community, and about what a lot of them perceived as an almost religious connection to the music and to each other."
"What I want you to do today is enjoy the concert. Listen to the music, get a veggie burrito, talk to the people. See what about this band was so special for so long. And then tell me what you found out."