Let's talk about Grateful Dead
 

Ok, question for you dead heads out there.

Favorite year for a show
Favorite Song
favorite piano player
Should they turn off Phil's microphone?
Should they turn off Bobby's microphone?
Best offshot Dead band

My answer:
1977
Terrapin Station
A juggle between Bruce Hornsby and Pigpen
Yes
No
Phil Lesh and Friends

My fiance should be answering this, not me, but since he's not a Greek...

I only saw one in 1995.
Uncle John's Band
not well-versed enough to answer these three!
Phil Lesh

We saw Phil Lesh with Willie Nelson in HersheyPark in 2001. It started to pour during the intermission when suddenly one of the rides from HersheyPark made a loud train horn sound. Someone yelled, "Casey Jones!"

Guess what led the encore? :D

can't pick a favorite year
its hard to pick one favorite song, but i'll narrow it down to scarlet begonias, ripple and box of rain
pigpen
yes
no (even tho i generally prefer jerry songs over bobby songs, but at this point thats irrelevent)
ratdog (i don't consider the other ones to be an 'offshot' band otherwise i'd consider them best)

anybody here in the Northeast or midwest Area going to see the Dead with Dylan? I wish I could be there.

We're planning on the shows in Milwaukee (with Willie Nelson), Joliet, Columbus, and someplace around there that I can't remember.

no, but i am going to bonnaroo ne :)

I hate u. :D

This is eery. The last show Brent played on, he said the following: "...I've got to go, but my friends can stick around."
7/23/90, The Weight encore
Three days later, he died.

Didn't do the research, but when I herd this, I decided to listen to the show and felt a weird chill when i herd it. I wonder if he knew.

Ok, so I'm not a true dead head, but I like to call myself a junior dead head.
My dad should be answering this...but he used to play all the dead albums (recorded on tape) when he drove me to daycare and himself to college when i was little (side note: i came home one day singing ' high on cocanine; and my mom flipped...hehe):p
Anyway:

Fav song: Touch of Grey or Ship of Fools

Never say them live

I'm not that well versed that I know the other answers... but may I suggest that although Phish is not an offshoot of the Dead, nor can they compare, I think they are the closest thing to the Dead that I've seen?? Just a thought...

Could someone recommend a good "beginner's" song for me? It's strange that I love music and I'm certainly old enough to know The Grateful Dead, but I don't think I've ever heard a single one of their songs. Not one! How is that possible?

You've probably heard Truckin, Uncle John's Band, Touch of Grey (not my fave) or Shakedown Street (disco Dead) at some point. You just might not have realized who it was. :)

Either American Beauty or Workingman's Dead is a good beginner album. I have friends that are super hardcore Deadheads, so I don't even try to compete.

Thanks for the recommendations. It's honestly appreciated.
/hijack

Ok I recognize this post is ridiculously old but I just saw it...and honeychile, I'm pretty sure we were at the same show!

I agree with your choices for beginner albums. I would get both if I were you, LeslieAnne. :)

Then, I'd recommend venturing into some music from the live shows, because, in my opinion, the Dead is best live as opposed to studio albums. I would really recommend checking out Dick's Picks (my favorites are probably volumes 3 & 4, but it's hard to go wrong). I would also argue that Fallout From the Phil Zone is a good one to pick up if you want to start getting into some of their live music.

ETA: Ok, and just because I'm a dork...I'm also going to recommend 2 books to anyone who might be interested. I really liked Garcia: An American Life, by Blair Jackson, and Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead, by Phil Lesh. They're both really good reads!

Okay, I listened on iTunes and I have heard both Casey Jones and Touch of Grey. Never liked Touch of Grey. I always thought it was by Dire Straits. :o

Thanks again for the suggestions!

I'll bug off now.

My fav from them. LOVE THIS SONG!
http://youtu.be/CH3XhkSC02g