Letter: Go listen to the Grateful Dead

Reading Olivia Bokesch’s column “No one at Duke knows the Grateful Dead” left a smoking crater of my mind, like being busted for smiling on a cloudy day. No one at Duke knows the Dead? What??? I realize that things change a lot over time, but this is like the poles shifting.

Duke used to be a huge Grateful Dead school. The band played Wallace Wade in 1971 and Cameron in 1973, 1976, 1978 and 1982. In the 1970’s a certain part of the student body was attracted to Duke for its “Deadness” in a fashion similar to the allure of Duke basketball in later years. (An aside: Thank you Coach K and GO DEVILS!) If you came to Duke, there was a high probability that the Dead would play on campus during your time here.

I would encourage Duke students to go to the Internet Live Music Archive and check out the Cameron shows from December 8, 1973 and April 12, 1978. Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock your soul. 

David Dillon is a member of the Class of 1980.