If my journey seems worthwhile, I encourage you to give the music a try yourself.

No band is easier to be a fan of than the Grateful Dead.

Check out the links at the bottom of the NewDeadFan.com blog pages and visit the Archive.org site.  Concert tapes made by fans using microphones, as well as soundboard tapes where fans were allowed to plug-in to the direct feeds, are available for listening on demand.  “Audience” tapes (made with mics) are also freely downloadable to your computer for personal use.

Don’t be intimidated by the process.  All you need is a free program to convert the formats of the sound files to a format you can use in your favorite player.

And they’re free.

Eventually, like me, you may find yourself preparing to buy the official releases and related merchandise.

But this is a pastime that doesn’t need to cost you a cent to start.  There’s probably a year’s worth of 24-7 listening out there for the taking.

I imagine that in these difficult economic times, you couldn’t find a better and more enlightening hobby.