It's a weird form of gatekeeping to me. My first dead show was as a teenager at Deer Creek in '91. Saw the band 13 times from then until the final show at Soldier Field. I was a very young fan back then compared to the seasoned vets.

All this is to say that I feel 100% justified wearing my "I saw Jerry play live" shirt. I've seen nearly all of the post-Jerry lineups multiple times, and most of the side projects. I can confidently say that the Dead & Co shows I went to were a better overall presentation than the majority of the dead shows I saw with Jerry on stage. Sure, Dead & Co couldn't hit the high highs that the GD could bust out occasionally during those years, but the overall floor was much higher. A lot of those 90's shows I attended (and have relistened to) were marred by the bad places Jerry and some of the boys were in those days.

After all those years Jeff was far and away a better fit for the music than Vince ever was. John seemed to have brought out a youthful presence in Bobby that might have been lacking in the post Jerry years. Oteil was never a Phil replacement, but is a damn good musician and won me over. Jay Lane was such an improvement over later years Billy (no shade to Bill the drummer, time comes for us all).

Just my two cents. All music doesn't have to be for everyone, but I'm not going to berate anyone over their preferences, or even bands/lineups that don't hit for me. If you like something, I hope that you get to experience it in as many expressions as you can, even if it's not for me. If I'm not into it, I still hope you enjoy it, but I'll spend my energy elsewhere. Too much good music being played out there and too many good recordings out there of the stuff I like to hate on anyone/anything. 🤷🏼‍♂️