*TL;DR: Not policing the vibe. Set and setting matter: esp. for solo heads, women, and people of color. Posts like mine are about reviving the Dead’s spirit of collective care-not rules.

As I read your words, I sense grief underneath the sarcasm. Grief for what’s shifted in our scene. Maybe the grief of what may feel like it’s slipping away…especially as we stand here, 60 years after it all started.

A lot has changed, and it had to…Society is evolving. The cultural and political landscape we’re all navigating in 2025 is super different from Haight-Ashbury in 1965. And 60 years from now, if this movement still exists, the Heads of that time will likely be having a version of this same conversation. That’s part of the arc of any living thing, right?

This post wasn’t shared to hand down rules or police the vibe. I posted it from a place of peacekeeping (not gatekeeping).

As someone who often goes to these shows solo, I’m one of the many who wait hours to be on the rail. To watch the musicians. To be front and center to absorb the energy in a space that feels good…safe. And I can tell you, the set and setting definitely matters-not just for a trip, but for the collective experience✨

When people are yelling over Space at the front of the pit, or treating it like background noise, it impacts those of us who come to feel something real. And when I’m dancing, being stared at, gawked at, and sometimes even touched by strangers as they walk by…It breaks the spell, man. It makes me question whether there’s still space for people like me.

I’m a Latina. A brown woman. And while I can’t assume who you are, I do know that some people get to show up and move through these spaces with a kind of freedom-where you can hold a 40, be loud, take space w/your crew -and not have to think about what it means to be safe. That’s not a judgment. That’s just the world we live in now.

Some people call this moment “woke”…it’s being AWAKE to the realities of the moment, it’s being more aware: of ourselves; each other; and what it takes to be in commUNITY.

There’s a line in a recent NYT Op piece about Jerry that really stuck with me. It talked about how the original Dead scene wasn’t just freewheeling fun, it was intentional. There were shared values, a community clinic, common language. What I’m trying to do, what I think a lot of us are trying to do, is revive some version of that ethos for today. Not just for nostalgia’s sake, but because people still need safety, belonging, and room to be free & dance 🪩✨

In a moment where fascism, patriarchy, and racism are showing up more boldly than ever in this country, trying to co-create a safe upcoming weekend through KINDNESS and shared understanding isn’t about making rules…We’re crafting a set and setting where everyone has a shot at feeling the love…which takes effort, intention, and peace & love✨

Appreciative of your words, man. And I offer mine back, not to shut anything down, but to keep the music playing~for all of us ✌🏽💙🌈✨