NAMES IN THE NEWS : Pavilion Bans Grateful Dead
A concert pavilion is the latest to ban concerts by the Grateful Dead because of its fans.
Merriweather Post Pavilion granted a police request to end scheduling of concerts by the veteran rock ‘n’ roll band and the Jerry Garcia Band, headed by the Grateful Dead’s lead singer, said Jean Parker, general manager of the 14,000-seat amphitheater.
Grateful Dead spokesman Dennis McNally dismissed the pavilion’s decision, saying drug arrests at concerts reflect a problem in society and should not be blamed on the bands.
“The same arrests are made at football games and baseball games,” McNally said.
In California, Stanford University and UC Berkeley banned the group in April because of recurring drug-related arrests at concerts.
The San Francisco-based band, which formed in the 1960s, has a large following of so-called Dead Heads. Many have followed the band from show to show, peddling T-shirts and other Grateful Dead souvenirs.
Hoping to boost its image, the band recently banned all vending outside their concerts.
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