Dead Again : Entertainment: Where rock ‘n’ roll immortal Jerry Garcia goes, ‘Deadheads’ follow. This time the vibes are good.

Aside from receiving a few calls about nude bathing, Ventura police said they had no trouble from a throng of Grateful Dead fans that converged Friday on the Ventura County Fairgrounds for a concert by the rock group’s lead singer, Jerry Garcia.

The last time the Grateful Dead came to Ventura, in 1987, six people were arrested and residents complained that some fans were intoxicated, relieved themselves in public and camped in downtown Ventura.

The Ventura County Fair Board decided to ban Grateful Dead concerts in March, 1988, but reversed its decision a month later after fans organized a petition drive.

Friday marked the first time since 1987 that any member of the Grateful Dead has performed at the county fairgrounds. Police and fairground security said they expected no problems.

“The reputation of the Jerry Garcia show is really very nice,” fair spokeswoman Terri Raley said before the show. “I’m not concerned.”

Police and fairground security officials said they did not increase patrols for the concert. A security official said a crowd of about 12,000 was expected.

Before the concert, police received complaints that about 200 fans were “tearing off their clothes and running into the surf,” police spokesman Graham Jeffrey said, adding that officers couldn’t find anyone naked when they arrived at the beach.

The beach did draw dozens of “Deadheads” Friday morning, but they were only basking in the sun and socializing at Surfers Point.

“I want to learn how to surf today,” said Zola Mercedes Alexander, a teen-ager from Ohio who was born at a Grateful Dead concert 17 years ago.

“It’s my first time in California,” she said. “I think Ventura is a little uptight. I got kicked out of two stores today because I didn’t have any shoes, and some lady told me to brush my hair.”

But 21-year-old Bruce Meyer of Lincoln, Neb., said he was relieved to be in California because people on the West Coast are used to Deadheads.

“You should see what happens when we roll into these small Midwestern towns,” said Meyer, who arrived in Ventura on Thursday night in a dilapidated van. “These people have never seen hippies before. They absolutely freak!”

Meyer, an environmental-studies major, said he dropped out of college this year to become a Deadhead road groupie. “My parents think I work in Omaha,” he said.

Being a hard-core Deadhead who follows the rock ‘n’ roll tour means adopting a different lifestyle, said David McElroy, 31, of Newport Beach, who lives out of an old Ford Mustang and makes his living by selling T-shirts.

“It’s like a carnival,” McElroy said. “Unfortunately, some people in town don’t like the carnival.”

About 1,000 to 2,000 of the faithful follow the tour on the road, according to McElroy. “It’s like a family,” he said. “We’re all very peaceful and we just kind of want to do our own thing.”

McElroy, who has been on the road for more than four years, said he attended the group’s Ventura concert in 1987. He couldn’t remember any problems.

“But after a while,” he said, “they all blend into one show.”

Times correspondent Kay Salliant contributed to this story.