PERFORMING ARTS

Fare Thee Well: The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip

by Joel Selvin
with Pamela Turley. De Capo. Jun. 2018. 304p. photos. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780306903052. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780306903045. MUSIC
COPY ISBN
This well-written if pedestrian account of the Grateful Dead's post-Jerry Garcia years starts with Garcia's death in 1995 and finishes with the Fare Thee Well reunion concerts in 2015. Selvin (Altamont; Summer of Love), a longtime journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has covered the Dead nearly since their inception and did extensive research and interviewing for this book. The contributions of coauthor Turley are unclear. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the tale told here is that the story of the Dead after Garcia is less interesting than the story of the Dead with Garcia. This account is more about scattered individuals and a corporation dealing with a new business model than the evolution of a band.
VERDICT For Deadheads only and not all will be interested. Better starting points would be Dennis McNally's definitive A Long Strange Trip, David Browne's So Many Roads; or Blair Jackson and David Gans's This Is All a Dream We Dreamed.
Reviewed by Derek Sanderson, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY , May 15, 2018
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

A Thousand Threads: A Memoir
by Cherry, Neneh
NONFICTION

The Purple One: Prince, Race, Gender, and Everything in Between
NONFICTION

American Noir Film: From ‘The Maltese Falcon’ to ‘Gone Girl’
by Booker, M. Keith
NONFICTION

Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music
by Sheffield, Rob
NONFICTION

‘Giant’ Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film
by Gilbert, Julie
NONFICTION

Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King
by Lauterbach, Preston
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?