Rock's
longest
strangest
trip
the
Grateful
Dead
were
the
psychedelic
era's
most
beloved
musical
ambassadors
as
well
as
its
most
enduring
survivors
spreading
their
message
of
peace
love
and
mind-expansion
across
the
globe
throughout
the
better
part
of
three
decades.
The
object
of
adoration
for
popular
music's
most
fervent
and
celebrated
fan
following
—
the
Deadheads
their
numbers
and
devotion
legendary
in
their
own
right
—
they
were
the
ultimate
cult
band
creating
a
self-styled
universe
all
their
own;
for
the
better
part
of
their
career
orbiting
well
outside
of
the
mainstream
the
Dead
became
superstars
solely
on
their
own
terms
tie-dyed
pied
pipers
whose
epic
free-form
live
shows
were
rites
of
passage
for
an
extended
family
of
listeners
who
knew
no
cultural
boundaries.