Ron Onesti: Long live 'The Dead'

I was just 3 years old when guitarist Jerry Garcia, bassist Phil Lesh, guitarist Bob Weir, keyboardist/harpist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (who died in 1973 at age 27) and drummer Bill Kreutzmann went from being the Warlocks to the Grateful Dead in 1965.

In 1995, the band's unofficial leader, Jerry Garcia, died of a heart attack at 53 years of age, and the group disbanded. This past July, as the Grateful Dead celebrated its 50th anniversary, the band's remaining original members performed what was announced to be their very last performance together. It all happened in Chicago, the geographic "center of the world" for "Deadheads," and also where the group played its very last show together before Garcia's death. So Chicago has a deep place in the hearts of remaining band members and lifelong fans alike.

My rock 'n' roll formative years were during the "classic rock" era of the Seventies, so my appreciation for the Woodstock-era bands came much later as my appreciation for music, in general, developed. I still was not into being a Deadhead, and did not follow the band or its music very closely. It was really this "last hurrah" that put the band's impact on music history, as well as American history, in perspective for me.

In addition, a recent Arcada appearance by Tom Constanten, Grateful Dead keyboardist from 1968-1970, put it over the top with an onstage public interview with me.

The Palo Alto, California, band went from a bluegrass jug band to the earliest form of jam band. Its folk-rock, acoustic foundation really entered the electric era when Constanten joined the band as a second keyboardist, adding advanced electronic sounds and arrangements to the group.

"I met Phil Lesh in line at the Berkeley College of Music at the University of California. It was 1961 and I was having a conversation with someone about how there really wasn't any 'music' between the late 1700s until 1950. Phil was intrigued by the conversation and we became best friends," Constanten said.

While Lesh and the boys were doing their thing musically, Constanten was in the Air Force, state side. Whenever he could earn a three-day pass, Constanten would use it to record with the band. They loved him because Tom was brought up with an ear for the complexities of music, growing up the son of a violinist in New York City in an "Arturo Tuscanini household."

The day after Constanten's honorable discharge in 1968, he became a full-time member of the Grateful Dead. He toured and recorded three albums with them before amicably leaving the band because his Scientology-driven lifestyle at the time did not allow him to get involved with the vices of the band's culture. He was also disenchanted with the live sound equipment of the time, as it was "underamplified" so much that he really could not hear himself play using the stage speakers of the day.

But he WAS present during the band's performance at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. "It was kind of a tough day," Constanten recalled. "They helicoptered us to the stage. It was scary because the whole thing seemed a bit all over the place and disorganized. The stage was wobbly, there were wires and equipment just everywhere, and the weather was bad so we were concerned about being electrocuted. … I actually got a shock from my guitar strings! So we did our set and they helicoptered us out of there. Met Janis (Joplin) there though!"

When Constanten walked out onto the stage at The Arcada to do a short solo set before his band Jazz Is Dead performed, the crowd welcomed him with a respectful standing ovation. It was the first time I had met the man, and he looked kind of what I would have expected from a member of the Grateful Dead - tall and lanky with a full head of straight, shoulder-length gray hair.

He was very humble and extremely warm. In 1994, all twelve members who have walked through the Grateful Dead door since the band's inception in 1965 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The honor was bestowed upon them by Bruce Hornsby, a music superstar and frequent onstage guest of the band.

"We were all tickled by the honor. If it had happened back in the day, we probably wouldn't have shown up. We weren't big on the industry back then. But by the time we were inducted, we were all mellowed out," Tom said. "And we were all so glad it happened before Jerry passed the next year."

The Grateful Dead not only created music, it created a massive subculture. Basketball legend Bill Walton attended more than 800 Dead performances! Millions upon millions of people have attended its shows, patterning their lives around the band's signature look and lifestyle. As big as Elvis and the Beatles were, and as profound as their music was, it arguably did not have the cultural impact the way the Grateful Dead has. Jimmy Buffett and Dave Matthews have built a similar cult following and have been successful, but the international appeal tenured over the past 50 years by the Grateful Dead is incomparable.

As a performer and as a writer of music, what could one hope to achieve? To touch people deeply, so much so that it has altered lives and given a large piece of humanity purpose and direction? If that is the case, the Grateful Dead IS music personified.

More than simple messaging, it is an example by which people are to follow in order to truly enjoy their lives. Grateful? Yes, we are. Dead? The band and its music will ironically live forever.

Constanten looked into the audience as they applauded his finale. "Was Jerry here tonight," I asked.

"He is always there," Tom answered. "He was put on this Earth for a purpose. He created something for people to live by. Once that was established, he was able to leave."

As Constanten left, he said I am now officially a Deadhead. Before that night, I may not have been so excited to be christened that. But now, I consider it an honor. I woke up early so I could shop for a flowered shirt, lava lamp, a beanbag chair, some incense and a pair of sandals. I could use more "mellowness" in my life, and Tom Constanten may have added ten years onto my being.

Pretty deep stuff from a pretty cool guy.

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.