Truckin’ to Telluride: The Grateful Dead Comes to Telluride

In August of 1987, the Grateful Dead played two shows in Telluride. The band played August 15 -16, with the gorgeous mountains of Telluride as their backdrop.

Telluride is well-know for their different festivals, like their bluegrass and jazz festivals. When they were considering bringing The Grateful Dead to Telluride, they were met with mixed feelings.

The festivals they usually held brought about 3-5,000 people and they expected a lot, lot more would be in attendance because of the Grateful Dead. The town voted whether or not to bring the Grateful Dead to Telluride, and 70% of Telluride said to bring on the dancing bears.

A reporter stated that everyone was either staying in hotels/condos or in the campgrounds. The campground was covered in food stands, crafts, and 'Terrapin Trainways.' There were hot tubs everywhere and 'during these crisp mountain evenings, the tubs provided communal relaxation for some and the first bath in weeks for others.'

The Grateful Dead started playing shows in Colorado in 1967, at The Family Dog in Denver. They went on to play at Folsom Field, Red Rocks and of course, to they trucked it to Telluride - or maybe they drove that train. Deadheads, if you were at the concert in Telluride in 1987 tell us about it in the comments.