Description
This thesis examines the ways in which the touring practices of the Grateful Dead’s fanbase, known as Deadheads, function as religious pilgrimage. I use Peter Berger’s distinction between substantive religion and functional religion along with the definition offered by Eric Mazur and Kate McCarthy both of which define religion in terms of social benefit and shared meaning in a given community. It is definitions such as the one offered by Mazur and McCarthy that are of interest to this project, which will examine the ways in which the Deadheads’ practice of touring with the band created a sort of religious pilgrimage on which fans pursue moments of musical transcendence, find shared community, and make meaning of life. The first chapter of my thesis will explore the musical aesthetic spaces created by the band and I will argue that not only did the Grateful Dead offer relief from the established norms and values of the previous generation, the band’s improvisational style created the space for the transcendent moments that are integral to many definitions of religion and sought after by many religious pilgrims. I will then provide a visual rhetorical analysis of handbills/posters for the Human Be-In and the Mantra Rock-Dance, both of which occurred in 1967; this will show how the musical aesthetic space was expressed visually, and will demonstrate how fans discovered in the burgeoning psychedelic scene an alternative to the consumerism, conservative religiosity, and family values of their parents. The final chapter examines traditional understandings of religious pilgrimage and the ways in which fans of the Grateful Dead will, to this day, recall attending shows or following the band on tour, while using terminology that mirrors language used to describe religious pilgrimage and how this practice allows fans to seek life’s meaning, create tribal affiliation/community, and transcend the ordinariness of life.
