Fans Honor the Dead on Haight Street

On the day of Jerry Garcia's death, there are no tears to be found amid a crowd of about 250 Deadheads gathered near the corner of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco.

Instead, a guy who answers to the name Chuckster whirls and jumps around to the rhythm of the Dead's version of "Not Fade Away." Some members of the crowd chant along with the song; others reminisce about recent shows or reflect on Garcia's life.

"He lived totally, fully, and it's time to celebrate what he gave us," Chuckster says. A 51-year-old Deadhead, Chuckster has been fueling the Haight-Ashbury festivities for the past several hours by leading the crowd in chants. "I'm here to say thanks, but I wish he learned to change his ways earlier."

Chuckster's comments reflect the feelings of many here - that Garcia pushed himself to the edge with a relentless touring schedule and an unhealthy lifestyle, and that his passing is no surprise.

Camera crews arrive and push their way to the front of the crowd, but nobody seems to mind - even when the reporters on the scene threaten to outnumber the Deadheads. Police try to confine mourners to the sidewalks, but they spill into America's most iconic intersection, snarling traffic in the process. Scratchy Dead bootlegs blare from car stereos, and nearly everyone seems to be humming one of the Dead's songs.

The scene in front of the Dead's old crash pad at 710 Ashbury Street is strikingly different. Only a half- dozen Deadheads are there, sitting quietly on the stoop and admiring the flowers put out by the owner of the house. A wilted rose rests in the nook of a tree by the curb.

"Technically, he should have been dead 10 years ago when he was in a coma," says Eric Hellweg, just as the driver of a car with a Grateful Dead sticker slows to grab a glimpse of the Dead's old digs. "He wasn't exactly the picture of health.... We all had prepared for this day - but none of us was really prepared for it."

By four in the afternoon, more police have arrived on Haight Street, and the mourners have moved to the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park, where the scene resembles one of the Dead's shows. Hundreds of people are gathered, many plucking out any Dead tune they can remember on guitar, banjo, fiddle, bongos, congas, harmonica, or tambourine. Others dance, throw Frisbees or smoke pot.

"It's so abstract," says 180-show veteran Jeff Atkin of the scene. "He made a lot of people hopeful; he kept our hearts open. People are sad, but they're celebrating at the same time."