Tickets to Grateful Dead concert found on Jason

The tickets were marked at $32.50 each. I would think that a scalper would try to get more than that out of them. I am not sure how much the shirt would have cost. Was it actual GD merchandise or was it an average Joe who did the tie dying, etc. who was trying to make a buck? I don't know if that has been determined 100% or not? It does look like legit GD merchandise to me.

I can't really say it bothers me that much about him having so little money or no change of clothing with him, the more articles I read about Grateful Dead followers/deadheads, the more I believe that it was a common occurance that they travelled with so little.

I guess this could be possible. It would make sense that he was down on his luck. He was only traveling with a dollar in quaters. Do we know how much the tickets for both shows would have cost him or how much his shirt would of been? I still think that it is weird that he had so little money on him and no Id or change of clothes.
 
Scalping GD tickets isn't the same as scalping other tickets. It is very frowned on to try selling tickets above face value. Much more common to sell them for less than you paid for them, or to give them away free as 'miracle' tickets. Since the scalper says he sold the tickets the day of the first show, it's doubtful someone paid for them and handed them free to GDF. More likely that he paid for the tickets, attended the shows, probably ate there (does autopsy say what he'd recently eaten?), bought the tshirt and then only had a buck in change left.

The GD allowed anyone to record them, make tshirts, buttons, stickers etc., and sell them. Very different from other bands. However, if GDF was wearing a tshirt that was specific to that particular tour, it's most likely he bought it/got it at the show, since most GD merchandisers did not sell tour tshirts- those were sold directly by GD.

My ex was a deadhead, and he went to tons of their shows- and every show that was in California. The difference is that unlike most deadheads, my ex had money. It was very common for him to buy a bunch of tickets and give them to his friends. He'd also drive them there, pay for food, alcohol and drugs as well as tshirts for them. So I'm guessing a lot of his friends had less than a buck in their pockets as well. You can probably see why he's now an ex.

Many of his friends did not have driver's licenses for various reasons, and since they also had no money, I'm guessing they commonly went around without a wallet or ID. Not many people have IDs if they don't have a license. There were groups of people who travelled to every show in every state, by hitchiking. I'm pretty sure they didn't have money, either.

While the GD concerts were a little different from other band's concerts, I don't think it's surprising that nobody has identified him just because he had GD ticket stubs on him. After going to all those shows, (and, probably being higher than a kite), I doubt my ex could identify anyone, even if he'd seen them at several shows. There are just too many people, and too many travelling people to really get to know anyone.

I went to a couple of them just before Jerry Garcia died- wasn't really my cup of tea. I don't recall seeing anyone showing up without a shirt on (I think most venues have some kind of dress code) but I did see people take their shirts off after they were there and tie them around their waist. And, I did see several times where someone would buy a tshirt, remove the shirt they were wearing, put the new one on and toss the old one in a garbage can. I saw both guys and girls do that.

It's possible his family didn't even know he liked the GD. And, a lot of deadheads have no contact with their families anyway.

Just my thoughts.
 
Thank you so much for your input! Your information sheds a lot of light on the lifestyle of a Grateful Deadhead. It doesn't surprise me in the least though that with them being "roadies" that they travel with so little, just what they have on their backs basically, travelling from town to town, bumming a ride, trying to get to the next show.

We do not know what the autopsy shows as far as what GDF had to eat or if he had eaten recently. I believe all we know from that is that he didn't have any alcohol or drugs in his system.

Thank you again for your post. I appreciate it.


Scalping GD tickets isn't the same as scalping other tickets. It is very frowned on to try selling tickets above face value. Much more common to sell them for less than you paid for them, or to give them away free as 'miracle' tickets. Since the scalper says he sold the tickets the day of the first show, it's doubtful someone paid for them and handed them free to GDF. More likely that he paid for the tickets, attended the shows, probably ate there (does autopsy say what he'd recently eaten?), bought the tshirt and then only had a buck in change left.

The GD allowed anyone to record them, make tshirts, buttons, stickers etc., and sell them. Very different from other bands. However, if GDF was wearing a tshirt that was specific to that particular tour, it's most likely he bought it/got it at the show, since most GD merchandisers did not sell tour tshirts- those were sold directly by GD.

My ex was a deadhead, and he went to tons of their shows- and every show that was in California. The difference is that unlike most deadheads, my ex had money. It was very common for him to buy a bunch of tickets and give them to his friends. He'd also drive them there, pay for food, alcohol and drugs as well as tshirts for them. So I'm guessing a lot of his friends had less than a buck in their pockets as well. You can probably see why he's now an ex.

Many of his friends did not have driver's licenses for various reasons, and since they also had no money, I'm guessing they commonly went around without a wallet or ID. Not many people have IDs if they don't have a license. There were groups of people who travelled to every show in every state, by hitchiking. I'm pretty sure they didn't have money, either.

While the GD concerts were a little different from other band's concerts, I don't think it's surprising that nobody has identified him just because he had GD ticket stubs on him. After going to all those shows, (and, probably being higher than a kite), I doubt my ex could identify anyone, even if he'd seen them at several shows. There are just too many people, and too many travelling people to really get to know anyone.

I went to a couple of them just before Jerry Garcia died- wasn't really my cup of tea. I don't recall seeing anyone showing up without a shirt on (I think most venues have some kind of dress code) but I did see people take their shirts off after they were there and tie them around their waist. And, I did see several times where someone would buy a tshirt, remove the shirt they were wearing, put the new one on and toss the old one in a garbage can. I saw both guys and girls do that.

It's possible his family didn't even know he liked the GD. And, a lot of deadheads have no contact with their families anyway.

Just my thoughts.
 
It was my understanding that there weren't ever really all that many fans that actually travelled to ALL the shows. I am going to guess the majority were like my ex- they went to shows in their state mostly, and I think he was an exception- my guess is that GDF actually lived somewhere within a 2-3 hour distance from where the concert was held.

It's not likely he was directly from the area, but probably at least far enough away that he would need to find a place to stay overnight in order to see both shows. It was common to stay over at a 'friend of a friend' that you did not know.

Not having drugs/alcohol in his system is interesting. The few shows I went to, the drugs were being traded/used openly. There was so much pot being smoked that there was a heavy haze over the crowd at an outdoor stadium. They had open bars. He may have been one of the 'straight-edgers'. Not using drugs/drinking, crashing at someone's house for free might have left him just enough money to buy the 2 tickets and the shirt.

Rethinking what I wrote before, considering he had 2 tickets from 2 shows, I can't see how anyone who wasn't fairly into it could sit through 2 of those shows. They would essentially have been the same show twice. But, if he was that big of a fan, I'd expect he would have spent his last dollar buying a sticker or something. I really think his family did not know he was into that music. He could have been estranged from them for years.

Other shows I have been to are strict about the seating on the ticket, but I did not see that at the shows I went to- people moved around from seat to seat and area to area, so I don't think that could be helpful.

I really think following all clues that don't involve GD might be helpful, and I really do think looking for missing persons within a 3 hour distance should be looked into.
 
Interesting post! So, basically if we are looking for someone who was missing approximately a 3 hour distance from where the Grateful Dead shows were those two evenings (RFK Stadium in Washington, DC), then it's possible that GDF was almost home. GFD and driver died in Emporia, Virginia which is approximately a 3 hour and 15 minute drive, more or less.
 
I have always wondered if Jason was almost home. If I were drving from DC to Inman SC I would have taken the I-85 Exit near Petersburg, I would not have come down to Emporia and taken 58 over to I-85, which it appears he was doing. Did the driver take a small detour to take Jason home? Did he miss the I-85 exit near Petersburg (very easy to do), or did the fathers house take them on this route. We know the driver visited his fathers house, but I have never heard where the house is located. I know Glouchester County, but not sure of the address. So many questions!
 
I found a Dr. H G H who lives on Queens Drive in Williamsburg, VA. It looks like because of the stop at his father's place he took I-95 instead? IMO, I think once he reached Emporia, VA, it seems to me he was going to take US 58 across to I-85 and head down into NC and down to home (Inman, SC). Was it his intent to take Jason home with him?? I dunno??

ETA: REMOVED link to map...going to edit map to make some corrections


I have always wondered if Jason was almost home. If I were drving from DC to Inman SC I would have taken the I-85 Exit near Petersburg, I would not have come down to Emporia and taken 58 over to I-85, which it appears he was doing. Did the driver take a small detour to take Jason home? Did he miss the I-85 exit near Petersburg (very easy to do), or did the fathers house take them on this route. We know the driver visited his fathers house, but I have never heard where the house is located. I know Glouchester County, but not sure of the address. So many questions!
 
I agree, it looks like he was taking 58 from I95 over to I85, but that is not the shortest route. It adds about 25 miles to his trip. That is not much, but it still not the preferred route from Williamsburg, VA to Inman, SC. Question is did he do that on purpose? Taking Jason home along the route? (somewhere between Emporia and South Hill, VA) Just knew that route better? Missed an exit?

You know, I always assumed he came down to Emporia and took 58W to I85, do we know that for sure? did he take I85 down to South Hill and 58E toward Emporia. Was he heading west when the accident occurred?
 
Hmmm...I guess in reality we don't really know what route he took? We only know that he ended up having the car accident just west of Emporia, VA on US 58. He could have actually taken another route to wind up there. I need to go back and read through things better. Do you know what time he left his father's home? If we knew an approximate time and barring he didn't make any stops,if we knew what time the accident happened, we might be able to figure out the route he took? It's difficult to say. So much for the map, lol! It's not going to help us much now!

I agree, it looks like he was taking 58 from I95 over to I85, but that is not the shortest route. It adds about 25 miles to his trip. That is not much, but it still not the preferred route from Williamsburg, VA to Inman, SC. Question is did he do that on purpose? Taking Jason home along the route? (somewhere between Emporia and South Hill, VA) Just knew that route better? Missed an exit?

You know, I always assumed he came down to Emporia and took 58W to I85, do we know that for sure? did he take I85 down to South Hill and 58E toward Emporia. Was he heading west when the accident occurred?
 
If you don't mind I want to "take our conversation over to the thread about the driver of the van so it will make it easier to find later. Here is a link to that thread The Driver - Michael Eric Hager - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community.

If a mod wants to move the part of the thread here that talks about the driver and his route he may have taken the day of the accident that would be fantastic, if not, I can just cross-link them.


I agree, it looks like he was taking 58 from I95 over to I85, but that is not the shortest route. It adds about 25 miles to his trip. That is not much, but it still not the preferred route from Williamsburg, VA to Inman, SC. Question is did he do that on purpose? Taking Jason home along the route? (somewhere between Emporia and South Hill, VA) Just knew that route better? Missed an exit?

You know, I always assumed he came down to Emporia and took 58W to I85, do we know that for sure? did he take I85 down to South Hill and 58E toward Emporia. Was he heading west when the accident occurred?
 
I want to correct myself here. I do not believe that Dr. H G H is Michael Eric Hager's (Driver of van) father. I believe he is Michael's grandfather or uncle. This may through another loop in the whole map problem even further, if that's possible! Back to the drawing board.

I found a Dr. H G H who lives on Queens Drive in Williamsburg, VA. It looks like because of the stop at his father's place he took I-95 instead? IMO, I think once he reached Emporia, VA, it seems to me he was going to take US 58 across to I-85 and head down into NC and down to home (Inman, SC). Was it his intent to take Jason home with him?? I dunno??
 
The ticket stubs would have helped identify Jason had he either bought the tickets from Ticketmaster using a credit card or if he had mail-ordered tickets from Grateful Dead Ticket Service in San Rafael. Obviously, he did neither. I don't think it matters whether he got the ticket for free, paid full price or paid above face value to a scalper. For that matter, I don't think it matters if he actually went into the show. I think all evidence points to him obtaining the tickets at RFK and going to the show.
 
It may have helped to determine if he had a job or even a family, if he purchased the tickets himself. If he received the tickets for free (also known as "miracle ticket") he would most likely be pleading poverty which would mean he most likely didn't have a job, etc..


The ticket stubs would have helped identify Jason had he either bought the tickets from Ticketmaster using a credit card or if he had mail-ordered tickets from Grateful Dead Ticket Service in San Rafael. Obviously, he did neither. I don't think it matters whether he got the ticket for free, paid full price or paid above face value to a scalper. For that matter, I don't think it matters if he actually went into the show. I think all evidence points to him obtaining the tickets at RFK and going to the show.
 
do we know where jason's seats were located?

i wonder if investigators tracked down the folks who sat in the seats around him?
 
Photos of the tickets are posted online. I think it would be almost impossible to track down who had purchased the adjoining seats. Chances are they were sold by the same scalper. In any event, even if you could identify his "neighbors" at the concert, there is a good chance he didn't even spend much time, if any, in his assigned seat. Even if he did, I doubt that he anyone would remember a whole lot about any identifying information 15 years later.
 
helper, i know it's probably not much use now, but i was more wondering if the people sitting around him had been tracked down 15 years ago.

i am a huge fan of a band that has a fanbase kinda like the grateful dead (traveling to multiple shows, etc) and i *always* end up talking to the folks sitting around me before the show, even if i didn't know them before. just things like where are you from, how many shows are you seeing this tour, etc.

if jason's seat locations were made known in the media immediately after it happened, perhaps someone would have remembered talking to him. of course, as you said, he may or may not actually spent a significant amount of time in that seat. just thinking out loud ..
 
The driver was rolling in a VW Vanagon, they are quicker than the old vans but not always great at freeway speeds. Depending on the year and condition he may have stayed off interstates in favor of slower highways. Also as a VW van guy myself I'd probably hang a U-turn to pickup a hitchhiker in a dead shirt.....
 
The driver was rolling in a VW Vanagon, they are quicker than the old vans but not always great at freeway speeds. Depending on the year and condition he may have stayed off interstates in favor of slower highways. Also as a VW van guy myself I'd probably hang a U-turn to pickup a hitchhiker in a dead shirt.....

Your quote actually made me smile, which is a stark contrast from my usual reaction to this thread. It is so disturbing to think that the driver was absolutley doing JD a favor by picking him up that evening. However, the end result was something neither of them could have predicted. So sad.
 
Is anyone able to read the ticket stubs clearly enough to read what the row #, section #, seat # are?
 
In terms of GD Doe being "almost home" there was a show on March 22 1995 in Charlotte, NC. While the location of the accident is closer to DC than to Charlotte, had the Doe lived much further along the route being taken by the driver, it would have been more natural for him to attend that show, presuming of course that he could make it or that he didn't go to both shows.

Also, being on VA-58 only makes sense if the driver took I95 first. Heading for SC, I'd have taken I85 instead. Possibly they took a wrong turning out of Richmond, or perhaps that is where the Doe was picked up.

Alternatively, the I95-I495 interchange would be a logical place for the paths of someone coming from Fairfax and someone coming from the RFK Stadium to cross; finally, Doe could have ridden the Orange Line as far west as he could and then hoped to meet someone heading for I66/I81 but have taken another ride.
 

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