Tickets to Grateful Dead concert found on Jason

As far as being more natural for him to have gone to the Charlotte show, it is not unusual for a Dead Head to go to a number of shows even on the same tour. The Grateful Dead did not play the same set every night (never actually repeated the exact same set) so fans would not think twice about seeing the group play again in another town even if they had recently seen them.
 
I grew up with the driver, Eric Hager, and was still good friends with him when he died. From what I remember of the time, he had seen the dead in DC and was heading back to Columbia, SC where we went to Univ. of South Carolina (so I-95 would have been more likely than I-85). I don't know if he visited his father but I *think* his dad lived in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.

His mother and step-father lived in Inman, SC (technically but actually Boiling Springs/Spartanburg, SC) but he was living in Columbia.

Nobody in our group of friends knew at all the rider who was with Eric. If I were to guess I would say it was a hitch-hiking deadhead going to the next show.

If there is any other info I might be able to offer, feel free to ask. It's been such a long time I'm not sure how much I can remember.
 
I grew up with the driver, Eric Hager, and was still good friends with him when he died. From what I remember of the time, he had seen the dead in DC and was heading back to Columbia, SC where we went to Univ. of South Carolina (so I-95 would have been more likely than I-85). I don't know if he visited his father but I *think* his dad lived in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.

His mother and step-father lived in Inman, SC (technically but actually Boiling Springs/Spartanburg, SC) but he was living in Columbia.

Nobody in our group of friends knew at all the rider who was with Eric. If I were to guess I would say it was a hitch-hiking deadhead going to the next show.

If there is any other info I might be able to offer, feel free to ask. It's been such a long time I'm not sure how much I can remember.

Welcome to Websleuths!
Condolences on the loss of your friend.
Are you saying that Eric had been to the DC concert?
 
Welcome to Websleuths!
Condolences on the loss of your friend.
Are you saying that Eric had been to the DC concert?

I'm pretty certain of it. It was also common for many to go to Dead shows without a ticket just to try to get one and just hang out in the parking lot if not. I don't remember if he did that often but he had gotten into a group of friends that did so it would not have surprised me if he went but didn't actually get a ticker or get to see them.
 
I grew up with the driver, Eric Hager, and was still good friends with him when he died. From what I remember of the time, he had seen the dead in DC and was heading back to Columbia, SC where we went to Univ. of South Carolina (so I-95 would have been more likely than I-85). I don't know if he visited his father but I *think* his dad lived in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.

His mother and step-father lived in Inman, SC (technically but actually Boiling Springs/Spartanburg, SC) but he was living in Columbia.

Nobody in our group of friends knew at all the rider who was with Eric. If I were to guess I would say it was a hitch-hiking deadhead going to the next show.

If there is any other info I might be able to offer, feel free to ask. It's been such a long time I'm not sure how much I can remember.

WOW. if Eric Hager had been to the concert, that puts an entirely different spin on things. Its always been said he was visiting his girlfriend and did not attend the concert.

Regardless, if he was headed to Columbia instead of Inman, SC, why was he on hwy 58 west of Emporia? Possibly east of Emporia if he has visited his father and was on hwy 58 going towards I-95, but why didn't he get onto I95? Did he miss the exit? Did he come down I-95 and get off at hwy58 to take Jason home? so many questions.

Brianpoteat, thanks for the info. I grew up near this area and have followed this case for a long time. thanks.
 
I-85 Goes through Spartanburg SC headed towards Atlanta. If he was heading to Inman, then Columbia, I-85 would have been the route to choose. I-95 heads down NC between Raleigh and Greenville NC, through Fayetteville, into SC near Dillon, then through Florence (where he would have to catch I20 to get to columbia) and Orangeburg (where he would have to head back up I-26 to columbia.)

I-95 would only make sense if he were heading back directly to columbia. If heading to Inman, Hwy 58 to I85 makes perfect sense.
 
I'm pretty certain of it. It was also common for many to go to Dead shows without a ticket just to try to get one and just hang out in the parking lot if not. I don't remember if he did that often but he had gotten into a group of friends that did so it would not have surprised me if he went but didn't actually get a ticker or get to see them.

Very true! Many people who go to dead shows, especially those who follow the dead, don't have tickets or the money for them. People walk around the parking lots with signs or call out looking for a ticket. They say, "I need a miracle." I need a miracle is a reference to a song, but, it is also the language used for those seeking a free extra ticket. People get miracles all the time, especially young women.
 
Is anyone able to read the ticket stubs clearly enough to read what the row #, section #, seat # are?

Most dead shows are open seating. Usually, depending on the stadium, the floor is open for dancing. Very few people actually sit in assigned seats or even make it to them if they are assigned...LOL. Usually seating is only used for fire safety/capacity purposes. The problem with the seating is tickets change hands so many time prior to a show, it would be really hard to tell who had them. Even if the were purchased in bulk by one person, they usually get liquidated in the parking lot. As he didn't have ID or a credit card, I doubt he went through ticket master or will call for them. He also could have simply picked up used tickets in the parking lot. A lot of people do that, even if they do not go inside. mainly, because at most dead show venues you can hear the music outside anyway...
 
Do you know if he has any pictures from this concert?? Could you contact his father and see? Maybe that could give some clues?
 
Does anyone know where the driver of the VW was heading? Was he on his way to work, was he driving further away? He was obviously heading in the same general direction as JD.
 
Does anyone know where the driver of the VW was heading? Was he on his way to work, was he driving further away? He was obviously heading in the same general direction as JD.

He was coming to South Carolina, either Spartanburg or Columbia, since his mom lived in Spartanburg and he went to school and lived in Columbia. I don't think we'll be able to figure out which one, though the fact that he was on 58 makes it seem like he was heading towards I-85 to go towards Spartanburg.

It's possible JD was trying to head towards friends or family on the way (or maybe further) but that's just speculation.
 
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 think the thought that he might have been nearly home fits in well with the ME's feeling that the family contacted them. I wonder how widely this was broadcast immediately after the accident. It probably made the news in the surrounding counties at the very least.....I know that I'm hung up on this *being local* thing but its just gnawing at me.

Mel
 
I've never bought the idea that Jason would be carrying stubs for tickets that he didn't use. That just seems so odd to me that someone would want ticket stubs after the fact for a concert he didn't attend. Jason wasn't even carrying ID and yet he had stubs he was taking home as a keepsake for a concert he didn't attend...

I have been to multiple grateful dead shows. There is a possibility Jason did in fact pick up a ticket stub and try to enter the show. Depending on the venue people can osometimes get "re-admission" on a ticket if they have a good enough excuse (give the dog water, forgot medication, etc). Many people leave shows part way through due to multiple factors...including being way too high. Often they will hand a ticket stub to someone outside view of the ticket checkers with hopes they can get in. Sometimes it does work. Most times not, but, it is always worth a try to catch the last set or few songs or what not. The tickets to me are a dead end because considering miracles, how people pick up tickets, etc...it could have passed through many many hands before getting to him.
 
I think the thought that he might have been nearly home fits in well with the ME's feeling that the family contacted them. I wonder how widely this was broadcast immediately after the accident. It probably made the news in the surrounding counties at the very least.....I know that I'm hung up on this *being local* thing but its just gnawing at me.

Mel

Here is another idea. Jerry was really, really ill during this time. In fact, he died in August of 1995. For those who haven't been to a ton of dead shows, Jerry's stage performance was highly dissapointing...forgetting songs, had his amp and mic turned way down because he was mentally and physically suffering, etc. So, lets say Jason was one of thousands of kids I have known who deciede to follow the dead. When he finally arrives on the scene in 1995 (maybe this was a string of shows he attended that year) the hype is far greater then the tales he heard on the road. The scene had totally changed. For the first time in history on July 7th, 1995 a Dead show was cancelled due to corwds throwing rocks, etc...not exactly the peace and love scene...the concert vibes and whole parking lot scene changed. So...there is a possibility this guy was disappointed and maybe in his quest to find"family, community" etc...decided to try something else...perhaps Phish tour or the Rainbow family. I was a teenager at that time who attended a lot of dead shows and knew many many kids who drifted back and forth between these groups trying to find that place they fit in. Many of these kids started out as runaways and at the time...once they turned 18 they no longer were listed as missing as they "aged out" and were now adults. Portland oregon was a "mecca" for runaways or young adults at the time. It was the grunge scene and I new many kids who ran away to there first chance they got. I think the best place to look is the various places the Dead played in 1995 as potential places Jason came from or "hopped on tour".

http://www.dead.net/shows-by-year/1995
 
What if the Carolines gave Jason the ticket stubs with the note? Maybe Jason was never at the concert. Or maybe he couldn't get a ticket so he hung around outside the concert. There are so many maybes here. He has 2 ticket stubs but the car's driver really didn't know him and was not at the concert. So where did Jason's concert partner go? Or were they really Jason's ticket stubs?

Salem

Here is my thing about the note. Where did the note come from. I can't imagine the Caroline's taking the time to write a note to hand to him. They would just talk with him. A dead show parking lot is crazy, people often rely on posting stuff places as they often don't see eachother for days, unless they are really traveling together. So (if the note was intended for him and he didn't just pick it up somewhere) where did he get the note? To me they didn't hand him the note....so the note had to be attached to some object for him to find. Was there a car that brokedown...not uncommon. Was he traveling with the Caroline's or perhaps they were traveling with him and found another ride. Were there any cars left in the parking lot at the dead show that had to be towed because they were disabled or just left there. Could one of these be his car? Was he with the Caroline's and kept missing them at the concert, found the note on the car and they took off while he was wandering around and they had his belongings in their car. It is odd he had nothing with him. No jacket, extra socks, toothbrush, etc. Unless he did have stuff in the van and it was misidentified as the driver's. The note is a good clue in the fact that it had to have been placed somewhere for him to find.
 
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!

Any chance he was hitch hiking to the Rainbow gathering in New Mexico. That ran in early July of 1995 in New Mexico. Could also explain why he took a ride south instead of north-east to the next set of shows.

There is a lot of footage, pictures, etc from rainbow Gatherings in 1994 and 1995. He didn't make the 1995 gathering, but, I wonder if some of the photo and video archives of previous gathering could have some clues. Here are examples of things posted online...

http://archive.org/search.php?query=rainbow gathering

http://jh.photoshelter.com/gallery/...-the-Grateful-Dead-1994-1995/G0000N_HSZ4XLtDU random pictures
 
Most grateful dead shows people dont really sit in the seats... they tend to roam its usually general admission and if his tickets did have seat numbers he may have never made it to those seats in the first place
do we know where jason's seats were located?

i wonder if investigators tracked down the folks who sat in the seats around him?
 
Most grateful dead shows people dont really sit in the seats... they tend to roam its usually general admission and if his tickets did have seat numbers he may have never made it to those seats in the first place

You are correct. The entire floor is standing and dancing. General admission. Some seats can be found in bigger stadiums or venues off the dance floor.
 
I was at both RFK shows on 6/24/95 and 6/25/95. Concert-goers required proper tickets to access the field-level. There were no seats down there, but you weren't supposed to get down there without a ticket. But Deadheads overwhelmed security during Bob Dylan's sets. Every 10 minutes or so throngs of people would rush the entrances to the field level. Security did their best to stop them, but they had no chance. So there were hundreds of people on the field level who did not have tickets to be down there. I opted not to rush the field and stayed in the seating area. But a couple of my friends did rush the field.
 
For some reason, this Dead song most always springs to mind whenever I see this forum -- perhaps because it treats with the difficult reach that is required in the bittersweet pursuit of hidden knowledge.

"Think this through with me."

[video=youtu;TSIajKGHZRk]http://youtu.be/TSIajKGHZRk[/video]
 

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