It’s no secret: Colorado loves the Grateful Dead… and all the jam bands that formed in the shadow of the influential group (see: String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, and Yonder Mountain String Band, just to name a few!) But a band is nothing without the fans. So why has this place become such a haven for Deadheads? In advance of founding Grateful Dead member Bob Weir’s back-to-back shows at Mission Ballroom this weekend, host Bree Davies talks with CPR host and reporter Vic Vela — a self-professed Deadhead — about the band’s lasting impact on our state.

Check out Vic’s podcast, Back From Broken, where he talks with others working through substance use disorders and mental health issues.

Bree mentioned the recent troubles at Sancho’s Broken Arrow, the Grateful Dead-themed bar on Colfax. For more, don’t miss our episode last summer about the sexual assault allegations facing Sancho’s former owner Jay Bianchi: “Denver’s Jam Band Scene Has an Ugly Open Secret”

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Larry Suppler

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