POP/ROCK - May 25, 1987

Signs in Telluride, Co., shop windows are urging residents to “Vote Dead” in an election Tuesday to decide if Jerry Garcia and the rest of the Grateful Dead can perform in that city this summer. The question was put to a vote after residents complained that Telluride gets enough tourists with its annual bluegrass and jazz festivals, which draw up to 5,000 visitors. The proposed Grateful Dead concerts Aug. 15 and 16 are expected to draw up to 10,000 fans, which is roughly 10 times the town’s population. Concert promoter Bill Graham has offered residents free tickets to see the Grateful Dead perform on the West Coast to show them the band is respectable--about 12 have accepted the offer.