Grateful Dead Fans Flood USPS with Mail Art

“Deadhead” might be a misnomer, becausefans of the Grateful Deadhave spirit — and there’s DIY paraphernalia to prove it. In an effort to snag tickets to the band’s upcoming reunion concert, some 60,000 fans flooded the USPS with colorful mail art. The results, in all their fanatic zeal, are impressive. Andthe efforts of theseardentDeadheadsare as endearing as they areearnest.

This July, the founding four band members will reassemble at Chicago’s Soldier Fieldfor “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead,” a three-part epilogueto theirprolific run. Band member Bob Weir has saidthat the farewellconcert will be the original group’slast. So naturally, longtimedevoteescan’t resist a final brush with The Dead. And Deadheads have taken to Twitter en masse, posting their mail art masterpieces for all to see:

No two envelopes are alike: they range from self-portraits to tie-dye to city-scape illustrations. And each piece radiates a bright enthusiasm, chromatically and otherwise. But no matter the sender, one thing is clear: Deadheads are a loyal bunch, willing to keep on “Truckin’” even after fifty years.

This isn’t Studio 360’s first experience with mail art. In 2007, we askedlisteners to send us some. And ourfans didn’t disappoint either.Take a peek inside the envelopes here.