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Diehard Dead Heads Gather In Chicago For Band's Final Shows

Dead Heads Converge In Chicago

(CBS) -- Members of the Grateful Dead say it was only right to have their final shows in Chicago, the city where late guitarist Jerry Garcia played his last show 20 years ago.

Fans are here from all over the country, to show their love, CBS2's Roseanne Tellez reports.

You could spot them all over the city, many wearing tie-dye or flowers in their hair.  Dead Heads are converging in Chicago, reflecting on their obsession with the legendary band.

Back in the day, friends Sabrina Jurnalov and Leanne Weinerth went to many shows together. They moved apart – one to Michigan, one to Texas – but are back together this weekend.

"We made a pact to do whatever it took to get here," Weinerth says.

For others, this weekend is a family affair. Julie Carideo says there are three generations represented with her group.

On Friday, the party was well underway, the parking lot filled with fans old and new.

"You can only keep a good thing secret for so long," fan John Kiernan says. "The old Heads kind of showed us the way."

And for the final shows, one older Dead Head says there's no sadness -- just exuberance and maybe a little magic.

About 70,000 fans were expected Friday alone.

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