"We've been to a number of Blue Jackets games, but never anything like this," said Mount Vernon native Chris Prokopchak, who attended with his wife, Karrie. "It actually popped up on my Instagram and as soon as I saw that, I said to her, 'We're going.'"
Prokopchak said he's been a fan of the band since the late 1970s, though he described himself as a "mediocre" fan because he's only seen a handful of live shows over the years. Some Dead Heads might agree, as the band -- a blend of folk, rock, psychedelic and just about every other form of music formed in 1965 by the late Jerry Garcia, among others -- has a devoted following of fans that travels the world for shows even with the band and its offshoots well into their sixth decade.
Still, his bona fides are pretty good -- Prokopchak still remembers taking his son, just 2 years old at the time, to a Grateful Dead show at Buckeye Lake back in 1995, the year Garcia passed away.
As both he and Karrie wore their CBJ-themed Grateful Dead jerseys while listening to Terrapin Moon before the game, Prokopchak couldn't help but enjoy being with like-minded souls.
"Look at the people you have here listening already, hanging out," he said more than a half hour puck drop. "They were waiting at the gates to get in to see this."
Also among the group were Findlay resident Joe Kizer and Athens resident Chris Filson, college friends who have used their fandom of the band to stay in touch for the past 30 years. They were soon to be joined in Nationwide Arena by another college friend from Cincinnati for the chance to enjoy music, friendship and a little hockey as well.
"It keeps our college friends together," Filson said of the Grateful Dead's music. "We use it as a mechanism to hang out and stay together through the years."
The mix of fans mingling around the Terrapin Moon stage as well as the jersey redemption tables included those who are fans of both the Blue Jackets and the Grateful Dead, many wearing gear of both. Others appeared to be more at Nationwide Arena for the music, with a hockey game thrown in, but Kizer said he's among the former.
"I come to a couple of these (games) a year," Kizer said. "I'll come back later and bring my son. I just love watching hockey live. It's the best sport."
Both Filson and Kizer sported the white Grateful Dead CBJ jerseys that were given away as part of last season's promotion, and when asked if it was the kind of event they'd come back for, the friends had a quick answer.
"Well, we did come back," Kizer said. "It's pretty unique and very cool."
