    Joel Selvin
    Chronicle Staff  Writer

    Say goodbye to the Grateful Dead.

    The band announced yesterday that in the wake of guitaristJerry Garcia's death,
    it will break up after playing together for 30 years.

    "After four months of heartfelt consideration, the remaining members of the band met
    yesterday and came to the conclusion that the 'long, strange trip' of the uniquely
    wonderful beast known as the Grateful Dead is over," band  members said in a statement.

    "The band came to the realization that you can't replace the irreplaceable," said band
    manager Cameron Sears. "Some will continue in music.  Some will not, for the time being
    atleast. It's a time of transition for them."

    "I think we've done it about as good as it can be done," said drummer Mickey Hart. "This
    thing was a conversation,a very intimate conversation between , us the band and the
    audience. It's something you can't really manufacture. It's  not something you sign up
    for or sign out of. Think about it. We went though presidencies. Vietnam. Thirty years.
    It was never planned. It was spontaneous, with a giant helping of magic.
    It was a great ride."

    Other band members were unavailable for comment yesterday.

    People close to the band claim that the reluctance of the band's other drummer, Bill
    Kreutzmann, to take the stage again was an insurmountable stumbling block. Kreutzmann
    went into seclusion at his Mendocino home shortly after Garcia's funeral and the subse-
    quent cancellation of the Dead's fall tour.

    "Bill's gone through a long period of contemplation, and he has decided he wants to pursue
    some other things," Sears said.

    A five hour meeting at the band's San Rafael office Thursday was the first opportunity for
    the full group to consider its future.

    "Everybody sort of knew inside," Hart said. "Of course, it was hard. But everybody had a
    feeling. It just wasn't there. We put it to pasture, righteously, as it should be. We
    went out looking good."

    "It's a sad day," band spokesman Dennis McNally said. "But, you know, they've made their
    decision. All I can say . . . as a follow up, I must emphasize, is the individual remaining
    members of the band will continue to express themselves musically. And the Grateful Dead
    Productions, the business end, will support those efforts."

    Composed of various Palo Alto area folk and bluegrass groups, the band started performing
    in spring 1965 as the Warlocks, changing its name to the Grateful Dead that December.

    As the house band at Ken Kesey's fabled Acid Tests, the Dead served as the musical
    entertainment for the dawning of the psychedelic years. In one of the most illustrious
    careers in rock music history, the band performed at such historic 1960s rock events
    as the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock.

    The band was also at Altamont, the Rolling Stones' free concert where the Dead's
    appearance was canceled after fans and security- members of the Hell's Angels motorcycle
    gang-clashed, and one person was killed.

    The Dead joined the Allman Brothers and The Band for a show at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in
    1970, before a crowd of more than 650,000 -the largest single audience recorded at a
    musical event.

    In 1978, the Dead traveled to Egypt to perform at the base of the Great Pyramids.
    Over the past 10 years, the band has consistently been among the top concert
    attractions in the music industry, grossing more than $50 million on annual tours.

    Throngs of itinerant "Deadheads" followed the band from town to town, often causing
    problems in host cities. Last summer, police and fans rioted outside an Indianapolis
    concert, only days before the band played its final show July 9 at Soldier Field
    in Chicago.

    The band managed to endure the death of two keyboard players in its 30 year
    history-Ron (Pigpen) McKernan and Brent Mydland-but with Garcia's death,
    the Dead faced a future without the person most associated with the group.

    Rumors flew concerning possible replacements for Garcia - from Neil Young to Mark
    Knopfler of Dire Straits-but the band could not even get together to consider the
    question until Thursday.

    Within weeks of Garcia's death, many Dead staff members received severance notices
    effective at the end of the year. Many of the employees have worked for the band
    for more than 20 years.

    "That's a very difficult process to go through," said manager Sears. "The band has
    long, enduring relationships with just about everyone who's worked with them."

    Hart admitted that the band  just didn't have the desire to go on without Garcia.
    "It didn't have the magic that was at the core," he said. "That was one of the
    things that we depended on. I spent my whole adult life in this band, and it
    will be following me forever."

    Even Sears could not bring himself to bring the curtain down once and for all.
    "What we're saying today is that, based on the information we have, the
    Grateful Dead will not be performing together again," he said.

    "As to what the future holds, I cannot say. But as of today, that is the position."