In the lead-up to Chicago, the event’s organizers, most notably the promoter Peter Shapiro, have been praised by some Deadheads as reverent masterminds — fans and facilitators with a deep understanding of the Dead’s legacy.

But they’ve also been harangued over everything from ticketing systems and prices, to the shows’ location, to the replacement for the towering Mr. Garcia. (Trey Anastasio of Phish will join the Dead’s so-called core four — the bassist Phil Lesh, the guitarist Bob Weir, the drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann — along with Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti on keys.)

“This is my worst nightmare come true,” one fan wrote on the band’s website when the shows were announced. “We can send our favorite music off with a Phish covers the Dead show. What could be better?” Another chimed in, “Adding Trey to the mix is just going to bring in a bunch of Phish fans (no offense guys) that just don’t get us Deadheads.”

Sometimes the organizers listened to the peanut gallery: After demand for the Chicago shows proved insatiable, the Dead added two earlier shows at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., which, by all accounts, went smoothly last weekend.

But there was never a chance of pleasing everyone. “I got to drink the finest wine,” Mr. Mande said of his experiences with the Dead at its peak, or his version of it. “Now to drink a glass of Thunderbird because it has the same label on it? I’d rather maintain that old taste in my mouth than pretend that this is anything like it.”

Whether or not the band’s ceremonious exit represents a cheapening of the brand, it has certainly been heavily marketed. In addition to the many ways to watch the shows — which Mr. Shapiro, the promoter, has framed as fan inclusiveness — there are product tie-ins and promotions with the likes of Airbnb (a beneficiary of the surge of Deadheads descending on Chicago) and Under Armour, which has sold out of its dancing-bear Dead T-shirts.