UPDATE: Soft Opening Off; Dead Archive to Open June 29

Contrary to an announcement Thursday, the Grateful Dead archive at UCSC won't open Sunday.

Santa Cruz attorney Enda Brennan announced a "soft opening" of the archive in front of a few hundred people at the Grateful Dead Meet-up movie at the Regal Cinema 9 Thursday, but the University Friday said it would not happen.

"It may have been talked about at one point, but it's not going to happen," said UCSC spokesman Jim Burns. "We don't want a lot of people showing up to see it because it won't be open."

Brennan said he was told about that soft opening, but the University must have shifted plans.

"The reason I made the announcement is that I know the archive will be open when the library opens, but I think the University has its own reason for not putting the information out. My information is not as current."

He said he made the announcement hoping to let "interested and respectful" fans get a look at it. "I still think it's going to be open," said Brennan, a defense attorney and former concert promoter.

Burns said it absolutely won't be and didn't want disappointed crowds to think it was. He said librarians were worried about crowds showing up when there would be nothing for them to see.

"If I could speculate, the library has considered a number of options for this and that may have been talked about at one point," said Burns.

He talked to the library staff Friday morning and they confirmed a June 29 opening, although details for what will happen still aren't worked out. Even that date wasn't set for sure until he talked to them, he said.

Things have always been somewhat less than organized around this legendary California band that started as the musicians who made the soundtracks for people experimenting with LSD.

"It's like herding cats," former band publicist Dennis McNally used to say about setting plans around the band.

There is a party at the library for donors to the archive Saturday night that will feature lyricist John Perry Barlow and Garcia's former wife, Carolyn, who is also known as "Mountain Girl."

The University library threw an earlier gala for supporters in