Shakedown street is the area of a Jam Band parking lot where the vending takes place. It is named after the Grateful Dead song of the same name and has been popular since the early 1980s.
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In the Deadhead community, and other like-minded musical scenes, an interesting tailgating culture evolved. More than just a party for fans, it is a way for the faithful to sell wares which in turn fund their tickets and gas to the next concert in order to spend weeks, months, or even entire tours on the road. Along with the more traditional fare, there is a large selection of vegetarian food such as egg rolls, burritos, pizza, and falafel. Certain illicit foods like hash brownies and "ganja gooballs" are also often found among the foods in the parking lots. Other products available for the tailgaters include handmade jewellery, bumper stickers, t-shirts, or drug paraphernalia.
Within the Shakedown Street culture, a common set of slang terms evolved for things related to both the selling of wares and also the drug culture that has become closely associated with that particular area of the parking lots.