• 7,852 replies
    admin
    Joined:

    "When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux

    We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.

    The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

    The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

    The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.

    Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.

    (Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)

    ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
    Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.

    *Helpful hints for using your USB:

    Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
    On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
    On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.

    Viewing the digital book:
    You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.

    To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.

    Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
    When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
    PDF
    Text

Comments

sort by
Recent
Reset
  • MinasMorgul
    Joined:
    bliss with Bliss
    I'm going to Bliss' listening party!
  • makersmarc
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    eBay
    Who has a guess on when this shows up on Ebay, and how much? I'm betting Friday at $1400.
  • redemption searcher
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    My physics-deficient brain hurts
    OK-thanks for all the info. Feel much better now having ordered the CD box after all wjonjd's info, since I always want all the goodies like booklets and liner notes, etc., anyway, and especially if they're the same price. For the record, i've certainly noticed the difference between 16 bit CD and crappy mp3s before but appreciate all the other higher end information.
  • WharfratWhitey
    Joined:
    Wow this box is going to be
    Wow this box is going to be cool. The night before the announcement I was grousing up a storm about the underwhelming 50th and now it's overwhelming. Funny stuff this thing called life. Somewhere between SMR book, Billy's book and the Newsweek issue, not, I'm going to have to pull out the compendiums, etc, and do a little research on some of these shows. Peace. I really hope they have the forethought to print up extra individual discs and sets for this show. There's bound to be some issues with the product and at this magnitude the screaming could get very loud. Peace again.
  • Edwin
    Joined:
    High res audio
    wjonjd nailed it. The second link lays out everything you'd ever need to know about high res masters. I will be bookmarking it and sending to anyone who tries to BS me about high res delivery. I would also urge interested people to read Bob Katz's book Mastering Audio (he's a foremost mastering engineer and describes resolution, dither, etc., extremely well.). Also, this might be of interest: http://www.lavryengineering.com/pdfs/lavry-white-paper-the_optimal_samp… Eventually I will buy the complete GD studio albums in high res (88.2), but that's only because the mastering job was stellar (I got to hear Terrapin Station being played into the Plangent system from the master reels. Amazing!), not because the resolution of the files are going to be inherently different from a CD. My noise floor is shot with tinnitus, anyway. 24 bits of dynamic range that I can hear is excruciatingly painful, as to get above the tinnitus, the quietest sounds would have to be around 40db, which puts 24 bit peaks louder than a jet taking off next to me.
  • FennarioXRDS
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    E-mail from Customer service
    Just got the following email from CS. If you haven't heard from them you should probably give them a call. They were very helpful when I called this morning. "Thank you for your recent Grateful Dead "30 Trips Around The Sun" order. The Grateful Dead community’s overwhelming response to this release resulted in some technical issues you may have encountered yesterday. We apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this may have caused. Now, to the good news: we are pleased to inform you that your order was successfully processed. You will receive your confirmation email in the next 24 hours with your order details. Remember to please check your junk or spam folders if you have not received it within that time frame."
  • friscokid77
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    A Possible Solution
    Tried to read a lot of the posts ... couldn't do them all.A couple things I did read: ~ some heads might spend half that much, but not $700.00. ~ some heads not interested in certain years. ~ One guy just wanted the box and book (no music). What if three of you dedicated dudes got together and went in thirds on a box? One guy who just wants the book and box kicks in $100.00, and the other two kick in $300.00 a piece and each get 15 shows (or 40 discs each). That comes to $7.50 a disc (even better than the all ready reasonably priced $8.75 per disc). And then you can fight over the 7" single. ;0) Just sayin'
  • kdoc62
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    more phantom ordres
    Thats another 2 returned to the pool. FYI to all the others that have similar fun time yesterday afternoon. Just called and found out my first two tries which got stuck in confirmation mode actually did go through. Funny though when I called, they wound up canceling the one which I actually did get a confirmation email. I did ask them for them to send me the order number that wasn't canceled which they did. Just check on the order status site and that one is in typical backordered status, the others are canceled. Yea! My guess is that number of available boxes left is actually higher, as duplicate, triplicate etc orders are being canceled.
  • gfink
    Joined:
    MinasMorgul - Practice what you preach
    You can't yell at someone for doing something that you then proceed to do yourself - and still be taken seriously.
  • sfrank115
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    @wjonjd
    Just gotta say, I love you man! - Your post on the Spring Too forum, while it fried my brain, really sent a ripple effect through my listening experience. I think the sound is a bit fuller on the 24/192. But, i'm sure that if I did a blind test of the 24/96 vs. 24/192 - I wouldn't be able to tell the different. But, for some reason, with my Sennheiser 598HD headphones, I was able to tell the different between a 16/44 and a 24/96 version of heart of gold. On the higher one, I felt a tingle in the bottom of my left ear. Maybe its a placebo effect, but I did it on a blind test, and that's what I came up with. I am so excited to hear these shows in 24 bit quality!!!!!!
user picture

Member for

17 years 8 months

"When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux

We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.

The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.

Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.

(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)

ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.

*Helpful hints for using your USB:

Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.

Viewing the digital book:
You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.

To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.

Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
PDF
Text

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 4 months
Permalink

One Box, one USB. May get rid of the box sans the 288 page booklet, for less than face. So stay tuned or in touch come September.
user picture

Member for

13 years
Permalink

Just FYI, my order for the box set processed within a minute just a few minutes ago.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

10 years
Permalink

Thanks bob, based on this I placed my 5th order and it went through. Also I would like to thank the proprietors of this website for turning a joyous moment into a nightmare, rock on.
user picture

Member for

17 years
Permalink

Thanks, everybody, for keeping me entertained. My order (finally) went through without a hitch. Haven't gotten the confirming email but I have a confirmation number.
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

That didn't take long!I would think that if you're asking folks to commit to spending over 700 bucks for a massive box set, you'd give them the shows that are included from the moment that you announced it. It's a no-brainer. It feels like Rhino and Dead Central are always playing catch-up, in regard to all things Grateful Dead. "We'll release the entire Europe '72 tour. There might be enough interest to sell 7,200 copies." And now they are only making 7,500 copies of this set available, for the 50 anniversary of the band? Did they notice that they sold about 300,000 tickets to the Fare Thee Well shows? It boggles the mind....
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

Done and done. Confirmation received. Took less than 30 seconds. Seems to be working now.
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

I predict that this set will be sold out today, tomorrow at the latest. And then the torrent of complaints will start rollin' in...
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

My box set order went through with confirmation number and email. Only one extra order!!! Hmmm... Do I have two box sets?
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

Anybody have an explanation as to why every new comment is numbered #51?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 2 months
Permalink

Two times was the charm. Hooray!
user picture

Member for

15 years 6 months
Permalink

I would love to get this box set, but I'm not sure I can afford it. Really wish they would sell the individual shows. Who knows, it might come to that? At least offer a download too. I don't understand why everything has to be limited now. Tempted to list my entire Dave's Picks collection, plus bonus discs to rally the cash. I never listen to them anyway, which makes me think that I'll probably listen to most of these shows once or twice and then they'll be on the shelf collecting dust. It's funny, the shows I want the most are the 1992, 1993 and 1994 ones. Regardless, the set is going to be epic!!!
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

Anyone who ends up with two box sets I will take one from you with interest.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years 11 months
Permalink

Just place a new order and it went through. Have one, maybe three boxes. I need a homebrew.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 2 months
Permalink

My status classifies it as "backordered" however. Like Kramer and the low-flow shower heads, I'm not sure I like the sounds of that.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

11 years 2 months
Permalink

Got one and received confirmation email. Thanks to all the help I received on this board.
user picture

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I put in an order and it said "processing" for like 45 minutes and then timed out.I re-did it and it went through in a few seconds Rock on
user picture

Member for

12 years 11 months
Permalink

Hey, WTF, you only live once! By the time its released I'll have over 1/2 of it paid off! Looks epic indeed! The 72 Waterbury show has always been on my "wish list".. Looking forward to it!!!!
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Might have three sets though. LOL
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

15 years 4 months
Permalink

1. Backordered is normal designation for pre-order of box sets that will not ship for a few months. 2. FTW ticket sales have zero relationship to demand and purchase of a box set priced this high. By that same logic E72 should have sold 50,000 copies, which it never would. Some people place higher premium on live music experience than collecting recorded archival stuff. Some the opposite. There is no correlation between the two. Prior box sets is the relevant sales control data. They know what they are doing here, even if the technology failed for a few hours today (small price to pay frankly) 3. Don't think for a minute 6500 is 6500. You know damned well that if this box sells out quickly there will be another couple thousand copies, or single shows. And then there is always the downloads. 4. There is no 4.
user picture

Member for

11 years 5 months
Permalink

What a mess. I placed 8 orders in my haste and concern for not getting a box. The wheel just kept turning. My credit card practically incinerated in my hand. Now I got a mess on my hands. Very helpful guy at dead.net though.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

12 years
Permalink

Sweet!! This IS something to be "giddy" about.
user picture

Member for

9 years 6 months
Permalink

Actually, 4 could be like a Choose Your Own Adventure book? If you would like to skip to September and have this box set in your hands, turn to page 142. If you would like to go back to a time when you didn't know this set existed, turn to page 108. If you would like to suddenly have $699.95 deposited in your bank account, turn to page 190.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 9 months
Permalink

I placed a new order a few minutes ago and got a confirmation number. I closed the browser with the order that had been processing for a couple of hours. I hope they get this straightened out and everyone wants wants a set gets one.
user picture

Member for

10 years
Permalink

it appears the website 'crash' has been remedied, and my 3rd attempt has gone through; confirmation email received. Rock on, All!
user picture

Member for

10 years
Permalink

it appears the website 'crash' has been remedied, and my 3rd attempt has gone through; confirmation email received. Rock on, All!
user picture

Member for

10 years
Permalink

Same here. Just received the confirmation e-mail after three failed attempts (got hung up in the order processing stage). I tried once every 45 mins since I received the e-mail this morning. The order status page indicates 'Backordered' but at least I've got my name down on a copy!
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Had an order processing for over three hours. (No lie!)Went back and read the latest posts here, put in an order, and I just got the confirmation email. Thanks everybody. This is one set I wouldn't want to be without.
user picture

Member for

14 years 9 months
Permalink

That's the way we spell "SUCCESS!!" Gave up on my three-hour "processing" message when I saw the messages here, and my subsequent attempt went straight through! Closed the processing window. Never did get the e-mail I was promised--the one where customer service would tell me to try again. Here's the best part--I had to call my wife for her Discover number, since my credit card is expiring between now and the release--GD system said "no!" I told her how much it was going to be before she got her confirmation e-mail (I did it all under her name so as not to screw things up). She was quite surprised, but told me that her momentary questioning of the sanity of the whole thing should not diminish my excitement. This thing is going to ROCK!! Thank you, everyone who played a part in this.
user picture

Member for

15 years 2 months
Permalink

"3. Don't think for a minute 6500 is 6500. You know damned well that if this box sells out quickly there will be another couple thousand copies, or single shows. And then there is always the downloads." DJMac520 - If they do as you say, then Rhino and GD.net are just lying to us all. They've said that they will not sell individual shows. Is that a blatant falsehood as well? Do we take them at their word, or not? I can't recall what they said about the Europe '72 shows. Anybody remember?
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

13 years 7 months
Permalink

I ordered the set and just get a loop of "your order is being processed, please wait"....call customer service and they say, "Just hang on. Itstaking an hour or so to get your order to complete." It's now 3+ hours, I just want to place an order and I can't even do that. I'm not complaining about the cost, I got the email from dead.net today at 2PM Eastern time. I went on line and tried to place an order. I'm a fan of this band, I'm not here to point fingers at who is greedy, and making "all the money", I just want the music. I have to believe that they would want me to be able to buy the music. But after 3 1/2 hours of my order being locked in processing, I get the feeling that there will be no box in my future. Another call to customer service and I'm treated like a fool for waiting. I didn't bitch when I couldn't get the '69 set. I figured I have to be more diligent. I try to stay on top of everything I need to so I have a shot at what's new and happening. But when the customer service folks act like they were trained by security at the Providence Civic Center, "I guess it doesn't matter anyway."
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

This is too big of a box set probly should have been broken down into 8 separate box sets. 700 bucks is too rich for my blood and shows wont be available individually.
user picture

Member for

11 years 5 months
Permalink

I just had to commit when my favorite 1991 show that I went to (my penultimate) appeared! I wanted that show so bad to be a release and now it is! plus 1987. So that's 2/30 I'll take it!
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

Get 'em while they last... site is working. 3:05pm
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

sad thing i could buy one in two weeks, but they'll be sold out then. Oh well wasnt meant to be! The timing was just a little off on this one, wish they gave a just little more warning.
user picture

Member for

14 years
Permalink

Another happy ending here... I think!Placed original order over 2 hrs. ago. After reading the advice on this site, I decided to try again. Received a confirmation notice right away. I hope everyone who wants one of these things is able to get it here. My advise to any that still can't get through right away would be not to panic and try to score a box on eBay, or somewhere like that. It seems that there are quite a few folks on here now that may end up with an additional box (or two) due to the ordering problems. My guess is that these orders will be cancelled, returning a bunch of boxes back to the pool. Thanks to those who posted letting us know that the system was working again. Now to work on the plan to explain this purchase to the lady of the house. Peace
user picture

Member for

11 years 3 months
Permalink

WTF !! Still in processing. And Customer service is practically helpless and clueless. waited 6 months you would think that all systems would be ready after having practically nothing noteworthy for sale for 6 months. And to send out an email to probably over a million people, when there call center is equipped for probably a que of twenty. Poor form. Should have let it sell on the site for at least 36 hours and then send out mass communication to every person with an interest in the music or the folks who prey on these sets to make a buck. I think somebody mentioned it earlier. Some of the calls they are making from all aspects seem goofy. Maybe it's time to close my processing order and see if a new browser can get a confirmation ? Against the recommendation of multiple CS agents and their Supervisor. Seems to have worked for a few others. I am using a debit card, so a second attempt will leave me with no funds until CS would be able to unblock the auth holds, which I do not hold too much faith in having them do that. I would suppose they would tell me to contact my bank if I overdraft, which is actually the response I would expect after the Supervisor told me his shift was ending soon, so he had to go. How convenient because my shift is ending too and I have an order that been processing for 3 hours. Was on the phone for for 2 hours before that and multiple agents. But it's ok guys because he offered me free shipping on an item that has free shipping for pre-orders.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

11 years
Permalink

Like so many others my first attempt at ordering never finished processing.I just tried again and it went right through and I got a confirmation email. I then closed the window that was still processing. I'll just wait and see if I get a second email confirmation but figure I can always cancel a duplicate.
user picture

Member for

17 years 1 month
Permalink

dont cancel your duplicate sell it to me! I'll throw in sealed Dave's Picks too! Hey, a guy can try can't he?!
user picture

Member for

12 years 11 months
Permalink

I agree.. I'd rather have this box set than spend more $$$$ going to Chicago. This set will last a lot longer! My order went through just fine, I hope those who had problems get them resolved..Try up dating your browser maybe? I also agree that with all this down time there shouldnt be any problems with the system! Cmon September!!!!
user picture

Member for

17 years 5 months
Permalink

I had to pay $62 for shipping on the USB set. Seems kind of high but heck, not going to buy something like this very often. I had two runs at purchase this afternoon and both ended with a "processing" time of 10 minutes or so and then a "Temp unavailable" white screen. I come home, get on my CC site and sure enough, two charges are there but I have to confirming email or anything. Just got off the phone with CS and he said that the system was malfunctioning this afternoon and that I did not get my order through. The charges will drop off after a couple days as they are only "authorizations". Better be so.
user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years 4 months
Permalink

I guess being a UK resident, with a wife, teenager, three cats and two goldfish to support, Santa Clara and Chicago were always out of the question. Difficult enough to get my wife to go to the local cinema for the local simulcast of the final show! So bloody expensive or not, the pay off is the box set, so order made, and now the wait. So, getting back to the simulcast, and in the unlikely event of somebody else from Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom reading this, PM me, so at least I might be able to see that last show with a fellow traveller!!
user picture

Member for

10 years 7 months
Permalink

This really is way too blazed, TPTB are out of their gourds. Well anyone interested in trading the 2-22-69 show PM me, I have a lot to trade (DP,DaP,RT,Boxes). I wont be able to purchase this sketchy box....very much to my dismay.
user picture

Member for

11 years 3 months
Permalink

Dang it !! that was damn near exhuasting. Closed the page, which I knew would work, but since CS was very adamant about not doing so, I took their advice. And what bad advice it was. Opened another page and it took the order within about 10 seconds. All while, I write this post my other processing page is still hoping to catch a break and get the job done. After all it did take $755. i transferred some funds to make the second order happen, I just hope tomorrow morning the lady at the bank, which is always commenting on my Grateful Dead t-shirts can sort this out. She even said she was gonna bring in her GD shirt just to prove she was a fan. It will be just me luck if tomorrow is the day she brought it with her.
product sku
081227955892