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    "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

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  • DJMac520
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    "Also, nearly half the songs on "Built to Last" were Brent's."
    Fairly well documented that was a function of Garcia and Weir (lesser degree Lesh since he was a sporadic songwriter) not having songs ready for recording when faced with an impending contractual obligation to get a studio album out. It is not about Brent's overconfidence.
  • SPACEBROTHER
    Joined:
    Well said mustin321
    The level of hatred, negativity and self-entitlement displayed in the posts over the last day or so by a small faction here does not diminish the awesomeness of this box. I applaud Dave and company for 30 Trips!
  • DJMac520
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    Mr. Jack Straw
    Nice point on Blow Away! :)
  • DJMac520
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    Vince
    I thought "Way to Go Home" was a very good song and a much better fit lyrically, musically and thematically with the Grateful Dead than most Brent songs which were virtually all "relationship" songs. (I love Blow Away but it has more to do with the Garcia parts live than the lyrics). The problem with WTGH was the abject overkill due to being forced into sets nearly every other or every third show for 3 years. Also placement. It killed pre-drum momentum almost every time it was played. I think it worked much better as a creep out of space (I think there may have been a few of these but not enough) before a "Wheel" or "Watchtower" or "Last Time" or even toward the end of the first set (though not a closer). Having said all of that, Jerry had a nice compact solo in the song that he hit fairly consistently even when things went to shit late in the game as a result of his health, his equipment and his desire to turn himself down in the mix. As for "Samba," it is a truly putrid song that was too complicated and loose for where Jerry was at the time and it had almost no identifiable upside to it. But if we are being honest here, the worst part of that song was the lyrics which were Velveeta beyond anything this side of the Midnites' "(I Want To) Live in America." Let's just say that wasn't Robert Hunter's finest hour.
  • JimInMD
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    Re: Pictures
    All I can find is a draft production run: http://www.mulliganshollow.com/2015/03/dive-in-saturday-321-2015-featur… "The Mother of All Boxes" I think it still needs some work. (alright, I'm totally kidding.. but BoxZilla is kinda catchy)
  • jpreston
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    Pictures
    Come on dead.net get some pictures out of what this thing looks like who knows might even get more sells
  • hbob1995
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    Sales
    We are now 10 days out from the announcement of the 30 Trips box. After the first day's craziness, things have certainly slowed down here. Comments are now only trickling in. Perhaps it is because now we have to sit and wait for 3+ months? Lots of folks complained that this thing was limited to 6,500 but it appears that number was on target. So those of you who criticized Rhino should now fess up and give them some credit for getting it right. Apparently they do know a little bit more about the business of selling music then you thought they did! Lol. I do think this box will sell out. It may take another month or two but they will be all sold before they start to ship on 9/18. I do not think there will be any other box sales until these are gone. Just my opinion. Rhino wants no physical inventory, so if you are not going to shell out the coins for this one, you will have to be patient until the Autumn at least. I myself cannot wait to get my hands on this puppy. It is expensive, but fairly priced and worth every penny. While I would have loved to get to Chicago or Santa Clara, I will be more then happy to spend my money here. I will have this music for many, many years. (Hopefully!) Rock on
  • DogOnIt
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    AVAILABLE VERSIONS OF THE BOX
    I think this is a fabulous project and, at least right now, don't plan to spend the money on it. The price is VERY fair and not at all a cash grab; Dave was quoted recently that they were just about breaking even on this. Even though it is a great value, it is still a lot of money to justify even if you could afford it. My limited disappointment comes from knowing that we won't see another box this year, or at least until late in the year (after this sells out). TPTB won't want to compete with themselves, and until this is sold out in physical form, any new release (except DaPs) will be on hold. I was hoping for May '77 TOO or some others (complete Winterland Oct '74, Feb '71, Fillmore April '71, Alaska '80, June 9/10 '73, MSG March '81 - a good pair of shows). Alas we will wait as there is other good stuff out there. I did try to find a decent copy of each show online and it can be done, although several shows are only partials or contain several tape flips and cuts. I hope the final product is more complete and that they would have found another show from that year if they didn't have a complete copy. Using the past as a look into the future, I would hope to see individual shows released as downloads. They clearly stated that these shows would never be available on CD again. That leaves them the opportunity to release downloads. I hope that they will make these available as individual shows (like DP or E '72) and not like the Road Trips which are only available as the full series. For the meantime, I am going through my collection and listening to a show from each year, either as a release by the band, or from a download site. It is interesting to hear the progression across the years ... 30 trips indeed ... Thanks Dave and all others involved in this fitting tribute.
  • Ridin that Train
    Joined:
    I Will Take You Home
    That is by far my favorite Brent tune and really the only one I even like but I love it. I have a 9 year old daughter and I tear up EVERY time I hear it. every time. It is so sweet and poignant. My daughter knows when that song comes on that I am going to cry and she laughs about it. My wife also loves the song and she is NOT a deadhead although she has probably listened to more of their music over the years because of me than a lot of people ever will. Bottom line for me, I love the 68 to 78 period, that is my favorite by far but sometimes I like a hot 80's show and Brent does a fantastic job in my opinion. I don't like his voice, sounds like Michael McDonald to me and doesn't really fit with the rest of the band. He could be quite good on backing vocals at times though and I really think he was a great musician in his own right.
  • DogStar
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    Keyboardist Summary
    Pigpen..charismatic frontman-bluesmanKeith..talented jazzmeister Brent..soulful vocalist and player Vince...Wore on occasion cool shirts and ahhh...Hmm
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"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

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10 years 7 months
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Can someone please tell me why in gods name Phil is singing lead vocals??? Why won't they let trey sing? This was my biggest fear....
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12 years 1 month
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That was the most subdued dark star I've heard, have only heard pre-95 before but that was weak
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17 years 4 months
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....going with Trey. He's getting it done!! Impressive.
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17 years 3 months
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Just FYI, Jeffeis' comment was made less than halfway thru DS. They made a pause and launched into a nice jam followed by the second verse and then a segue into St. Stephen
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12 years 1 month
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Man I don't want to be a downer and I truly appreciate this last hurrah, very positive show but let's face it when its dark star into st stephen just to keep pace, the vista cruiser has long been retired. So many beyond description performances by this band, this show is a great reminder / remembrance, guess I'll leave it at that - and that too is truly special, dont mean to diminish but this bands legacy casts an impossible shadow...
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15 years 2 months
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...space -> What's Become of The Baby
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17 years 3 months
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...The other one followed by Morning Dew
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17 years 4 months
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....at the stroke of midnight. Bravo!!
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17 years 3 months
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Thank you and GOOD night!
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15 years 2 months
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Truckin>UJB>Alligator>Cumberland>born cross eyed>Cream puff war>viola lee blues Set 2 Crypt>dark star>st Stephen>the eleven> Love light>drums>space> what's become of the baby> Space>the other ones>morning dew> Casey jones... And this isn't part of the package for sale because?!
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11 years 3 months
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I still need to hear the show,, hopefully Sirius has it going today,, Anybody have any favorite highlights ? The pictures on Instagram from Santa Clara looked pretty cool and hopefully all had a mighty fine time. Tonight the Sunday show could be pretty heavy on tunes from 1971-1972.. And some from 1970, like Dark Hollow I'm thinking tonight will be songs like Greatest Story Ever Told Jack Straw Black Throated Wind And for Sure has to Have a crunchy - Not Fade Away > GDTRFB > NFA - as part of big second jam EDIT : Check out the pics of the massive Rainbow hanging over the Levi Stadium,, Captain Trips was definitely somewhere over the rainbow
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10 years 10 months
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Last night was listening to a FOB 08/06/1971 - great, great energy... has this ever had an official release? Phil singing huh? he could be rough on his best day, back when... i prefer the music from the past, and NOT just for the Dead, really doesn't matter, for me it is like an athlete - at some point you just aren't as good, I think anyway - like being on the seniors tour? I get AARP stuff so i am there too :)
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17 years 5 months
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Per deaddisc.com: Aug 6, 1971 1 live song Fallout From The Phil Zone, Grateful Dead, 1997 Aug 6, 1971 5 live songs Road Trips: Vol 1, No 3: Summer 1971, Bonus CD, Grateful Dead, 2008 Aug 6, 1971 7 live songs Dick's Picks, Vol. 35, Grateful Dead, 2005 P.S. re: The Dead show, I stayed up late enough to learn about the opener. So glad folks had fun! Have a grate summer all.
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11 years 3 months
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go down the road about a week later,, Berkeley Community Theater August 14-15, 1971. Very nice and similar to the two nights at the Hollywood Palladium.
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14 years 4 months
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I should have just guessed Loser instead of Feel Like a Stranger. lol
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9 years 7 months
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I watched it in my living room so not quite the concert experience but man how often do we get to see the guys play some true "live/dead" era stuff--definitely not what I was expecting but really a fun time! Early 70s theme tonight?? American beauty/workingmans dead? Can't wait to see. To all the people complaining, please remember that it's not 1977 anymore. These guys are in their 70s and still rocking out. Open your mind a little and be grateful for what we have. Have fun to all the folks going/watching/listening tonight!
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17 years 5 months
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Great analogy - Tiger Woods comes to mind.
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11 years 3 months
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Any guesses on tonights opener and closer? I had a good feeling Casey Jones would close a set last night and sure enough it was the encore. Somebody posted they opened with a Smokestack tease. I thought for sure it would be Truckin' then a Smokestack.. Any guesses for tonight set openers and closers.. I think tonight will close with Brokedown Palace.. Opener is a tough call,, I would say Promised Land for opener but I think they wanna open with a longer barn burner,, So most likely Dancin in the Streets as tonight opener
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15 years 3 months
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Good Times at 6:00. Boy was I way off. That was one killer setlist.
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9 years 5 months
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What an interesting experience, my first live stream and it went well even though it was a laptop on wifi with some PC speakers. Total lack of preshow banter and the set break was like a screensaver that got beat quickly, I would have preferred the soundboard camera shot like they had before the show began. Yes, I'm a picky Deadhead, but this was okay, which is one of my higher post Jerry ratings ;) The fact I can take the webcast on tour to visit friends and rewatch with them through July makes it even more appealing and I'm seriously thinking about going for the Chicago webcasts and taking them on the road in July to visit some old tour buddies. Going to be hard to beat that setlist though, even if they keep up the chronological theme, it's all downhill from here as far as my tastes go. That's what keeps me from pulling the trigger on the Chicago ones, it's going to be hard to match Live Dead AND What's Become of the Baby.
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Great set list, but they really could have rehearsed more. The whole Live Dead segment was shakey, and I thought they didn't really get it together until Morning Dew and Casey Jones.The drummers were solid, keyboards were low-key all night; Phil, Bob and Trey appeared lost at times. Hope things improve tonight.
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15 years 6 months
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Cream Puff War was the best tune of the night! Phil needs to turn more vocals over to Trey. My one takeaway from last night would be to shorten the jams-they were too aimless and none seemed to really go anywhere. No need to jam for the sake of jamming.
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12 years
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The band sounds good!!! Some nice footage on youtube
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16 years 1 month
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Sounded like practice to me.
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13 years 9 months
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A little shakey on this online streaming business...Have the House to myself and would like to see the show. What is the easiest way and How?? I have an ipad, a BLU RAY and one Desktop computer. Would like to watch on the big TV though.Any Possibilities here?? I appreciate the Help!!
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17 years 4 months
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....purchased the first Santa Clara show through youtube. How can I replay it?
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Vguy- I have been unable to replay on Youtube, either. It just says the live broadcast is over with a frowny face. Kevinbrandon- based on the three devices you mention, your desktop computer is the best option. Note: by ordering on youtube, you can only watch on the device with which you place the order. You have to have a youtube account or google account. After purchasing, you will get an email confirmation with a hotlink in the email to access the broadcast. Depending on what audio and video outputs your computer has, you can pipe the audio to a big audio system and the video to a larger screen. The webcast is in stereo, the video is HD 720p. Hope this helps.
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14 years 11 months
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Some of you may be interested in the 1st night results. Truckin' was correctly guessed by 5 people: TheeAmazingAce333, WhenInRome, Wadeocu, Strider88 and Mbarilla. The last two folks both sent in their entries right at 6:00. The first one to show up in my inbox was....(cue dramatic music, cut to commercial). OK, we're back. The first one to show up in my inbox was....(drumroll)...Strider88! Come on down! (Actually, just send me a PM with your address so I can ship your prize) Congrats! I'll use the same entries for tonight's opener. Good luck to all!
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17 years 4 months
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....one time only. Figured it out....oh well. Guess I could always buy it later. Probably not though....
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For those who may be curious, here's how the guesses went: 6 entries: Feel Like A Stranger, Promised Land, The Music Never Stopped 5 entries: Golden Road, Jack Straw, Truckin' 4 entries: Bertha, Hell In A Bucket 3 entries: Help On The Way, Here Comes Sunshine, Viola Lee Blues 2 entries: Playin' In The Band, Shakedown Street 1 entry: Box Of Rain, Cassidy, Caution, Cold Rain And Snow, Dancin' In The Streets, Estimated Prophet, Gimme Some Lovin', GM Little Schoolgirl, Half-Step, Iko Iko, Early Morning Rain, Let The Good Times Roll, Minglewood, Not Fade Away, Saturday Night, Passenger, Sugar Magnolia, Wheel, Uncle John's Band. And a special gold star to whoever mentioned "What's Become of the Baby" - never thought I'd hear that one played! Cheers!
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And Phil can't sing. The whole first set was a struggle. Interesting that the whole show was tunes from 1970 and prior. Will all the setlists be such segmented time slices? Will they repeat anything between cities? Phil's only strong vocals were on Whats become of the baby. Trey Can't Sing the Blues, but OH MAN he sure came through in the second set!! I streamed it, and enjoyed all the great camera work on Mickey. Bruce's vox and piano should have been louder, and Trey should only try singing when he feels sincere. so I had mixed feelings. I would have felt ripped off if I had trecked out there and sweated through that weak first set.
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12 years 3 months
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This has probably already been mentioned here but if you buy the stream through MLB then you have 30 days to watch it. YouTube is only 24 hours. http://mlb.mlb.com/concert/dead50/
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10 years 7 months
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Consensus from this board not very positive. I saw one say " could have been worse". I thought it sounded real good and thought the band was solid. I was in atom with some other people so wasn't watching as close as others. Wished Phil would not sing solo and that Hornsby was more prominent but all in all ... It very much exceeded my expectations.
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I CANT STAND ALL THE NAY SAYERS ON HOW THE BAND PLAYED SOUNDED OR ANY THING NEGATIVE !!!! Phil's 70 something and Bob's younger but still a senior citizen thank the Good lord they even played live at all. Not a day goes by that I don't miss Jerry or my Father or both there both gone way , way too young so to all that negativity shut it ,cause I wish to God I could go And see the Boys Just one more time
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9 years 8 months
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I was at the show last night. All I can say is wow! Sure during the first few songs we saw them having problems connect at times... But it just got better and better. I agree with the "Phil needs to sing less" comments but not with the comments that the jams were too long and aimless. You can look at a setlist or watch a webcast... But being there was incredible. Trey fit in very well and did so without just trying to mimic Jerry. His style was still very present... But he was playing the notes that jerry would have played. In the next four shows, these guys are going to get better and better and there will be many faces melted in the process...
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"Home in Missoula,Home in Truckee, Home in Opelousas, Ain't no home for me. Home in old Medora, Home in Wounded Knee, Home in Ogallala, Home I'll never be." Sal Paradise
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17 years 3 months
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I have no doubt that will be true. The so-called "consensus" isn't. I, for one, will be watching tonight. Seventeen minutes 'till showtime!
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12 years 11 months
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Just checking in! watching tonights webcast! Looking forward to it! RIP Chris Squire...a great underrated bassist! He will be missed! Take care folks!
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15 years 2 months
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Did anyone else catch the frustration by bobby and phil for the song perhaps not starting on time, Watch for phil and bobs reaction, around 32:00-33:00 into the first set..maybe it's just me, but interesting nonetheless https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LTUA46DyiIk
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10 years 7 months
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For the love of Christ!!! Let trey sing!!!!! Not even row jimmy??? Cmon
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11 years 3 months
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No condemnation here- just joining the dialogue. Just watched the first set video someone generously posted on youtube. The band was fun, and definitely more dynamic than the bulk of the Dead's shows post '90, but I wasn't inspired by it. It sounded more or less like every other post-Jerry incarnation of the Dead/Further/ whatever. Actually of all the incarnations I've heard, I thought that late Furthur with Kadlicek has been the best, and has risen a bit above the others. Still, although the guys are reasonably tight and musical, the music's lost the subtleties, grandeur, rawness, lyrical density, and unpredictability of the Dead in the 60's, 70s, and parts of the 80s. Also- again, I'm not 'hatin,' as they say- I've always felt Hornsby is too polished and polite for the Dead, though he helped to save their ass when Vince was around. Plus- with two drummers AND two keyboard players, the music's developed this crowded ensemble feel. Trey- he's fine, as guitarists go, but I'm surprised that people are so wowed by him- his playing here doesn't sound particularly distinctive or seem to advance the music. Just the first night, though- maybe a strengthening is in store. Am not saying that no new guitarist could bring some magic back to the band, but so far he hasn't been found for these shows.
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17 years 4 months
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....on purchasing tonight's show. Sorry Phil, but you can't sing. One Hornsby lead last night? Really? Unfortunately, I think it's an ego thing with Lesh. Stick to the bass.....please. Bruce should sing most every Garcia tune, with some Anastasio sprinkled in....no brainer imo....
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15 years 10 months
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Thanks for posting the first set. Loved it!!!
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Your welcome , glad you enjoyed it :-)
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Set One: Feel Like a Stranger > Brown-Eyed Women > Loose Lucy > Loser > Row Jimmy > Alabama Getaway > Black Peter > Hell In A Bucket Set Two: Mississippi Half-Step > Wharf Rat > Eyes of the World > He’s Gone > Drums > Space > I Need A Miracle > Death Have No Mercy How was it from anyone who watched/was there?
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