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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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  • Oxford 88
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    Old battle rages on
    The debate regarding official releases vs. bootlegs has been going on forever; only the playing field has changed. Gone are the days when 10 of us would hunker down with boxes of cassettes and tape decks daisy-chained together to record WHRB's Dead Marathons. For any New Englander in the late 70's, early 80's, your tape collection had more than a few of these shows for sure. It was hard to build a collection; building a relationship with other traders, dubbing in real time, adding killer Philler-actually that was a very fun part of trading, mailing boxes back and forth and the cost. Imagine paying (without inflation) $3.00 for one 80 minute CD-R or over $6.00 for 1 gigabyte of storage on a hard drive. I had over 500 cassettes of live Dead. Many of these sounded awful, but I loved them all. The opening of the Betty storage locker hit like a sonic tsunami with great performances captured in crystal clear recordings (leading to the rise of Cornell 77 to instant "GREATEST!" status) Being a taper was even harder. Buying and schlepping equipment, hassling with security, finding a sweet spot, remembering to flip the tape. Not to mention the people begging for a copy. We owe everything we have today to the traders and tapers who built the infinite audio history we have at our disposal. If this did not occur, would we even be having this conversation? The tape trading world created the hunger for official releases, not the other way around. As I sit here with the majority of official releases over my shoulder and a few TB of gathered shows to my right, I once again consider some of the classic questions: Are the sharing sites, still so vibrant, illegal in posting soundboards? Does the highly professional work of Charlie Miller or Hunter Seamons exceed the quality of shows officially recordings? Who cares? Goodness, gracious, sakes alive! (Sorry, I just finished reading a John Wooden biography) We really do have it all at this point. Consistent official releases with top quality sound and packaging, access to streaming and torrent sites. Internet speeds that enable us to pull in a 3.5 hour show in about 7 minutes (back in the stone age of DSL, it would take a couple of days). Should we be continuing to trade soundboards online? I believe that if the band wanted to shut down the more blatant sites, they would. As these sites quietly operate in the quiet corners of the www, I am guessing it is not worth the bother. The Archive decision made a statement, but it was by no means the end of the game. Some of my longtime fellow travelers have never spent a dime on an official release, others are avid collectors, awaiting each new release with great anticipation. I am pretty much down the middle. I spend more on the official releases than I should, I have way too many shows on my hard drive. I have stacks of shows that I haven't even listened to (just like I did in the cassette days). I look at the limited release scenario as similar to going to shows. Most of us didn't get in every night, yet we still enjoyed the music. Trading is still alive and well. If you have any questions or want to get involved just let me know. There were many, many people who took great care of me and this is one part of the Dead spirit that I am very happy to keep alive. Shoot me a PM
  • maestro63
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    Not sure about digital
    Not seeing the value. Same price but no packaging or buy the box make your own mp3s and have both. Digital shouldn't be more than 150.00 and that would be all profit
  • deadegad
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    Yup. God bless the tapers!
    The tapers. . ... There should be a memorial for the tapers. . .. Their names etched in granite. The SBD & Matix makers should be on it too. Thank you all for your work and kindness.
  • yetibike
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    I sent you a PM.
    Oxford 88...I sent you a PM.
  • Born Cross Eye…
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    Extra copy of Dave's Picks 14
    12758 STILL SEALED$32 I'm just trying to recoup my total cost. Sorry, no international sale. P/M me if interested.
  • TheDude77
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    Most for free
    Yes..you can get most of this box for free, and in better quality then what archive.org has, but some of these shows will be upgrades..like 1972. Also, 1966 and 1970 will probably be more complete then what is out there. I ended up buying the box. Don't really care about the 80s or 90s, but I'm not going to pay for all the single 1960s and 1970s shows on ebay. People are going to sell a lot of these shows, but not a lot are going to pop-up on ebay from those two decades.
  • mbarilla
    Joined:
    Tomorrow is a Long Time - Dylan and The Dead
    http://songmango.com/footage-bob-dylan-and-the-dead-the-other-show/ Jerry on the pedal steel - fast forward the video to hour - 1:55:00 "I can't see my reflection in the waters...
  • KYTrips
    Joined:
    Mr. Dc
    I think you're missing the entire point of my posts. Someone on here inferred that the GD and Rhino were "playing games" and that they should make all the music available and for a fair price. I am merely pointing out that it is ALL available for free. You don't even have to buy the official releases. I do buy them. But I don't bitch when they don't release a particular show, and I don't complain about pricing. Hell... I think the price for this box, given the sheer volume of good shows is more than fair. Then after you throw in the extras, and the packaging, I'd go so far as to call it a bargain. No one should expect something for nothing, but with the archives the Dead give you almost everything for nothing.
  • PT Barnum
    Joined:
    love me some bootleg
    without these, most of us wouldn't know how fantastic this band is. Illegal to download SBD's? What? Been doing it for 20 yrs, now all of a sudden it's illegal? Just kidding folks. This is old discussion territory, we all hashed this out long ago. Personally, I'll take a good bootleg as you call it over some of that overpolished factory released stuff that has been put out. Thought the fall of 88 was a bit stronger than the spring or summer and 95, my fav is the Memphis show, also the Birmingham shows are top notch, early spring tour 95 beats any summer tour shows. Concur ie 1980 pick, good show, outstanding terrapin on that night, but the next night, Gainesville, was the show of that little deep south tour, hell, they went there for the Gators homecoming dance. Entire school dosed for 3 days, gators lost the game in a big way, but the Grateful Dead put on a great dance concert that night that is still being talked about in the halls of that university. I have heard that there is no tape of this show in the vault, of course there isn't, I'm sure one of those deadhead frat boys lifted that right after the show. :) Ok, whoever got it, please give it back. It's been 20 yrs since we lost Jerry, sad kinda that some can actually say that he was not the center of this band.
  • Zuckfun
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    The Archive
    The big difference to me, between the Archive and the Official Releases, is sound quality. Plus the beautiful packaging, liner notes and artwork. But to dismiss the shows on the Archive as just bootlegs seems inaccurate. Many copies of the shows on the Archive are leaked recordings from the Vault, beautifully remastered and sound pretty brilliant. That's not to say anything on the Archive achieves the level of quality like the Releases. But if you grew up on mediocre sounding multi-generational cassette tapes, the quality of many recordings on the Archive is nothing short of fantastic.
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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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15 years 8 months
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I hope there isn't going to be too many people regretting not buying. I want to see the inside of this box, how the CD's are packed and pictures of the book really bad.
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12 years 10 months
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Gearing up some shows waiting for this box...daves 8, dicks 13, and dicks 32 which are shows all around shows in "Boxzilla"... just passing the time!....
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17 years 3 months
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....I believe that the discs will be presented ala DaP with a hard foam laser cut "case" with slots ala a firearm case or something to hold a collection of Toy Story dolls ala Toy Story 2. Or they might be presented with a May '77 setup. Who knows? No Road Trips please!!....
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17 years 3 months
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They have been going fast this week end. Should be sold out tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. I guess we will not see the inside of the box until the postman delivers it in 3 weeks. Can't wait. Rock on
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17 years 3 months
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Don't skip 7-28-82. A fantastic show, not officially released but great nonetheless. A fantastic TLEO. A top choice for release if you asked me. Funny, I haven't really latched on the other Red Rocks '82 shows yet, but this one has always been a favorite since I've been listening on tapes. Gotta get to those other ones myself just to hear if they capture the magic...
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14 years 10 months
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220 left - the 200 I ordered I've cancelled as didn't think I'd make enough profit back... Just kidding....but I might have a spare (through mis-ordering) taking offers over $1500 in 6 months lol Now where's the goddamn pictures of the inside!!
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13 years 4 months
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Our friend from Tennessee doesn't need me to defend him, BUT I'll say there is a place in that one for Jerry to soar. It's in the instrumental bridge part, where he often starts off with a carnival theme and often ends somewhere I could not have predicted. Not all of them achieve lift off, but many of them do. The repetition of the verse licks can be a little tedious if you're not in the mood for it. But that song would be far from making my list of "wish they never wrote it". That honor would go to LLR for me, at least in terms of songs from early on.
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12 years 9 months
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17 days until the ELEPHANTINE box ships.
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13 years 8 months
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I would agree that LLR can often be, um, pedestrian. But, I still remember being in the car as a teenager in 1979 sometime hearing that tune for the first time on a tape when my brother mentioned "doesn't Jerry's playing there sound just like rain pitter pattering deliciously over your mind?" Wish I could remember what tape it was. A Tempe tape, maybe. Anyway, since then I've heard a few versions where they blow the roof off bringing that tune to its end. Now, El Paso - maybe some of those early ones could get creative, but it never did much for any of the shows I was at. I would put it on my list before LLR. Did someone already put Day Job on the list??
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17 years 3 months
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It is only a few hours now until "Sold Out" gets posted Rock on
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14 years 11 months
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10
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12 years 1 month
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Get 'em while their hot!!!!
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9 years 3 months
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4
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9 years 3 months
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3
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15 years 8 months
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2
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12 years 10 months
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2
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9 years 6 months
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Slight change of subject from the countdown... I have deadbase 50 and have been wasting lots of time with it. I looked up the Fillmore 1966.07.03 show from this box and on Deadbase XI it has a setlist that matches a copy of this show that I have (I only have the first half). The additions to the Setlist on the deadbase 50 section changes "He was a Friend of Mine" to "Just a Hand to Hold." The copy of the show I have looks like only the first disc, so I'm missing the end of the show... however, it does have "he was a friend of mine" although, it almost sounds like it was from a different show... there is dead space at the end of the track and the sound quality of this song doesn't match the rest. Does anyone else have a copy of this show and have the same experience? Also, what is "just a hand to hold..." Never heard it. just killing time waiting for the big box...
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9 years
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I am thrilled I got my box set , wish my father were still with us to enjoy it, he took me to my 1st dead show at 10. What a long strange trip it's been
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12 years 3 months
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Finally. At least now those that can't afford it can lose the temptation. I am relieved
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12 years 9 months
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Okay let's start shipping!!!!
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I couldn't agree with you more. I feel relief that it's finally sold out. I have known since the day it was announced I would not be able to get it and now I can finally stop scheming and dreaming of ways to make it happen. Should I just open up a credit card my wife doesn't know about and get it? Is this worth getting a divorce over? Ha! Congrats to all those that will have this treasure trove coming their way in mere days! Enjoy! I will get the 4 Disc compilation and be happy to have it.
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12 years 9 months
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Already on eBay, COMPLETE box for $1,195.00, FREE shipping, 10 watching per hour, it doesn't take long, does it?
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9 years 6 months
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I'm getting worried that my order accidentally got canceled... Just paranoia...
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13 years 10 months
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Same thing here Dusty.rambler. I went through and double checked my order when there was about 10 left.
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9 years 3 months
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How about a little more info on the box, if we can't get any pictures? Who did the artwork? Are all the CD covers by the same artist? Are they digipacks, sleeves, those DVD sized things from the 1977 box or something new and even more difficult to be put a shelf with the other CDs? Is the box number going to be on the single? What is the "box" constructed with? Does it really contain a scale version of the cardboard cut out that was inducted into the R&R Hall of fame? Does it ship on the 18th or is that the day it is scheduled to arrive?
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I think it would be really cool if the artwork for each show was a reproduction of the poster or flyer for each event. I've done this for my catalog of shows and always think that the artwork of the show helps me feel the vibe for the show better. New original art would be cool, but as this box documents the Dead's journey through time, I think artwork from the time of the show would be cool.
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17 years 3 months
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I wouldn't be surprised to see these (complete sets, not broken up) going upwards of $2000 or even more in second hand markets after they start shipping. An investors wet dream if you are one of "those" types of people, and with lots 'o money. Myself, it's all about the music and my personal enjoyment of listening to it, which to me is priceless with no monetary value. I see investors and salesmen as those with no real emotional attachment to the product. Just the money they can squeeze out of it...not that there's anything wrong with that.
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9 years 3 months
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Yes that would be cool to have the actual poster art as part of the cover. The later tours didn't have many show specific posters, but they always had a nice tour poster with contemporary poster artists that were worth grabbing.
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9 years 3 months
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I guess having bought one I'm an investor, so with that in mind I hope many people sell individual shows from their boxes, for insane amounts of money.This will make my still complete set a better investment, that pays dividends every time I look at, play with or listen to it's contents. I wonder if it'll fit in my safe deposit box?

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10 years 4 months
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Nice Seinfeld drop at the end!
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9 years 6 months
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They didn't "have a few more left" this time (like DaP 15). I'm imaging if orders are canceled they will not offer them back for sale until everyone who ordered got one. This would give them spares for damaged products or dropped orders from their site crash when this thing first went up.
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17 years 3 months
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speechless and grateful. faith in the human race restored... email box full, and one amazing friend on the eastern seaboard. it's why my musical life revolves around this band alone.
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17 years 3 months
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....looks like Rhino's abacus was calibrated just right.... ....congrats Brian. I thought I saw your finger up in this Internet parking lot....you deserve it....
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17 years 3 months
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....just checked mine. Says backordered but not cancelled, so I think I'm good. Dead.net has not failed me yet....(crossing fingers and toes. Ouch.)
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13 years 3 months
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That question went unanswered..(at least when I asked it). I'm curious too, it can make the difference between something cool and something really special.
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9 years 6 months
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I really like the art work from May 77' and from Spring 90 Too, however those were 5 and 8 shows respectively. The art for this 30 year box will hopefully be more diverse. I think both of the previously mentioned boxes really fit the time... How are they going to capture art from a 30 year span. This mystery makes me giddy just thinking about it, and now that we are so close to delivery, I say DONT give us a preview of the art. I can wait 3 weeks for a surprise!
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15 years 8 months
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Was on main page and clicked the link to boxset and got everything on this page except the comments - waz up wit dat? Before this page goes away I am interested in a show by show discussion that someone mentioned earlier. Is this something Mary can pass on to the webmasters? I am planning to in sequential order from the start. Now that it's sold out, break out the videos discussing the shows please!!! Dave vs Wild! With special guest appearance by Bear Grylls showing Dave how to ride a whale with just a few of his bumperstickers and a 50th totebag.
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9 years 6 months
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I brought this up a while ago and saw some interest. Would live to see that here or created elsewhere. I think it would be cool if 30 threads were available at all times so anyone could discuss the show they were listening to. I looked into creating a free forum and it's possible, but I don't have the time right now to invest (planning my wedding). If dead.net can't create this for us, can someone else take the lead here and find the right forum? Steve-something.tv was mentioned. I checked it out and was unimpressed as any topic can be created so it would be hard to find the various threads, but I'll go where the discussion is.
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12 years 9 months
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Now that GARGANTUA has finally...SOLD OUT, will TPTB at least think about releasing each show individually, a la, E72 TCR, or is the consensus here on this forum is that's not going to happen? And while I'm at it why not a "sneak" peak at what's inside, inquiring minds (at least mine) would like to know what my $699.98+ TAX gets me.
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17 years 3 months
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It seems the message board part is tied to the BOX SET.Because it's sold out, when you click the main page link, it brings you to the USB purchase page. No msg board. So go to store>Music. Click 30 trips box set. here you are.
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9 years 6 months
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Thanks Wilfred. This section was recommended a while back, but the page wasn't working. I'd gladly use this space if it is operational!
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15 years 5 months
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Now that it's sold out maybe they can start shipping it tomorrow? I can't believe there's still people that don't know what on this...it's 30 shows complete and they're 1 show from each year...they have the show and track list...let's put this way you'll be busy for at least a year listening to the 30 shows on top of the shows you have already...I assume 99% of the people who get Dave's picks got this one too...i'm kind of uneasy about the price but who can say it's cool I can pay 700$ with no problem it won't set me back much...a few lawyers and doctors maybe...but i'll be entertained for at least a year so it's worth it I guess...worth it where I couldn't pass it by either.
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17 years 3 months
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It works, I check it every day. And, I think I'm the one that recommended it. Great reads, and you'll find mvp's everywhere (most valuable posters: e.g. 'hockey john') Good luck with your wedding planning. So glad I eloped!
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