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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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  • MikeT
    Joined:
    Now I'm stressing.... :)
    So yesterday I was stuck in the computer glitch, and wasn't sure I had an actual order. I called Dead.Net (after a few calls where they couldn't tell me anything), and I was told my original order was "canceled" and I should go ahead and place a new order. I placed a new order and it went through like clockwork. Then last night, after I went to sleep, I received an email from an Edward Watson, that most orders did not go through and I should go ahead and place an order (since their issues were fixed). I saw that email this morning, but since I already placed a good order I didn't think much of it. Just an hour ago, in some online forums people are saying that orders they placed orders while the systems were "stuck" actually went through. I get curious, since I really don't want two $700.00 boxes, and I call Dead.net. I talk to a very nice woman, who seems to confirm that I actually do have two good orders and if I didn't call, I would end up getting two boxes. She gives me the order number for the order I never got a confirmation on (the one that was stuck in process for hours before I "gave up"). It seems to be a good order, so I tell her to go ahead and cancel that order, and make sure I only get one box. She puts me on hold and goes and talks to her supervisor, and then she cancels the order I successfully placed online, for which I got a confirmation email; leaving the one order I never got a confirmation email on (since it was never confirmed and was placed while they were having system issues). I tell her why did you cancel my "good" order, and leave the one order I have no confidence is a good order? She tells me that her supervisor said it didn't matter which order she canceled. So now with boxes selling quickly according to what I was told by the woman on the phone, I supposedly have a good order, but no confirmation that said order is a good order. Why did she cancel the one order I knew was a good order? So I am stressing that somehow they may have a list of all these orders that were supposedly in cancel mode yesterday, that somehow are now "good", like the order she left intact for me, and these orders may get canceled as well (since it was the order I tried to place when the systems went FUBAR). I am actually stressed that in the end I get no box, a box I really want. I was told I would get a confirmation email regarding the order she left in place, but it wasn't a priority right now to get them out. UGH... So I really hope I get a box, or I will be very upset at this entire process. Fingers crossed.
  • reijo29
    Joined:
    5150
    I agree on all your points. And yes to help generate over 5 mil in sales they could have produced a better video. I'm sure the follow up videos will be informative, fun & above all clear. Perhaps Mr. Norman can work his magic & remaster the current DL promo clip?
  • SAMTHARDMAN
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    Joined:
    Minas
    I took the plunge this morning? Yourself? If so, I think we will both need extensive tutoring on how to appreciate the many many discs of the Brent era shows; not to mention the last few. If not for subscription, or this comprehensive box, I would be hard pressed to purchase a show from 78-95 a la carte. There are too many dics in this baby for there not to be lots of great music etched inside. I will be ready to dive in. At some point, I will have to come up for air. God willing, with a smile on my face. Sam T
  • WharfratWhitey
    Joined:
    Every Silver Linings Got A Touch Of Grey
    "but the music is special to me and takes me places." Ditto WH5150. Let's drink to that!
  • WH5150
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    Joined:
    It is a bummer but.......
    The cost is a bummer...... a bummer that while 7 CDs more than Europe '72 it is way more pricey....... a true bummer....... had to really think about it instead of it being an immediate purchase. Though in the end, bit the bullet. took some happy hour drinks to make me do it though. I am bummed it was so pricey and there is a bit of gouging going on. but the music is special to me and takes me places. Do I think that was taken advantage of? yes I do. Do I think I will get my money worth out if it? I guess....... but a bummer they took advantage of our love of the music. Peace Roger PS re-tape the video. Its terrible. Unwatchable. WITF! would any company worth its weight in SPAM post that crappy video. Nope. Its not complicated, if it is too windy tape it indoors. Does this really need spelled out? Apparently
  • mayormarionbarry
    Joined:
    1300 left
    The number of available boxes are going up! Maybe they found more?
  • Dennis
    Joined:
    sound reproduction
    I've watched a lot of talk about mp3/flac/cd/hd cd/vinyl. What I see as a few points. I have a top notch stereo (Conrad Johnson tube preamp, threshold statis amp with Magneplanner MG3 speakers), it does sound great. When I bought it the salesman had several words of advice, first you audio collection had to be worth 4 times your system or you pissed money away. Two if all you listened to was FM radio, don't buy this system. Third you will ONLY hear this quality if you sit quiet in the right spot. If your doing the dishes, cleaning the house working in the yard you will NEVER hear what the system is reproducing. I don't sit in front of my stereo much anymore, in fact its been stored for quite awhile since the speakers need a fair amount of room to work right. Most of my listening is in the car, on my computer speakers or some wireless shit I have in the garage and backyard. They all sound fine and you will NEVER hear the difference in source material in this listening environment. I have some nice computer speakers (Bose Companion 5), they attach via a usb port and sound incredible for 400 bucks. The junk in garage and backyard sound great while working on cars or floating in pool or weeding backyard. The car system is the "best" stock Toyota Avalon system, sounds good enough. I also have cheap computer speakers scatter around the house and have a cheap laptop I use as a jukebox to stream the music off my hard drive of my desktop. So on Saturday night when me and the wife are getting ready to go to dinner, I hook laptop to bathroom computer speakers and let fly. Echo in bathroom, think you'll hear the difference in flac/mp3? I don't. Certainly you can hear difference in mp3 levels, most of my music is 320 levels, audiobooks are 128. I have found with audiobooks if people rip at a 64 rate there is a ringing sound. Music I will not even take for free if its under 128. 128 sounds fine on cheap wireless speakers in pool while hanging with friends. Size considerations,,, mp3 320 is a lot smaller that wav or flac. May not matter to some, (some commented about eating up GB's), well I have 500,000 songs, by over 6,000 artist and almost fill a 5 TERRA BYTE drive. So even if flac sounded better while cutting the grass :-) I can't fit a half a million songs on a reasonable amount of space. And don't forget, you need TWICE the space so you can backup collection. I have a 5TB drive for backups that I only attach to machine while backing up, then it's unplugged to protect it. Plus I have copies stored outside the house. It has taken 15 years to get to this point so I am WELL backed up. Also too I'm gonna be 60 in January and even though I swear I got great hearing (still the only person who can hear a toilet running in the house!!:-) I still gotta believe I have some high end loss. So you really need to ask yourself how and where do I listen to music. And really what do I listen to. I don't think Andy Williams needs a 30,000 dollar system to listen to on, nice though his voice is! The Dead definitely can utilize a great sound system, full range and large sound stage. MP3's are very convenient, I know Neil Young is going around complaining about them, but you also know that man gotta be half deaf from standing in front of crazy horse and sonic youth :-) So I'll stick with my 320 level mp3 and be able to carry 50,000 songs on vacation in a player the size of bic lighter or hell, your cell phone. PS - there are differences in mp3 players, the iPhone doesn't sound as good as the Samsung, for a player I use a Cowan Iaudio, have the same one for years now. My buddy uses his Samsung galaxy phone and blue tooths it into his car, sounded fine that last time I was out with him.
  • Syracuse78
    Joined:
    Wow, I just tried watching
    Wow, I just tried watching David's video. I usually enjoy those and find his enthusiasm infectious. The first thing he says is how he can't control the wind and some folks don't like it in the videos. Well, I watched two minutes and it was so annoying, I decided it wasn't worth it. I am sure he had interesting comments to make, but it was like listening to a phone conversation that keeps cutting out. I am sure that he is right in that the area he likes to shoot these is inherently windy and he can't stop the wind. But perhaps it might make sense to shoot it somewhere slightly less scenic but a lot quieter. Oh well. I've just been skimming some of these posts. Seems like the usual reaction to a big box. I haven't noticed any comments about the video. Have people watched it? Does the wind/sound issue get less annoying? Hey, this is coming off negatively and other than being disappointed about the video, I think this is a cool release. For all those folks who wanted better representation in the latter years, here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is. For all those who wanted some really early stuff, you should be happy too. For all those who like the late '60s - '77 era, there's more of that! For all those who think music should be free, man, well you're out of luck. lol
  • cheyler196
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    Joined:
    filthy
    I agree with your first sentence. Wholeheartedly. Didn't what I wrote seem to communicate even the TINIEST bit of sarcasm? Or was it the word 'fucking' that offended you? Not that I really care, just wondering. Your political affiliations are showing... I'd apologize but my apologies would not, in fact, be genuine. Cool boxed set, and completely apolitical too! Almost anyway. Still want to get 2-9-73 Maples and hear JG stepping all over Wavy Gravy's 'not political' announcement at the start of the second set.
  • kevinbrandon
    Joined:
    Hey Cosmicneil-THE OFFER I CANT REFUSE
    I am inerested in your offer pm me
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17 years 9 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

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Greetings Fellow Deadheads, First, my best wishes to Phil. I am thankful that Phil and the others had the vision and the energy to see through a lifetime trip that impacted so many in a positive way. I don't know what life would be like without knowing or feeling their influence in life. Braveheart...my support goes your way. Reflections after a week... Disclaimer: I've been an avid listener for about 30 years, and really enjoy listening to shows in succession through a run, month, season, year. I love following the progression of the Dead through their arc. They morphed so often in fractal way. Few bands have this trajectory. The Beatles morphed so much between every album, and they put out 2 a year for a while! Its amazing. Miles Davis also morphed (evolved, changed...) frequently. That's what makes listening to those bands so interesting to me. The Dead were of that same cloth, and documented much more. They changed so frequently in amazing ways, each direction pushing into an unknown but bravely pursued. I've listened to a lot of Grateful Dead, and the following impressions are mine and not likely to belong to others but possibly might be shared. We all listen to things differently. I've listened to the shows from 1966-1970 in the Big Box, several times. I gave some reviews on 1966-68 shows, and here is 69-70 and a 66-70 synopsis. Mind you, I find almost every show worthy of listening if not for anything other than interest and connecting dots across other shows (especially the 60's). 1969 show - This is a great show. I love the set list, the quality of the sound, and the energy. This show was a week before the Gold Standard Fillmore West shows, so similar level of tightness and energy. I really enjoy the quirky tunes from this show - the semi-acoustic opening and Doing That Rag (for some reason, I love this song a lot). This show has a lot of peaks and valleys musically, and the Dead know it and ride it. This show is exquisite in sound quality, so you can really enjoy it. I like the variation in the typical progression from this period - the Dark Star->Cryptical is fantastic for example, and really compliments the FW shows. The second set (CD) is truly a masterpiece. The St. Stephen-> 11 is exceptional. There's not an 'Eleven' that I can't say I dislike, but I can't think of one I like better than this. It has a lot interesting lead play with dynamics, and some really funky rhythms. The dual drumming for this show is also exceptional, as it was for 1969 in general. I love the Big Rock Pow Wow shows and the FW shows, and this show measures up. This is a great 1969 show. 1970 show - I love the Dead during this period (first half of 1970). The Morph continues. Country and Western are feeding into their sound now. Some legendary shows from this period (Feb/May FE and Family Dog shows), and it continues with this show. Overall sound and mix quality are very good. Guitars come through very well. Drums sounds great. Phil's bass has a nice bottom end to it. While there were technical on-stage glitches, the band and crowd energy are high. Lots of Bob screaming to pump up the already pumped up crowd. I enjoy the band interplay from these early shows, and with the glitches being worked out plenty of opportunity for mic time for the band. Great China/Rider. They weave the newer Workingman's tunes in very efficiently here. I love the early Candyman, and a very powerful Man's World. Second set is stellar, and they miraculously drop in Dire Wolf between Cryptical and Dancing. The Dancing is full of hot improvisational material. The Lovelight/NFA/Lovelight is excellent...overall a great 70 show that I think ranks up there with the rest of the best from this period. Rank Em: 1966-1970 Hard to do, as they all sound good and capture the band at different stages of morphing through an incredible period of their career. I find almost all shows from this period as typically very good to great, with some being interesting because of circumstance of the band (i.e., Woodstock is a curiosity). So, here's my current order: 1967 & 1969 (tied for first) 1970 1966 1968 I'll report on 71-76 later. Ciao, Tim
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(spoiler alert - just in case you haven't heard this one yet) I rarely state I have a favorite version of any performance but I may have found my favorite version of the Cryptical Envelopment Suite or That's it it the Other One or better put as Cryptical Envelopment > Drums > *****JAM****** > The Other One > Cryptical Envelopment (> Dire Wolf) This whole thing was so beautiful & intense & oddly locked in. Normally when the band is perfectly in sync it because everyone is perfectly out of sync, but this was a (once again) unique Grateful Dead...and they were on fire. It was hard to type all of this with my face melting down on the keyboard. And what an absolutely perfect segue way into Dire Wolf to put an extra little icing on the cake.
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Top notch for the era from what is stated about the sound board. I think Bears notes mention John Chester unique sound board. Check out Dicks Picks 4 notes for details and also the Allman Brothers Band - Fillmore East February 1970 CD notes that was released on GDRecords. I think I read someplace Dick L or Bear mentioned the tapes were Mono and Stereo, which may have been the challenge of getting them out? Bear mentions the two bands briefly crossed passed in Atlanta 1969, but did not hear the ABB play live at the time. Only hearing their studio album in Autumn later that year, so it was a treat and sort of surprise for Bear to see 2 trap sets, similar to the GD when they were billed together in Feb1970 "Glorious Sunday morning" - love that
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ziffle - Incredible posts on the 2/13-14/70 runs. Thanks for all that info, and I always love those first-hand stories. Jim - After Ziffle's contextualization of the shows, here is my attempt to explain why I think they chopped up that run when they released DP4, by contextualizing the release. First, this was released in early 1996, very early in the Vault release experiment - and it WAS an experiment at the time. Dick's Picks 1 was a chopped up 73 show - two discs, DP2 was one (awesome) disc, DP3 saw them chopping up one of the all-time 77 Dead shows (also two discs). So, DP4 was the first three-disc release. More expensive, more risky. At the time in the music biz, A two disc CD set was a big deal, and a three-disc set was nearly unheard of - a "box set." The BIG expensive box sets released in the early to mid-90s were things like Marley's Songs of Freedom, or the Police Message in a Box (ALL their albums and singles, from their whole career, on four discs!!!). This was part of a gradual evolution to bigger releases... first to complete shows (Dick's Picks 5!), then two shows together (DP29), then full runs (Fillmore West 69), and still later to complete tours (Europe 72). Now, it's easy to wish they had figured out earlier that we are willing to cough up tons of money for complete, but this is forgetting yet another factor: We were all much younger then, with far less disposable income. In Feb 1996 I had just finished grad school; I had begun my first full-time college teaching gig only a few weeks earlier. I was living in a shack, putting all my money into ramen noodles and paying down student loans. I would NOT have been able to buy full runs, etc. So, in short, the evolution of bigger boxes and more complete releases coincided with (but was not caused by) the evolution of many of the Deadheads to old farts with some money to spend. Co-evolution baby! It's 27 degrees here in western MA. My wife is making scones, my daughter is making Play-doh people, and I haven't heard much of 30 Trips yet, just hard to with all this other stuff going on. But I will - and life is GOOD. Time for more coffee. Cheers everyone ...
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started on the 95 show, very nice, if you notice, this show and a few others were recorded by John Cutler vs others by Dan Healy, the Cutler shows are recorded much better. 94 show is very good, there seems to be a drop out or digi skip when help on the way goes into slipknot, from track 1 to 2, anybody else got this? 93, right away you notice the sound quality is not as good as 95 and 94, recorded by Healy, but a fine show non the less. 92 Hell in a Bucket on this show and 93 show, not my favorite opener and why 2 in a row? Healy again and Bucket starts off inferior recording, but gets better as the show progresses. 91 great show, 8 man band with Hornsby and Branford, great sound, better Healy recording. 90, another great show, with Bruce and Vince, Bruce really did fit in great with this band. 89, 24 track, recorded by Cutler, this is the shit here, best show of 89. I have stories about this weekend in Miami, but will save those for another post. 88, inferior sound quality again and there are way better 88 shows to pick from, why this one? must be the Touch of Gray. The fall 88 tour was hands down better than the spring or summer tour. 87 and 86, 2 discs, short shows, no big jams, nothing special here and another hell in a bucket. I will say the Terrapin from 86 is pretty sweet. I did not go to Dead shows in 86 or 87, giving Jerry some breathing room after his near brush with death. 85 is a very nice show, there were a lot of good shows in 85, especially on the fall tour. The Cutler shows are all top notch recordings, the Healy shows, not so much. I will be listening to the rest of these 8o's shows today, so far, no real problems with discs or anything, the sleeves are way better than those ones from E72, which ripped if you tried to get the disc out, these are much better, the box is nice but won't last very long, made of cardboard, but is a bit sturdier than E72's box, which is very fragile. Love the book, the stories in it are awesome and the way that half is one side up and the other half is up side down, is this the way everyone's is or is mine just put together wrong? doesn't matter, still all there and quite cool. All in all, a good 11 shows to start off the listening experience, I would have chosen better shows for 85 86 87 and 88, but I don't have access to the vault and the shows I would have picked may be worse recordings than these, who knows? Just my opinions and are subject to discussion. More later, have a great day, freezing here in the mountains this am, gonna be a long long cold winter, good thing I have this box to keep me warm :)
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13 years 10 months
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Actually, when I first posted I listed 5/11/72, and then immediately said "Oh merde!! I better change that to 5/4 before Alain sees!!!!" and quickly changed it. LOL, that's the truth. :):). "Tragedy narrowly averted!"
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17 years 6 months
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I may be cut from the same paisley cloth as Mr. Ziffle. In the early 60s I used to watch Chiller Theater out of N.Y.C. It was hosted by none other than the famous John Zacherley. He would do these great comic interludes during horror movies. Voodoo Island stands out in my mind. Fast forward to WNEW in the late 60s. Cutting edge radio that was thought provoking. I remember a DJ by the name of Roscoe who would read works he had written. Really deep material. As for FM radio in the present day, there are some true free form seat of the pants DJs that can inspire and heal the listeners. The history of Underground Radio really begins with Tom Donahue and KMPX in the Bay Area. Playing complete albums and capturing the spirit of long songs such as Viola Lee Blues or Butterfield Blues Bands song East/West. I believe those pioneers of the mid 60s took great inspiration from classical ragas of India and extended jams of John Coltrane. And going back earlier, dance marathons anyone? But I digress. Certainly Jack Kerouac used spontaneous prose as a form "stretching out". Anyway Ziffle and I must have been at some of the same Dead concerts at the Fillmore East and the Capitol Theater (Port Chester). My fourth row center seat at the Fillmore 9/19/70. Maybe it was Mr. Ziff or one of his buddies who sold it to me on the street before the show for face value. ($5:50) Long live Zacheley! Love and healing to Phil.
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Thanks for the trip down memory lane. During high school I can remember tuning in my old Sony radio to late night radio up and down the East Coast. I lived on a peninsula that jutted out in the Chesapeake Bay and I could tune in all sorts of stations late at night. WNEW stands out as does WBZ in Boston. I remember hearing new albums by the Ultimate Spinach and Beacon Street Union while listening to the "Boss sound of Bosstown on WBZ. Both stations turned me on to lots of great music. Washington, DC had a great station in WHFS, Home Grown Radio, broadcasting from high atop the towers in Bethesda, MD. Great radio back in the day! Some high value headphones you might want to consider... Sennheiser Momentum - Closed back phones in on ear or around ear models - Bass forward phones. Music Direct has some incredible sales on both models Sennheiser HD 558 or 598 - Nice spacious sound - very good for listening to live performances or action movies. Grado - Grado SR 125 - Nice open sound stage that lets you hear a lot of detail. Choose any of the Prestige models and I think you would be happy. Alessandro Series by Grado - You are on the stage with the band with incredible focus on guitars. The MS1 comes in two prices $99 and $109. Can't go wrong with either. Google Alessandro High End to purchase. Grado headphones are handmade in Brooklyn HiFi Man RE400 - In ear phones. Nice for travel and noise isolation. Hard to beat for around $79 The Audeze headphone mentioned earlier are exceptional - just a little out of my price range... Thanks for all the good stuff here!
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9 years 6 months
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be well soon , and thank you Mr Lesh for all the music and the enthusiasm you still invest in keeping the Dead alive.As i`m still waiting on my Boxzilla i roam through my collection of shows , today is Phil time in the Purple Zone......listen to that bass guitar tones an take a ride
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15 years 2 months
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3/18/71 is not listed in Taping Compendium and only second set listed in Deadbase. Is this show fairly new to circulation? Anyone know?
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On 7/3/66 Disc One, in the first few seconds of Dancing In The Streetis there a complete drop out of the right channel only leaving sound on the left channel for a second or two? Just asking to see if I need to ask for a replacement.
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This box is clearly a labor of love and is spectacular!!! The jump between 66 and 67 is a quantum leap that can only be explained by alien intervention, and I am doing my best to go from start to finish to get the sense of their artistic development. My wife knew there was a contest so she (gasp!!!) opened my box set with the kids while I was at work. When I came home my kids ran to tell me they didn't find a prize in the box, so I asked them if they opened the secret complement. It blew their minds when I flipped open the lower flap and then I told them there was a book of spells and pulled out the "leather" bound book with the skeleton imprints and their jaw dropped. They believed me for a second, but then I told them it really wasn't a book of spells, but there was a secret scroll... Oh to be young and full of wonder. But the real reason I'm posting is that my buddy is a urologist as assures my that Mr. Lesh's diagnosis is very, very favorable and that he would expect him to recover fully from this. Get well soon Mr. Lesh!!!
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As long as we're throwing around Zacherle comments, I have an original LP from Zac from the day. It contained crazy songs, like Hurry Bury Baby, Monster Mash, Popeye (the gravedigger), Gravy (with some cyanide). This was the first of two albums he did. Has an interview (fake) on back cover, where he ends up eating the interviewer. Fast forward a shitload of years and they release both albums on a double cd. Listening to Hurry Bury Baby right now. Stupid, funny stuff,,,good for driving my wife nuts. Don't know how many know him, but on Metv on Saturday nights there is guy call Svengoulie, does the same stick out of Chicago and has been doing it since like 75. He shows cheap horror/monster movies does jokes in between commericals and usually does a song about the movie (music based on another song) This week he had a Bob Hope "horror" movie. A link to Hurry, Bury Baby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dL-BkanY8I
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that Donovan played the Fillmore before he played the Civic. And a whole lot of British artists from the Beatles on down were at least tourists in the SF scene. But Donovan's stuff in particular was part of the scene, from Mellow Yellow on at least, and it's what you'd hear coming out of windows a whole lot. It would be hard to be in the scene and not be really aware of it, I think.
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....up comes Augusta. Well, don't mind if I do!....raging Stranger to start....a beautiful beginning to a beautiful day....Sound is impeccable yet again. The box that keeps on giving....
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10 years 8 months
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Comments not showing even on phone so hopefully this isn't showing up as three for you guys. Donovan made several trips to the states in 65/66, appearing on TV's Rainbow Quest and other shows with psychedelic material and Shawn Phillips on Sitar, as well as Newport 65. He also was generally hanging out with heads/musicians, and going to the happening spots while in the states at this time. His 1965 album Fairytale contained many obvious drug references and psychedelic material; such as Summerday Reflection, Sunny Goodge Street and Candyman etc, and there was a mystical/celtic vibe throughout the album. His very early 66 singles containing Hey GYP, and the Trip were a hits with the heads at the time and his 1966 (a lot recorded in 65) Sunshine Superman album was one of the first to be full blown psychedelia on every track. He was the first high profile drug bust so that limited his traveling later on, but before that He stated that he saw JAirplane before they had Grace and the Mamas/Papas, both of which he mentions in his song fat angel (later covered live by JA). It would've been hard not to be aware of him since early 65 due to his presence on the radio/tv and his being part of the forefront of the psychedelic music changes going on. The Dead were hip to the early changes, listening to Coltrane and being involved themselves so its safe to say they were listening to Donovan atleast a little in 65 and the more so after The Trip single and Sunshine album in 66. Mellow Yellow was the next after Sunshine and was a lot less trippy, and by 67 Donovan had given up most drugs in favor of meditation and urged others to do so also so he became a little less popular with the trippers.
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17 years 5 months
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....that the Dead soundchecked HCS before the 10.22.83 Carrier Dome show. They also never played Delaware....random musings
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10 years 3 months
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I have just finished listening to the 60s shows in the box-everyone a gem. I have been reading Nick Merriwethers excellent commentary in the book as I have been going along. I started reading his account on 1970-and on page 45 he notes that the Dead played 2 shows in England that year-at Newcastle and London. This is the first time I have heard of them playing London in that year. I just wondered, with no disrespect to Nick who's writing is inspiring on many levels-if they actually did or not. Actually, listening to those 60s shows reminds me of what drew me to The Dead in the first place back in the mid 1970s. It was harder to immediately relate to their 1970s albums-maybe because I come from England, and they were informed more by traditional American music. But the first albums up to and including Live Dead-they really were something else!
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16 years 3 months
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It's in the master tape. Can we blame Bear for this tiny little imperfection? Too bad Jeff Norman or Dave Glasser couldn't fix it.
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17 years 6 months
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I've noticed for the past several weeks that this page will not initially load and display on my iPhone in portrait mode, but I can turn it sideways - to landscape - and then return to portrait, and it will display properly.
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9 years 4 months
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I listened to '71, '77 and part of '91. '71 didn't blow my mind. It was good, of course, but after the preceding shows, it's just slightly less amazing. '77 show also did not blow my mind. That would probably be the biggest shocker of the weekend. I enjoyed it, but it definitely isn't even close to one of my favorites from spring '77. '91 show made me stop and take notice. I had only really listened to DP27 from '92, as far as late '80s - early '90s shows go. And I did enjoy THAT one to an extent. With this show, I felt Jerry's voice had kind of a weak quality, but the playing and the quality of the sound were pretty darn good. Plus the whole Marsalis thing going on. I only got through disc 1 of this show, but I'll definitely be finishing it soon. *EDIT* Another hugely obvious difference in sound with this '91 show.. the audience. This is the first of the 30 trips shows I've heard from after the "Touch Head" phenomena. It sounds a lot more like a vast sea of applause than I've heard before.
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Set 2. 9-13-93.
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10 years
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Arrived at my PO box in Northern NJ last Saturday, October 10th without the shipping confirmation email or UPS MI tracking no. I have the ticket for 5-27-93 Cal Expo Amphitheatre and backstage pass 2-24-95 Oakland Coliseum Arena, and my box is lined with red velvet. All discs look to be accounted for. I waited until today for my grand opening ceremony with my obligatory cup of tea. I actually repackaged it and unboxed it again to give it all a second look, and am savoring everything, visually at least, for the moment. My copy of DP 19 from RGM, 10-19-73, arrived yesterday as well, in time for the 42nd anniversary. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank this wonderful community of deadheads for the hours of entertainment and information your posts have provided for this newbie. And to Phil and to Dave S, especially, I'd like you to know that you both are in my Deadprayers.
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Hey Ziffle, couldn't agree with you more in principle about changing the order of the songs... But just wanted to let you know that the Dark Star from Dick's Picks 4 is actually from the late show of 2/13/70 and the Cryptical is too. On 2/13/70 Cryptical followed Dark Star just like it appears on Dick's Pick 4.
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Hey Ziffle, couldn't agree with you more in principle about changing the order of the songs... But just wanted to let you know that the Dark Star from Dick's Picks 4 is actually from the late show of 2/13/70 and the Cryptical is too. On 2/13/70 Cryptical followed Dark Star just like it appears on Dick's Pick 4.
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I asked elsewhere about this recently and learned a lot. It appears that they were due to play a gig at the Lyceum with Fleetwood Mac on 25 May 1970 (the day after the Hollywood Festival). The gig is listed in Deadbase 50. Apparently they could not play due to problems with work permits, but JG (at least) did attend. They also used the Roundhouse to rehearse on the 23rd for the Hollywood Festival and there's film in the vault of them doing so. This is a message sent to a friend from David Lemieux on the subject. Exciting. "While sorting through the 1974 Grateful Dead Movie outtakes, all 16mm film, I came across several unlabeled cans of 16mm film. It turns out they were from 5/24/70, as apparently a camera crew followed the band for the 3 days they were in England, including 40 minutes of footage arriving at the airport, band and crew; an excursion to a river where the band had loads of promo photos taken; shots at the hotel learning how to convert US money to pounds; walking around London; 30 minutes of footage of the band at a Warner Bros. party for the band (hilarious. Pigpen when confronted with a camera and mic: "I ain't sayin' nothin'!"); the band rehearsing at a beautiful little theatre, where they jam an electric Man's World and an amazing version of Candyman; and, best of all, two songs from 2 cameras from the show, Good Lovin' and Casey Jones. I am very eager to do something major with this material. Being on film, it has held up quite well."
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Welcome back Mr. Badger. Its been a while! That there is film of the Dead in England in 1970 is an amazing revelation. Indeed, do something major with it!
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17 years 5 months
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....hey Simon and Badger!! Don't be such strangers. Always enjoyed your comments....if I recall correctly, you are both in Europe. Interaction is only a clicky away....

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17 years 6 months
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hippiedarkstar, Thanks for clarifying.... Ziffle's post got me digging around, as I'd always believed the Dick's 4 Dark Star to be the true 2/13 one also. Several years ago, Taper's Section (when it was downloadable) had a DS that David labeled as the 2/14 early show at that time ~ clocks in at 23:38. Alas, it cuts off JUST before the next song, presumably St. Stephen. But I don't have the rest, so I can't confirm. badger, Tantalizing quote from David, thanks for sharing.... Funny, I nearly just posted the other day that yours was my favorite dead.net avatar of all time!
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9 years 5 months
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hippiedarkstar, antonjo I would be very pleased to have been mistaken, and truly put my foot in mouth, by assuming that DP4 was the 2/14 early. But there's an easy answer, I will listen to both and post back to the board. I was a lazy bum last night and just listened a bit, and not carefully. 2/14 is distinctive.

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Let my fingers do the walking last night, and they landed on '74. Considered listening in order, but after the hoppin' pace of '66, I was ready for something mellower than a mind-shattering '67. Love this choice. The first set has to be one of the best of '74. Uncle John's opener delivers 2nd set intensity right out of the gate. Jack Straw is starting to stretch out a little...love what Billy, then Keith, then Jerry do just before the "leavin' Texas" verse; Billy just goes for it, with the confidence he'll be able to quiet down in time (and does), then Keith throws in a nice little lick, which Jerry then answers in the little moment of space left before Bob starts singing. Keith is really present in the first set. I love how much Rhodes he plays in this show, gives it that Blues For Allah feel. A rare post-72/pre-hiatus Friend of the Devil is a treat, sounding just like '74 Dead while still nailing the original arrangement; Billy sounds psyched to be playing it. The country tunes, Mexicali through Race Is On, sound really authentic, in large part due to Donna's input. Her voice really shines on this show, especially the country harmonies but also her Scarlet wail, which is particularly spacey, Jerry even seeming to play off of it. She's nice on Ship of Fools, too. But the country blue ribbon goes to a sublime To Lay Me Down, where Jerry's voice sounds like '72, clear, confident, and sweet, with Donna once again keeping the harmony bar high. (Looking forward to that '72 Tomorrow Is Forever....) The Playin' that closes the set is right up there with the two on Dick's 31 from a month & a half earlier as perfect manifestations of jazz-Dead (Dick's 28 is another). Not an unexciting minute in all 23. What a set. Loose Lucy launches with such a phat groove, it really is too bad that, as others have noted, the vocals are all but missing. What happened after the first set? How come it wasn't rectified in shorter order? That groove doesn't miss, though...the music stays tight and hot. A similar issue, slightly less severe, plagues the U.S. Blues encore, also. Truth be told, vocal mix is a bit wishy-washy throughout the show, and not this recording's strong point. That said, I'm SO glad David chose this show. The band is on, and obviously having fun ~ the energy is just really cozy. And the instrument mix is superb. Even Billy's ride cymbal is present. Billy's tremendous throughout this show. The Caution jam, coming out of a particularly cool Drums, is the jamming highlight for me ~ where they get into that certain groove that's pure '74/prelude-to-'75. Even as they're playing a very old tune (and this is truly Caution, not merely suggesting it). Between this, the Eyes outro, the Uncle John's jam, and Scarlet, the jazz 'n space lovers get what they came for, but the songs are really showcased here, too. Bear with the vocals, and there are sweet returns here.... (having just heard the '66 show previously, the contrast of electric jug rave-up with 73's Bakersfield approach on "Beat It On Down the Line" just reminds me again how much I love this band....)
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Please get in touch buddy - I need your mailing address//// PS Listened to 66 again last night 3rd time in a row - what a killer - makes 68 seem more disapppointing. PS Whoever posted about 77 being a bit of a letdown was right - there were better shows to release from that year...and we know which And 91 - yup blew me away (despite it being a vince show) - I might tape over Vince's name on my box and write Bruce on it
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17 years 5 months
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.
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14 years 1 month
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Lowspark ... What a great show! I remember this one very well. What a time at MSG!!! What I remember most is somehow feeling very at home in the stadium, wandering around at set break. I distinctly remember the Spinners in the corridor as the second set broke out broke out with a delirious HSF and that amazing second set fuelled by Branford magic. This was a highlight for my show days - for real. Alas, no box copy for me, sniff. I have my denon tapes though! In my car right now, matter of fact.
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15 years
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In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] often for their own amusement. I'm not sure wiping Vince from the memory of the GD will upset anyone or create any emotional response (like Vince's keyboard skills lol) right? Therefore the definition of troll does not equate. Prove me wrong ;)
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Are you referring to 'way to go home' lol... But an outstanding terrapin if i recall....don't really listen to post-Brent shows - affects my emotional and mental wellbeing
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17 years 5 months
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....but you didn't listen to the Scarlet -> Fire? Esp Fire? It interests me that you can like a band, but totally diss them because of a new member....I thought the same thing when Ronnie James Dio took over for Ozzy. And that turned out alright....
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15 years
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compare it to 3.22.90 - and that's NOT followed by way to go home (lol)
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9 years 5 months
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Yes, antonjo and hippiedarkstar (and others that PM'd me). I must have been burned out last night, the DP4 is certainly not the 2/14/70 early show Dark Star. Incredible though, that between 2/13 and 2/14 they evolved. For anyone that hasn't listened, 2/14/70 early Dark Star-SS-the 11-Lovelight is extraordinary, fluid, marred only by a missing couple of minutes of SS (I edited in a crossfade in my listening copy to ease the pain). I believe that the great recording by Bear is still circulating, at least as an mp3.
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17 years 5 months
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....his playing got much better in 93-94 and '95 to some extent. Never had an issue with his vox. The SLC show gives a preview of what could have been. They were all ON. Yes, even Vince & Jerry. A new petal was unfolding in their sound. Unfortunately, the stem was cut....and here we are
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15 years
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here we are..... we've ended up here.....fucking Mayer.....
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17 years 5 months
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...not familiar enough with him to set a grade. So I won't....
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14 years 6 months
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In the liner notes that come with this CD, David L. states-> "We are proud that we got a couple of multitracks in this box". So my question is- besides this show, can anyone please tell me what the other multitrack show is? Any help with the answer would be greatly appreciated. thanks!
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10 years 3 months
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Thanks for getting back to me, cosmicbadger. I had no idea the band were scheduled to play at The Lyceum in 1970. It would be great if they released a dvd of that film you mention of their visit. Actually, that would have made a nice addition to the 50th box. Maybe it could be included as a bonus with a future Daves Picks.
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The folks who are producing the upcoming Dead movie showed a few clips of the aforementioned England film at the GD conference in San Jose last year, so we'll probably see some of it when the movie comes out. The footage featuring Pigpen was pretty amusing.
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11 years 4 months
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would be nice if all folks with order number to 30 trips got 1 free movie ticket to see film.. HAAHAHA wouldn't that be kind if the Rhinos tossed a bone *for folks that have a few bones to spare, here is something to think about https://www.gofundme.com/3b6av9j4
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