Grateful Dead embody the space of Rock with their ability to be a band first aside from all the production qualities needed. It is why they are popularized mostly by their live sets rather than their studio sets. Not to disqualify those studio albums in any way, but they only attempt to encapsulate the beauty of any of those songs that can evolve wonderfully in a live setting. The Dead entity that remains consistently release live concerts as part of the band’s enduring legacy. This explains why their 1972 3LP live set, Europe ’72, achieved Double Platinum status over many of their albums.
On September 18, Grateful Dead will release Merriweather 6/30/85 as a standalone live package. The package will contain the complete show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. The multi-discs will provide 21 live performance tracks from the two sets of the day. It showcases the improvisational genius of the band as well as anything can. (A more expansive 20-disc box will be available and these two sets from Merriweather will be included in that as well. It will be called Summer Magic 1985 and can be read about at The Second Disc (here).
Merriweather 6/30/85 will be released on 3CD, DD, and 4LP.
Merriweather 6/30/85 – Grateful Dead
CD1 (First Set)
01 Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
02 C.C. Rider
03 Brown-Eyed Women
04 Mama Tried
05 Mexicali Blues
06 Keep On Growing
07 Big Railroad Blues
08 Looks Like Rain
09 Don’t Ease Me In
CD2 (Second Set)
01 Shakedown Street
02 Samson and Delilah
03 Gimme Some Lovin’
04 He’s Gone
05 Cryptical Envelopment
06 Drums
CD3 (Second Set continued)
01 Space
02 The Other One
03 Stella Blue
04 Around And Around
05 Sugar Magnolia
Encore
06 U.S. Blues