A new 20CD boxed set capturing seven previously unreleased Grateful Dead concerts from the band’s 1985 summer tour will be released on September 18. Titled “Summer Magic 1985,” the limited-edition collection of 10,000 individually numbered copies will be sold exclusively through Dead.net.
The boxed set highlights the band’s “Twenty Years So Far” Tour, which celebrated their 20th anniversary. Included in the collection are the three anniversary shows at the Greek Theatre from June 14 through June 16, 1985, as well as performances at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Hershey Park Stadium, and Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Longtime sound engineer Dan Healy recorded the performances, which were mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer David Glasser. The physical package features original artwork by multidisciplinary artist Marcos Alvarado and a 96-page book containing photos and essays by Nicholas G. Meriwether and David Lemieux.
In addition to the full boxed set, Rhino will release the June 30, 1985, Merriweather Post Pavilion concert as a standalone 3CD and 4LP set on September 18. A live recording of “Sugar Magnolia” from that specific Maryland performance has been released digitally ahead of the full collection.
The 1985 tour featured several notable musical moments, including the live debut of Eric Clapton’s “Keep On Growing” and the first performance of “Cryptical Envelopment” in 13 years. The shows also featured three rare double encores, including a pairing of songs by the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to close out the Merriweather Post Pavilion run.
Click here to purchase Summer Magic 20 CD set
Click here to pre order / pre save Merriweather 6/30/1985
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