When the ride begins in ’65 at a pizza parlor in the South Bay under another moniker, who would have imagined? When “Who Are You? Where Are You? How Are You?” became “Won’t you come with me?” and, ultimately, “Where does the time go?,” who would have thought? 60 years on, we’re celebrating the Grateful Dead’s Diamond Era. Here we go back to the beginning, to the original “Follow,” and uncover the wonders of getting on the bus all over again.
ENJOYING THE RIDE is a sweeping 60-CD collection that maps an epic cross-country road trip along the “Heady Highway” with stops at storied venues where the music, the moment, and the magic of the Dead reliably converged. Spanning 25 years of legendary live performances, this expansive compendium spotlights defining shows from 1969 to 1994 at 20 venues that consistently inspired the band to new heights.
With the exception of a few tracks from earlier releases, virtually all of the music on ENJOYING THE RIDE is previously unreleased, with more than 450 tracks and over 60 hours of music. Of the 20 shows in the collection, 17 are presented in full, with some featuring additional material from the same venue. The remaining three — Fillmore West, Fillmore East, and Boston Music Hall — are curated from multiple performances at each venue, capturing key moments on those legendary stages.
These performances were originally recorded by Owsley “Bear” Stanley, Betty Cantor-Jackson, Kidd Candelario, Dan Healy, and John Cutler. David Glasser and Jeffrey Norman restored and mastered the performances, with select ones using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction for optimal sound quality.
It’s all housed in a custom keepsake box inspired by the experience of traveling from city to city to see the Dead at legendary venues across America. Inside, a beautifully detailed tour guide features liner notes by Jesse Jarnow (author and co-host of the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast) and a producer’s note from Lemieux, an essay by the Owsley Stanley Foundation, and more. The set is richly illustrated with photos, including many taken at the shows featured in the collection.
Due May 30th, this one is limited to 6,000 individually numbered copies and exclusive to Dead.net.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA (4/5/69) – Cassette
Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (6/5/69)
Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (6/7/69)
Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (6/8/69)
Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (2/24/71)
Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (2/20/71)
Fillmore East, New York, NY (4/25/71)
Fillmore East, New York, NY (4/27/71)
Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA (9/15/72)
Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA (9/16/72)
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (3/16/73)
Winterland, San Francisco, CA (3/20/77)
Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA (5/13/78)
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO (8/12/79)
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI (8/23/80)
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI (7/11/81)
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT (3/14/81)
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA (5/1/81)
Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (8/20/83)
Greek Theatre, University of California, Berkeley, CA (7/13/84)
Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA (11/21/85)
Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA (11/22/85)
Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY (9/16/87)
Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN (7/15/89)
Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA (12/27/89)
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA (5/12/91)
Capital Centre, Landover MD (3/17/93)
Capital Centre, Landover MD (9/15/82)
Boston Garden, Boston, MA (10/3/94)
Originally Recorded By Owsley “Bear” Stanley, Betty Cantor-Jackson, Kidd Candelario, Dan Healy, & John Cutler
Mastered By David Glasser & Jeffrey Norman
Plangent Processes Tape Restoration And Speed Correction
Custom Keepsake Box w/ A Guide Book By Jesse Jarnow, Producer’s Note By David Lemieux, & Essay By The Owsley Stanley Foundation
Design By Once Upon A Time
