Grateful Dead Buffalo

The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

This compilation, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Monterey International Pop Festival, contains previously unreleased recordings from The Grateful Dead and Laura Nyro, as well as iconic performances from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, The Who and Jefferson Airplane. As the key event leading up to the Summer of Love in 1967, the Monterey International Pop Festival jumpstarted the musical culture of the 60s and 70s and continues to shape the global concert industry of today.

The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

The Grateful Dead forged its legend on the road, traveling countless miles between 1965 and 1995 to perform a world record 2,318 shows for millions of devoted fans. The band's refusal to ever play a song the same way twice has endeared generations of fans, many of whom prefer certain live versions of songs over their studio counterparts, and garnered the popular phrase among Dead Heads: "There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert."

The Grateful Dead forged its legend on the road, traveling countless miles between 1965 and 1995 to perform a world record 2,318 shows for millions of devoted fans. The band's refusal to ever play a song the same way twice has endeared generations of fans, many of whom prefer certain live versions of songs over their studio counterparts, and garnered the popular phrase among Dead Heads: "There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert."

This compilation, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Monterey International Pop Festival, contains previously unreleased recordings from The Grateful Dead and Laura Nyro, as well as iconic performances from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, The Who and Jefferson Airplane. As the key event leading up to the Summer of Love in 1967, the Monterey International Pop Festival jumpstarted the musical culture of the 60s and 70s and continues to shape the global concert industry of today.

The Grateful Dead forged its legend on the road, traveling countless miles between 1965 and 1995 to perform a world record 2,318 shows for millions of devoted fans. The band's refusal to ever play a song the same way twice has endeared generations of fans, many of whom prefer certain live versions of songs over their studio counterparts, and garnered the popular phrase among Dead Heads: "There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert."

This two-CD compilation is the first to specifically focus on Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), both as a co-founder of the Grateful Dead and on his own. While Deadheads typically run hot and cold when it comes to Weir's material, many will inevitably consider Weir Here: The Best of Bob Weir (2004) as essential, due to the incorporation of half a dozen previously unissued tracks ranging chronologically from "Me & Bobby McGee," circa March of 1972, through the informal rehearsal of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" by RatDog. Weir's non-Dead career began while he was still very much a member of the band.