Grateful Dead Release Merriweather ’85 on Play Dead

The summer of 1985 marked the Grateful Dead’s “Twenty Years So Far” tour, a 20th-anniversary run full of spellbinding moments that fans still talk about more than 40 years later.

Complementing the ’85 Dead Drops and ahead of the upcoming Summer Magic 1985 collection, today’s special release features the previously unreleased performance from the legendary Merriweather Post Pavilion show on June 30, 1985.

David Lemieux says the show’s biggest moment is a version of “Shakedown Street” that’s “widely considered one of the greatest single performances of any song by the Grateful Dead, up there with the ‘Dew’ from Europe ’72, ‘Viola Lee Blues’ from Harpur College, and ‘Eyes Of The World’ from 3/29/90. Yes, it’s that good.”

Recorded by Dan Healy and mastered by GRAMMY Award-winning engineer David Glasser, fans can now stream Merriweather ’85 in full and in Hi-Res on Play Dead.

Unlock the vault | Listen to Merriweather ’85

Merriweather ’85 — June 30, 1985 Setlist

Set I

Mississippi Half-Step >
C.C. Rider >
Brown-Eyed Women
Mama Tried >
Mexicali Blues
Keep On Growing
Big Railroad Blues
Looks Like Rain >
Don’t Ease Me In

Set II

Shakedown Street >
Samson & Delilah
Gimme Some Lovin’ >
He’s Gone >
Cryptical Envelopment >
Drums >
Space >
The Other One >
Stella Blue >
Around & Around
Sugar Magnolia

Encore

U.S. Blues

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