GRATEFUL DEAD
GIANTS STADIUM 1987, 1989, 1991
Dead.net Exclusive Limited Edition Boxed Set Features
Five Previously Unreleased Concerts Recorded At Giants Stadium On 14 CDs,
Plus Video Of The Full June 17, 1991 Show
Available For Pre-Order Now Only At Dead.net, Set For Release on September 27
LOS ANGELES – The Grateful Dead started outgrowing theaters in the late-Seventies as the number of Dead Heads flocking to its summer tours soared. By 1987, the transition to stadiums was necessary to accommodate the arrival of a new generation of fans who’d recently discovered the band through “Touch of Grey” – the Dead’s first and only Top 10 single.
Today, on what would have been Jerry Garcia’s 77th birthday, Rhino announces the details for an upcoming boxed set that explores the evolution of the Grateful Dead’s stadium concert experience. GIANTS STADIUM: 1987, 1989, 1991 includes five previously unreleased shows that were recorded at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on: July 12, 1987; July 9 and 10, 1989; and June 16 and 17, 1991. Each show has been mixed from the multitrack master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA, and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. The first three show are mixed from 24-track masters and the final two from 1991 are the only Grateful Dead shows ever recorded to 48-track tape.
The set is available to pre-order now and will ship to arrive on September 27. Production of the set is limited to 10,000 individually numbered copies and will be available in two incarnations: 4,000 copies of the 14CD/2DVD set for $149.98; and 6,000 copies of the 14CD/Blu-ray set for $159.98. Audio from the set will also be available in its entirety exclusively from Dead.net as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.
On the same day, Rhino will release the final show from the collection as a standalone set. SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE: GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ 6/17/91 will be available as a 3CD set ($29.99), a 5LP set ($99.98), and via digital download and streaming services.
“The five shows in this boxed set include music from three very distinct peaks in the Grateful Dead's performing career,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “The first show finds the Dead on top of the world, carrying the renewed energy following Jerry's return to performing in late 1986. Two years later, the Dead returned for their first two night run at Giants Stadium, beginning a sustained nine month run of excellence for the band. In 1991, a very different Grateful Dead returned to the Meadowlands, widely considered one of the most inventive, inspired, and creative lineups of the band. What they brought to the stadium in 1991 is still the stuff of legend. Altogether, this very brief span of slightly less than four years in the Grateful Dead's career is presented with five exceptional shows, demonstrating how different the Dead could be, all the while remaining unmistakably true to their unique sound.”
GIANTS STADIUM: 1987, 1989, 1991 touches on the Grateful Dead timeline at three interesting points in the group’s history. The first show in the collection was recorded on July 12, 1987, just a few days after the band released In The Dark, the first (and only) Top 10 album the band made during its long, strange trip. In addition to live staples like “Ramble On Rose” and “Morning Dew,” the show featured performances of six songs from their surprise-hit album, including “Hell In A Bucket” and “West L.A. Fadeaway.”
Two years later, in July 1989, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Brent Mydland, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart returned to Giants Stadium, playing the next two concerts featured in the boxed set. At both shows, the group previewed several songs from its then-forthcoming studio album Built To Last, including “Foolish Heart,” “Victim Or The Crime” and “Just A Little Light.” As a special treat, members of the Neville Brothers sat in for several songs during the July 10, 1989 show, playing on “Iko Iko,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and more.
The final two shows in GIANTS STADIUM were recorded on June 16 and 17, 1991, about a year after the untimely death of keyboardist Brent Mydland in July 1990. For these shows, the band featured two new keyboardists, Vince Welnick and Grammy®-winner Bruce Hornsby. The new members brought with them a renewed energy and a sense of exploration of repertoire that reinvigorated the setlists. Along with playing rarities like “Saint Of Circumstance” and “Might As Well,” the band also wove “Dark Star” in and out of the setlist, making no less than six distinct appearances during the show.
Both June 1991 shows were recorded to 48 tracks of analog audio tape, the only recordings in the Grateful Dead’s vault that went beyond 32 tracks. The second show (6/17/91) is widely considered to be one of the greatest shows the Dead played in its final decade of performing. The entire concert was filmed and the performance is included with the GIANTS STADIUM collection on either two DVDs or a single Blu-ray, both with a surround mix by Norman.
GIANTS STADIUM: 1987, 1989, 1991
List of Shows
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
7/12/87
7/9/89
7/10/89
6/16/91
6/17/91
SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE: GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ 6/17/91
3CD Track Listing
Disc One
1. “Eyes Of The World”>
2. “Walkin’ Blues”
3. “Brown-Eyed Women”
4. “Dark Star”>
5. “When I Paint My Masterpiece”
6. “Loose Lucy”
7. “Cassidy”
8. “Might As Well”
Disc Two
1. “Dark Star”>
2. “Saint Of Circumstance”>
3. “Ship Of Fools”>
4. “Dark Star”>
5. “Truckin’”
6. “New Speedway Boogie”>
7. “Dark Star”>
8. “Uncle John’s Band”>
9. “Dark Star”>
10. Drums
Disc Three
1. Space>
2. “China Doll”>
3. “Playing In The Band”>
4. “Dark Star”>
5. “Sugar Magnolia”
6. “The Weight”
SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE: GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ 6/17/91
Five LP Set
Side One
1. “Eyes Of The World”>
2. “Walkin’ Blues”
Side Two
1. “Brown-Eyed Women”
2. “Dark Star”>
3. “When I Paint My Masterpiece”
4. “Loose Lucy”
Side Three
1. “Cassidy”
2. “Might As Well”
Side Four
1. “Dark Star”>
2. “Saint Of Circumstance”>
3. “Ship Of Fools”>
Side Five
1. “Dark Star”>
2. “Truckin’”>
3. “New Speedway Boogie”>
4. “Dark Star”>
Side Six
1. “Uncle John’s Band”>
2. “Dark Star”>
Side Seven
1. Drums
2. Space>
Side Eight
1. “China Doll”>
2. “Playing In The Band”>
3. “Dark Star”>
4. “Sugar Magnolia”
Side Nine
1. “The Weight”
Side 10
Blank- Etching
# # #