Grateful Dead's 'Summer Magic 1985' Box Set Captures Seven Unreleased Shows From Pivotal Tour

The Grateful Dead is packaging a pivotal moment in its history with the release of 'Summer Magic 1985,' a 20-CD box set arriving on September 18. According to Glide Magazine, the collection features seven previously unreleased concerts from the band's 20th anniversary 'Twenty Years So Far' Tour, limited to 10,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from Dead.net.

Glide MagazineGrateful Dead’s Summer Magic 1985: 20 CD Boxed Set Celebrates 20th Anniversary Tour With Seven Unreleased Concerts Arriving 9/18

Members of the Grateful Dead begrudgingly acknowledged the band's 20th anniversary during a rare press conference at the Greek Theatre on June 14, 1985

The band's ambivalence about the milestone is noted across coverage. Rolling Stone reports that the set includes a preview track, 'Sugar Magnolia (Live at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD 6/30/85),' while themusicuniverse.com highlights the tension behind the scenes.

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themusicuniverse.comGrateful Dead’s ‘Summer Magic 1985’ set for 20 CD box setRolling StoneGrateful Dead Announces 'Summer Magic 1985' Box Set Featuring 20 CDs of Unreleased 20th Anniversary Tour Shows

Backstage, the media focused on the past, even as the band was selling out shows across [...]

The set compiles all three official anniversary shows at the Greek Theatre, according to Glide Magazine, alongside other summer 1985 performances. Fans can also purchase digital downloads of the collection in ALAC and High Res FLAC formats on the same day, as reported by several outlets including KSHE 95 and KSLX.

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KSLXGrateful Dead celebrates 20th anniversary tour with 20-CD box setKSHE 95Grateful Dead celebrates 20th anniversary tour with 20-CD box set