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12 cd's and 7 blu-rays for 3 shows? No Santa Clara shows? Something doesn't seem exactly perfect.

Robert Plant x 2 sets! The Molo, Barraco, and Warren PaF's lineup is my favorite, so it really helps the blues I e felt since Sunday night.

12 cds 9 discs for the shows 3 cd for set break music from each night.7 video discs 3 for each 1st set with set break footage, and 3 each for the 2nd sets, and a Exclusive bonus disc of behind-the-scene footage.

Some of my Indy folks will be joining me here in my new backyard. We will be staying in the sober campground. Keep an eye out for either a silver Accord with IN tags, or a brown Outback with VA Appalachian Trail tags.

Being in Chicago for the weekend was truly special. The city felt like a massive playground for Deadheads. I hope they bring the party to a few more places. The spirit was there from all involved, so as long as the spirit is strong then all things are possible. Mountains of the Moon Golden Road Cumberland Blues (Soldier Field) Music Never Stopped Cassidy ,, those were a few of my favorite moments from the show. I went to Chicago with 1 ticket and ended up going to all three shows, scoring Sat and Sun tix for face an hour apart early on Friday morning.. Scoring the tickets was the highlight of my weekend until Sunday night. Sunday night during Drums TheeAmazingAce333 came to visit the upper deck. A great view, but its not the pit, so for him to even trek all the way up (a second time) after he trekked up Friday night and I wasnt there was way too cool of him. When TheeAmazingAce333 arrived in section 436 there must have been something in the air or maybe it was something in the doses? He correctly called the next two songs to come out of space,, Unbroken Chain > Days Between !!!! Holy F-Balls TheeAmazingAce333 that was impressive !!! I'm not sure when it happened, but at somepoint during the visit with TheeAmazingAce333 he kindly pulls out his commemorative ticket with the candle and moth and then kindly asks if I would like to have !?! I was floored and my eyes must have bugged out when I heard what he said. This was all before Mickey gave his closing words as just be kind, so once again TheeAmazingAce333, THANK YOU for being Kind,, I am not sure of how to repay the favor TheeAmazingAce333, but I do know Good things happen to Good people

Can you chill a little? The concerts just ended ... Give them some time to sort it out. I doubt any chains will be yanked (to put it in your terms).

Not sure why some keep assuming/hoping the set break music will be included in this box set. It's an expensive set. And it's of Grateful Dead music. Cool as it was, I do not want to pay $15+ per disc of generic elevator music. Will Blurays start including (and charging for) a disc of the announcements, adverts, and trailers that played before the film started? Sure hope not.

Best set from any night in my opinion. Bring on a few more shows. That would rock !! Let It Grow > Help > Slip > Franklins ,, that does not happen very often

drshakedown74, I registered for this site just so I could respond to your post. "because maybe you remember too, what it felt like before the opening notes, when the boys are noodling and you look up and whisper "China" to your new friend, and the weight of our lives disappears into it all." Beautiful and absolutely true words. Thank you, my friend. I had forgotten that, that is one of my favorite parts of the show. The moment before the song starts and the realization of what it is. My second favorite part is somewhere in the middle of the jam to that song when you look over at your new friend and his/her eyes are closed, they have the same grin on their face as you do, and they are lost in the music. There are so few things in life that we simultaneously get to experience in our own special way in our own heads while also being connected to everyone around us who is experiencing the same event. That is the beauty of live music... and of this band that made us all part of the journey.

Apologies for my snarky, pre-concert post..."I was blind, but now I see..."/peace, K

Anyone wonder why bobby didn't crack a smile the entire 5 nights? Bearded and bullegged..... Times gone by

I haven't seen bobby smile on stage in years. I have no idea why.. Perhaps in a not so distant show, when he gets all the dials on his amp just exactly perfect, he will show us his pearly whites. Phil was all smiles. Trey appears to have just had a face lift. :D

lots of the very best of Fare Thee Well went down in Santa Clara. By hook or whatever crook, dead.net needs to find a way to get that rainbow bundle out...

There were some fine moments in Santa Clara. The Cream Puff War comes to mind.. I wouldn't be adverse to seeing some (most) of it come through as filler for this product many of us pre-ordered. Any support for that?

Why are some people so angry!

I'd prefer the cool continuity flow of the SC essential day 1 to be kept intact, and at least all of set 2 of day 2 - making a big time fill. The complete 2 days are way preferable. If we're truly celebrating the entire history of the GD, as so brilliantly delivered in the Fare Thee Well concerts, anything less, and essential key songs are missing. The Chicago Box just doesn't tell the full story...

I really hope they decide to make the Santa Clara shows available as well...I'm sure all the people will to buy the 3 Chicago shows would be down for buying another two... @Matchewy - I'll be on the lookout, thanks!

I hate to be negative, I think in general this was a wonderful celebration, a job well done. I am working my way through the audience recordings. Just finished up the Santa Clara shows. The music is so lacking in energy and drive. It's really a shame. I have to put a lot of the blame on Kreutzmann. Too many drinks, too much weed? I don't know what it was. Come on man - drive this sucker. Put some balls behind it. By "Bertha" on 7/3 I finally hear a little momentum. As a drummer myself, I appreciate wanting to lay behind the beat and not rush stuff. Music feels better to everyone if it's not too fast. But in a big stadium you've got to assert the pulse and jack up the energy a little bit. Weir didn't help in this regard either. Hats off to Trey. Loved what he did. Loved that "Alabama Getaway" and everything else he sang. Great job. I never had any doubt that he would nail it. And Phil...I didn't want to hear Phil (or Bob) sing the Jerry stuff but they certainly have that right. Phil is a gem. I feel like this whole deal was as much about Phil as it was anyone. Loved the photos of him smiling and clearly so engaged and passionate.

I saw the final show streamed to a cinema in the UK the day after. I must say, it was a bit of a letdown. First, the mix was abysmal, and the camera work was not very professional. But the music itself just wasn't that great. Sure, there were some great moments, and I was surprised by how well Trey fit into the band, but there were flubs, jams that petered out, and the song selection wasn't that great. I'm thinking of canceling my order, in part because I now know that much of the good stuff was in the first two shows that aren't in this set. The Santa Clara shows are the only ones that had Dark Star, The Other One, and Love Light. All in all, it's a very nice thing they did, and the fans seemed to enjoy it. But I can't see this stuff getting a lot of rotation.

I would be absolutely furious if they included that with the package. If I wanted Neil Casal's music I would buy it, which I would never do. Like someone before me said, elevator music. Those extra CDs and DVDs/Blus better have something worthy to justify the high cost of this set.

Can we see what in this set already. I will not buy it til I see whats in it thank you.

We can't even agree on anything when the final shows of our time are over and done with? I saw the second night (on TV) and there were great moments and slow moments and weak moments and some rambling moments and whatever other kinds of moments there are to be had. The first hour was pretty awesome, then it kind of petered out and rambled a bit, then they regained focus and ran some more then sputtered a bit and went out on a high note. The first 'Lost Sailor' in, what, 29 years? Mickey's sailor hat was funny as hell, maybe it was his way of acknowledging his part in the song's disappearance? Maybe there's little to no significance to it, a little joke on his part? I won't be getting the CDs or the DVDs or the Blue-Rays...I can't afford any of them. Will probably get the AUDs of the Santa Clara shows from one of the 'approved' sites. Or one of the 'not-disapproved' sites, whichever you prefer. We can really see just how much influence Garcia had on the organization, his band-mates and even the fans. Things have just fallen apart and factionalized over the last 20 years. It's kind of sad, really. Hope everybody stays well, and remember, that's the last we're ever gonna get.

My cup is full – again. . . Not sure why many are so obsessed with nitpicking the FTW shows. Many seem like those print media pundits that keep reporting "Jerry's dead" like it's tomorrow's news. The rest of us get it already. Fare Thee Well wasn't the Grateful Dead and the shows weren't perfect (never were), but Santa Clara and Chicago gave the band and deadheads a glorious, magical opportunity to celebrate, commune and reflect. And by the way, I for one, am not too worried about when was the last time Bobby smiled. . . RE: the Santa Clara Shows: I wasn’t able to get to Santa Clara, but have been listening to the shows since I got back from Chicago. My take-away is that all 5 FTW shows need to be released. Whether as a "FTW Complete" edition, or as an added bonus to the "FTW Box" described above, or as a stand-alone "FTW Santa Clara Box", these shows are each an integral part of the story/history that Phil, Bob, Bill, Mickey, et alii told so poignantly over the 5 night FTW odyssey. Santa Clara is an essential part of this milestone celebration of the Grateful Dead called Fare Thee Well.

The advantage of watching the streaming was that one could see the musicians in much greater close-up.I was very much underwhelmed. The three "guests" seemed to be making more of an effort than the other four. Bob Weir looked like he wanted to strike the sun for shining. Bill Kreuzmann appeared to be bored out of his skull. As was common with later manifestations of the Dead, country music has disappeared from the repertoire, which is disappointing to me. The concert did not strike me as a celebration of the Dead. If it was the last concert surely Tom Constanten, Donna Godchaux and Robert Hunter could have appeared. The first time I saw the Dead was in April 1972 at Wembley Empire Pool; I could not feel any connection with that concert and the Dead of that period and what I saw on Monday night. I am sure that many people enjoyed it but for me, for whom 68-79 is the peak period, it was something that I would not wish to experience again; so no purchase of the CD sets. I had warned my wife about the singing of Phil Lesh but even with advanced notice she was astonished at how awful it was. The fifty year thing is clearly a way of making a significant sum of money. There is nothing wrong with that, it is not as if they are holding a pistol to the head. However, it is delusional to think that it is anything else. (Yes, I being an addict have purchased the full 30 year box.) The zeitgeist of the Dead of the sixties and seventies has long gone. Bill Graham described rock music as the voice of corporate America. The final show was that voice swearing at full volume. I am not decrying those who enjoyed the show, but for me it was ultimately a disappointment.

Having been there, part of it was being with this glorious tribe of Deadheads for one last gathering. However, don't base your opinion on the run by the final show. Friday night was the goods-- not a weak link in either set and the playing was solid. They really brought down the house that night-- in fact, most of us were left picking our faces up off the ground and couldn't right properly cheer them on afterwards. Mason's, Scarlet/Fire, New Potato, Playin', Let it Grow, Help/Slip/Franklin's with a Ripple encore. And that is just set 2 with my highlight actually being Trey's amazing work on Music Never Stopped set 1 closer. That was some show to attend. But, one complaint is totally spot on-- Phil cannot sing. Man needs to give up that ghost. The other two nights had some slower ballads really bring down the show's pace and energy. But, it is what they wanted to do.

Interesting long article about the last shows: http://www.uncut.co.uk/uncut-editors-diary/fare-thee-well-the-grateful-…

Did the band really owe us a propper goodbye? And at what cost? I would have been fine with all of the positive memories I have from the past. Apparently, if people keep posting how mind blowing these lackluster Fare Thee Well Shows were, others will buy into it. Have you people ever seen the Grateful Dead. Some know what the Grateful Dead Experience is & it's not $60.00 t-shirts, $120.00 hoodies, $11.00 beers, $200.00 box sets sold before they happen and a band that plays underwhelming music. I guess I'm an idiot to not have noticed Trey Channeling the spirit of Jerry Garcia or all of the smiles on Bobby & Billy's faces. This is not the way that I want to remember the band that changed my life.

Being in Chicago was magical,, streaming did not show the atmosphere of Chicago and the smiles on everyone's face. Half the fun was being surrounded by all things Grateful Dead. And I agree,, Friday was the best show,, they completely rocked the 2nd set.. It's funny how tickets for Friday was the easiest to get of the 3 and some people I know from Columbus were completely blowing off Friday's show before it happened because of the thought Saturday and Sunday were guaranteed to be better because it's the holiday and last show,, when I heard them blow off Friday I knew they were going just for the party and was kind of thinking dang how foolish, they don't know what they are missing. Overall the 3 nights of music, I would grade as B or B+,, but the experience was A+,, if they announced something tomorrow I would do it all over again

Its all about the music and GD's music will never stop. And for that I am grateful. The boys surely delivered. Thank you.

I only got to go to Sunday but I gave these exact same grades in my review. So much fun!

The box set is sham and a rip off...2nd if they wanted to include Santa Clara you wouldn't need an audience recording they have the soundboard but beyond that...what we have here is a misrepresentation of the said material for the box set...it was estimated to be 4 discs a show for july 3rd, 4th and 5th each bringing it to 12 cds...dvds 7...2 for each date 1 concert 1 backstage and off stage footage...and 1 limited bonus disc...even that word had flaws if it's a 20,000 limited set why is there a bonus disc...the reality is this can be cut in 1/2 since the shows were 2 CD disc affairs...anyway the promise is no longer available the contract is broken...what's most bothersome there's not a word about this dilemma from Rhino or the Grateful Dead.

Frank, thanks for sharing the link to the Uncut article. Interesting read. This little blurb from Uncut caught my eye: Heads up! Next month’s Uncut – on sale July 28 in the UK – comes with a FREE GRATEFUL DEAD CD: our historic attempt to piece together the album that should have followed “Workingman’s Dead” and “American Beauty”… --- I say, heck yeah I'm getting that issue!

I watched the Sunday pay-per-view with a few friends in southwest New Mexico. We all had a blast. As one old friend who was a native of Chicago who saw the Dead 50 times said during the live broadcast ," makes me feel proud to be a Dead Head". Amen Brother.

Was this the Grateful Dead or not. If this was the Grateful Dead than the four surviving core members that have been playing together for the past 20 years have been the Grateful Dead. The other musicians playing with them are they now members of the Grateful Dead. I am so confused. These shows have been sold on my phone and computer as the final Grateful Dead shows. The discs set for release are being marketed as the Grateful Dead. I recently bought a pre sale concert cd for another band. It was sold as a 3 cd set but only filled 2, the third cd was included but is blank. There is no doubt that the four core members are actually going to make a fortune on these shows. The big box will only take in 5.5 million a fraction of what these concerts are producing. I have bought the big box as a value is ok but the final price is obscene. The daves picks series is great but there is no other way for any reasonable purchase of a box for many fans.

After reading some of the comments about the FTW shows, I had to chime in a little. I was at night 1 in Santa Clara, and 7/4 in Chicago. I saw the Grateful Dead a bunch between 1988 and 1994. I fully recognize that that is not exactly a badge of honor, but there was certainly plenty of great, even peak Grateful Dead in that period. However...my attitude towards these FTW shows was basically "I am thrilled to see them on stage together one last time, and I'll be happy with whatever they play". At this point, in my opinion, the only post 1995 band that included the core four that came closest to the real GD was 'the Other Ones" from 2002. Just listen to the Indianapolis show from that winter 2002 tour...very inspired...very fresh. Fast forward to 2009 with Warren Haynes, and so much of it comes across as underwhelming, aimless noodling. Just my opinion.I thought "Deal" Saturday night in Chicago was great...I loved the whole first set. BUT, as has been expressed...there was something underwhelming overall, with some awesome, beautiful highlights. One thing I think these outings of the last 15 years have generally lacked is the raw energy of the Grateful Dead. Most of the best bets in terms or performances are the slow songs. Maybe it's age...I don't know. I thought the guys delivered a lot of happiness, and great music for the FTW shows. I guess we could go on and on analyzing the positives and negatives. I read probably one of the best analogies about the band in a recent article but forget where. It went something like this "They're a good team, they're just no longer a championship team...they lost their starting quarterback."

I was happy to see them get together again. I was a lot different in 1972 myself, and frankly a lot different in 1995 than I am now. Dust Off Those Rusty Strings Just One More Time... They needed a bookmark, these shows were it and the shows had their moments. For what its worth, Trey was a surprisingly good back-up qb. Enjoy it for what it was, believe it if you need it. Now if someone could just get in front of this inflated disc / DVD count controversy (Inflategate) - subtle hint, add Santa Clara footage. We can watch it end on a happy note.

Some just want to look at these shows from a weird perspective, at any rate Bobby was smiling during the ELEVEN night one in Santa Clara. hahaha

I hope for a few more nights to celebrate with this amazing band and music.

It was such a amazing time!!!When the boys get on the stage and look around, that was so cool! All 5 shows was amazing and they definitely bring the magic back for more five times! THANK YOU! p.s. Trey was superb! I don't mind his little mistakes, how care, the vibe was just so right!!!

This is my third attempt at posting this. Sorry if the previous two eventually re-appear from wherever they went..... I enjoyed the cinema screening of the final night. An appropriate mix of good, bad and ugly, with plenty to smile, smile, smile about. Musically no worse than Wembley 1990 and probably more fun (although not a patch on Bickershaw 1972 of course). A thought occurred to me about the trip's title, Fare Thee Well. As we know, Brokedown Palace and Cassidy both nearly contain these lyrics. Well, they played BP at the end of the Santa Clara leg and Cassidy in the last Chicago show. Maybe they were sending these messages: To California: Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell Listen to the river sing sweet songs To rock my soul To everyone: Faring thee well now Let your life proceed by its own designs Nothing to tell now Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine I elect to believe that was deliberate.

Man there's some unhappy people. Hope you all aren't as cynical and negative about everything in life... I was there Friday and Sunday and had a great time! While maybe half of you that choose to post here are unhappy with the cost of tickets or number of discs or lineup or set lists or quality of playing or facial expressions or whatever, I would venture a guess that 90-95% of the folks in the audience at Chicago (at least at the two shows I went to) were supremely happy. Maybe it's an unfair comparison because those that chose to make the effort were probably by definition less dissatisfied with the cost/location/venue/lineup/etc. But I can tell you with certainty, they were a much more fun group to be surrounded by! lol Everyone has their own opinion and there are no right opinions or wrong opinions. But the vibe in Chicago and around and inside Soldier Field was unbridled happiness, just like in the good ole days. Where everyone felt "ain't no place I'd rather be." It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I was there.

He did smile a couple times during the first night in Santa Clara. That explains the mystery of the rainbow in drought stricken CA :D Kidding, of course.. I don't think Bob smiling is a good indicator if whether he's having fun or not. The guy is just serious on stage and has been for years. That's the way I look at it. Billy too, look back at some of the '72 footage, but guy has his game face on. Edit: ..and Syracuse, I couldn't make these shows.. but I can tell you the vibe in my living room was just fine. The shows were enjoyable to me :D. If you step back for a minute and resist the temptation to compare and take it for what it was.. it was a great celebration and there were some really fine moments. I agree with the people focusing on Set II of Friday night. Trey was shredding it and the band found a nice groove. As for Phil not being able to sing.. I got over that in '86 when he broke out Box of Rain at Hampton. It is what it is, but I do look forward to Phil n Friends lineups when they upgrade to A vocalists. I always thought Jackie Greene was a good pairing with Phil. I also think the way Rhino (or whoever) handled the pre-sale and pricing before the shows even occurred was problematic. Purposeful or not, the way it was advertised created an expectation on the amount of music this run of shows would contain that people linked to the price when they made their purchasing decision. Its a little un-nerving to hear this has happened before w/ other bands and blank discs arrived in the case. Its a good thing the GD is not like other bands. Someone should get in front of this sooner rather than later, there is obviously some confusion and lots of people are on the fence.

As far as the music goes, the two things I was really happy about were: 1) Trey and Bruce took the mic on many of the songs that I feared Phil would sing. I enjoyed Friday night so much that when Phil sung Franklin's, I thought it sounded fine. For the most part, Phil only sung his songs, not Jerry songs. 2) Trey, whom I had never seen before, ripped it up! He wasn't being a big rock star showman trying to get the spotlight, and he wasn't being passive off to the side of the stage. He played great, IMO, added his own style, but didn't step on anyone's toes. I haven't seen or heard the Santa Clara shows, but have the impression from reading about them that both of the above characteristics were significant steps up from what transpired in Santa Clara.

The simulcast of 7/5/15 was tremendous. I loved it. Thank you to all who made it happen.

Per Rolling Stone: "While the three gigs are now available to stream online, they will also be collected and released in a number of audio-visual formats, including a massive 12-CD, seven-DVD or Blu-ray box set, Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead on November 20th." A little too massive, no?

These shows were much better than I dared hope. I accepted them for what they were and will probably bite the bullet and pick up the blu rays for the uncompressed sound (it BETTER be uncompressed). However, if the organization really wants my money they will start releasing blu rays of the older shows. They filmed them for many years, why can't we have some? I didn't expect perfection every night, and I don't expect perfect shows on disc, but I WANT them on blu with exceptional sound. I don't care if they are full screen or wide screen (I don't know how they were filmed), but I want some shows on blu! I know the band was very fussy about releasing shows on cd but they released Nightfall of Diamonds even with Jerry's little MIDI bobble. So come on, guys, shows on blu! The market awaits...

Hey jvonl, The BlueRay description above specified High Res audio for the BlueRay, but not the DVD. I would have to assume they would not compress it, that would be the silliest snafu I have ever heard of.. but I don't take much for granted. I sent a pm about the previously released vids.

Are there any plans to release any of the Santa Clara shows?