Courtesy of The Grateful DeadThe core surviving members of The Grateful Dead will bring the group’s long, strange trip to a close this weekend with a three-show stand at Chicago’s Soldier Field that begins tonight. The band’s brief Fare Thee Well Tour, which also included a pair of concerts last weekend in Santa Clara, California, features Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann performing alongside Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti of Weir’s side group RatDog.
Fans who couldn’t score tickets to the sold-out Chicago gigs still have plenty of options if they want to watch the shows live. All three shows will be simulcast live in various movie theaters and music venues across the U.S., and also will be available as a high-definition pay-per-view broadcast via satellite and cable providers, and on mobile devices. In addition, the concerts will be webcast at YouTube.com/Dead50. The YouTube stream, which is priced at $29.95 per show, can be viewed on almost any web-connected device, including Android and iOS mobile devices, Samsung and Panasonic smart TVs and Xbox360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and WiiU game systems.
In related news, a massive audio and video box set documenting the Chicago concerts called Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead is scheduled for release on November 20, and will be available exclusively through Dead.net. The package will feature 12 CDs and seven DVDs or Blu-ray discs, and also will include a bonus disc of behind-the-scenes footage shot by filmmaker Justin Kreutzmann, son of Bill Kreutzmann. Other smaller-sized versions of the Fare Thee Well collection also will be sold by a variety of retailers.
You can check out a complete guide to the Fare Thee Well festivities, including a rundown of the ways you can watch the July 3, 4 and 5 concerts, at Dead.net/50.
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