Grateful Dead Gives All-Time ‘Shakedown Street’ Performance Official Release

The Grateful Dead just officially released audio of an all-time “Shakedown Street” performance. The 15-minute rendition, recorded at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on June 30, 1985, has long been regarded by Deadheads as one of the finest versions of the song and is featured on the band’s forthcoming Summer Magic 1985 box set.

Fans were excited to learn the legendary “Shakedown Street” would be included when the 20-CD collection was announced last month. The audio has now arrived as the latest preview of the set, which will be released on September 18 via Rhino.

The Merriweather “Shakedown Street” has been in the conversation for the greatest version of the title track from the Grateful Dead’s 1978 studio album for more than 40 years. Fans voted the June 30, 1985 performance to the top of the list of the song’s best versions in multiple editions of the DeadBase book. Grateful Dead Legacy Manager and Archivist David Lemieux has also described the take as “widely considered one of the greatest single performances of any song by the Grateful Dead.”

It’s easy to hear why.

The performance begins with the band locked tightly into the song before Jerry Garcia gradually opens the door to a sprawling improvisational passage. The guitarist fires off one inspired lick after another as the rest of the Dead follows his lead. When Garcia settles into an anthemic riff, his bandmates quickly latch onto the idea and propel the jam toward an exhilarating peak. Keyboardist Brent Mydland’s playing is especially on point throughout.

The June 30 performance came during the Grateful Dead’s 20th Anniversary Tour, which Summer Magic 1985 documents with seven previously unreleased complete shows. The collection begins with the band’s official 20th anniversary concerts at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on June 14 – 16 and continues with performances at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 27, Hershey Park Stadium on June 28 and Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 30 and July 1.

Recorded by Dan Healy and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer David Glasser, Summer Magic 1985 will arrive as a limited-edition physical box set housed in a custom, individually numbered box. The package features artwork by Marcos Alvarado and design by Pablo Valdez and Steve Vance, along with new essays by Nicholas G. Meriwether and David Lemieux.

Only 10,000 physical copies of the collection will be produced. ALAC and High-Res FLAC downloads will also be available beginning September 18. The June 30, 1985 Merriweather show is also set for standalone release on CD, vinyl and digital on September 18.

For Deadheads who have spent decades trading opinions about the greatest “Shakedown Street,” one of the most celebrated versions of the song can finally be heard in officially released form.

Stream below to check it out for yourself: