THE WAIT IS OVER NOW: DEAD'S LEGENDARY 1978 SHOW CD/DVD

Good things come to those who wait! Finally, 30 years after the Dead's legendary September 1978 run at the Sound & Light Theater, outside Cairo, nestled in the dunes just a short mummy-walk from the Great Pyramid and the mysterious Sphinx, the footage becomes available to the public.

Rocking the Cradle: Grateful Dead, Egypt 1978, which includes two music CDs and a DVD with over 95 minutes of concert footage from the Egypt shows (plus a "Vacation Tapes" mini-documentary that shows the band and Dead family at play) will be available everywhere on September 30.

Much has been written about this storied adventure. About the band's long-standing desire to play in "places of power," as Phil put it years ago. About the incredible logistical gymnastics necessary to get permission for this strangest of American rock bands to bring their peculiar alchemy to the cradle of the ancient world. About the sheer magnitude of shipping in tons of sound equipment, maxing out the local power grid and the wondrous interplay at each of the three concerts between Nubian drummers and singers and the Grateful Dead. And of course, about the miraculous final show, during a total lunar eclipse.

The three Egypt concerts - September 14, 15, 16, 1978 - were captured on a 24-track tape recorder with an eye towards putting out a live album to help defray the (considerable) cost of the expedition. When the Dead got home, however, they discovered that the tapes of all of the first night and part of the second were not useable because of technical problems.

Full tracklisting next page.

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