Most live albums released

Excluding bootleg recordings, rock band the Grateful Dead (USA) have released 233 full-length live albums since 1969 – the majority of which have appeared since they disbanded in 1995 after the death of their legendary guitarist/vocalist Jerry Garcia (b. 1942). A host of retrospective live albums have seen the light of day since 1991, including archived concert recordings in the Dick’s Picks (1993–2005), Road Trips (2007–11) and Dave’s Picks (2012–present) series, plus 13 albums in the Grateful Dead Download Series that were issued exclusively on the band’s website and on iTunes in 2005–06. Their most recent live album, Dave’s Picks, Volume 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 3/20/81 & 3/21/81 was released on 31 October 2025 and became their 129th album in total (including studio recordings) to reach the US Billboard 200, debuting at No.25 on the chart dated 15 November.

All 233 albums are wholly live recordings that have been released on vinyl, CD or digitally. The Dead were responsible for many more albums that combined studio and live recordings, but these have been excluded to avoid the need for a contentious qualifying percentage for live material. No DVD releases have been included. Multi-disc releases (e.g., box sets) are featured if the entire running order is made up of live tracks.

As of 15 November 2025, the albums can be broadly categorized as miscellaneous (109 albums, 1969–2024), Dick’s Picks (36 albums, 1993–2005), Grateful Dead Download Series (13 albums, 2005–06), Road Trips (19 albums, 2007–11) and Dave’s Picks (56 albums, 2012–25).

Formed in Palo Alto, California, the Grateful Dead were active from 1965 to 1995 and were renowned for their varied set lists. They reportedly performed in excess of 500 different songs at more than 2,000 concerts. The band attracted dedicated fans (known as “Dead Heads”) who would follow them from concert to concert, often for weeks or months on end.

The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.