The catalog feels like an exam
A sprawling recording catalog, decades of lore, and strong opinions can make it easy to play the same famous date—or play nothing.
A welcoming path into the catalog
You do not need to know every era to find a show you love.
Start with a song, a date, or a year. LiveVault helps newer listeners find a recording, see the setlist and source details, and follow the thread without gatekeeping.
Free Archive-powered listening · Unofficial third-party client · The music stays free
The listening problem01 02 03
Less homework. More listening.
A date is not the whole answer
You still need to see the setlist, understand which recording you selected, and decide whether tonight is an audience, soundboard, or matrix listen.
The Archive is deep by design
The source collection is extraordinary, but its interface was not built as a guided first trip for a mobile listener.
What changes in LiveVault
Find it. Choose it. Keep the trail.
Start somewhere concrete
Browse by year and date, open Today in Dead, or choose from the curated 166-song browser.
See what you are choosing
Show pages surface setlists, ratings, reviews, download counts, quality cues, and available source types.
Keep the trail
Favorites, notes, playlists, playback resume, and full-show downloads make the next listen easier to find.
Straight answers
No fake ownership. No mystery paywall.
LiveVault streams Grateful Dead live recordings hosted by the Internet Archive. It does not host, rip, license, or sell those recordings.
Do I need to be a serious Deadhead?
No. LiveVault is designed to make the live catalog more approachable without pretending there is one correct path through it.
Is the music free?
Yes. The iOS app browses and streams Archive-hosted recordings for free. Live Guide is an optional LiveVault Pro feature; Pro does not paywall access to the tapes.
Your next listen