You know, power that's been preserved from the ancient world. Describing the planning, bassist Phil Lesh said, 'It sort of became my project because I was one of the first people in the band who was on the trip of playing at places of power. Through Wallace's introduction to Joe Malone, a professor at the American University of Beirut who was formerly with the State Department, the trio had made contacts with the Egyptian government. Following some on-the-ground research by Trist's close friend Jonathan Wallace and his meeting with Jehan Sadat, the then- First Lady of Egypt, Loren returned with bassist Phil Lesh and Alan Trist to meet with officials and begin the paperwork and logistics process. The idea for the concerts had its origins in an Egyptian vacation taken by band manager Richard Loren. It also includes 'The Vacation Tapes', a 15-minute feature, from footage originally shot on 8mm silent film, of band members, crew and friends visiting various Egyptian sites. The DVD contains concert footage (all of which is represented either on the two CDs or the bonus disc) from the September 16 performance. The shows on the album were recorded on a 24-track multitrack recorder and were mixed down to stereo for the album's release.Ī bonus disc of additional tracks from the dates was included with early copies of the album. This was the third continent on which the band performed, having previously performed in Europe.

The album was recorded September 15 & 16, 1978, at the Giza pyramid complex in Giza, Egypt. It contains two CDs and one DVD and was released in 2008.

Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 is a live album by American rock band the Grateful Dead.

Grateful dead poster font