Nate: Exactly.
Nate
Continued from page 6
Nate: Yeah, that’s right. Most mobile
devices, obviously computers, television.
Although the mobile app is one component
that we’re still sort of working on with a
couple of different partners.
IE: As far as cataloging the show, do you
anticipate that at some point the shows
will be made available for purchase?
Nate: When does this publication come out?
IE: We should be on newsstands by July 1st.
Nate: Okay. Yeah they’re going to announce
DVD packages in late June (Editor’s note: that
announcement was indeed made on June 25th
before IE went to press). So that announcement
should be out by the time your (July) issue is
out.
IE: Far be it for us to steal your thunder.
Nate: Yeah, I appreciate that (laughs)!
IE: Does any of this surprise you? The band
07•2015
IE: Back in early May, you offered a pre-sale
with a discounted price on all five shows.
What was the traffic like for that?
NP: It was very large. Typically, when we do
these events, you don’t see a lot of action
until the day of the show. I would say the
standard number of people wait until closer
to showtime to buy in. We usually see about
10% of our total sales for a show about two
hours before a show. We’ve already passed
that for this event.
IE: Last minute purchases would seem to
make sense. It’s not like you guys flip the
"Sold Out" sign on the box office.
14 illinoisentertainer.com july 2015
hasn’t played a note in almost 20 years
under the Grateful Dead moniker, they’ve
been around for 50 years and they are the
summer’s hottest ticket.
Nate: I think that’s the interesting thing, and
it’s interesting how much anticipation there
is. It’s amazing how much weight that name
(Grateful Dead) carries, how much significance there is in that name and that brand. It
really is an institution.
IE: So with everything you’ll be busy doing,
will you get to see the shows? Are you
almost so involved that the whole event
sort of passes you by on a television screen
or a hard drive?
Nate: I’ve talked about it a lot actually. I’m
hoping that by the second set of the last
night, I might be able to wade out into the
crowd and film myself (laughs).
IE: Well, I hope your free time comes well
before the final second set. After all your
hard work, you sound like a guy who
deserves more than one set.
Nate: At this point, I’ll be happy with whatever I get.
Live Alliance will air the Grateful Dead
original members' concerts at Soldier
Field (July 3, 4, 5) in high-definition via a
live Pay-Per-View broadcast in North
America and worldwide. Visit Dead50.net
for details.
Curt Baran