<P> Their first UK performance was at the Hollywood Music Festival in 1970 . Their largest concert audience came in 1973 when they played , along with the Allman Brothers Band and the Band , before an estimated 600,000 people at the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen . The 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records recognized them with a listing under the heading , `` most rock concerts performed '' ( 2,318 concerts ) . They played to an estimated total of 25 million people , more than any other band , with audiences of up to 80,000 attending a single show . Many of these concerts were preserved in the band 's tape vault , and several dozen have since been released on CD and as downloads . The Dead were known for the tremendous variation in their setlists from night to night -- the list of songs documented to have been played by the band exceeds 500 . The band has released four concert videos under the name View from the Vault . </P>
how many songs did the grateful dead play
songs documented to have been played by the band exceeds 500