Another Grateful Dead tradition comes of age — go figure. The sixth annual Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies is set for May 11, with the screening of an unreleased concert from July 1989.
The Dead movie night again comes via the band’s label, Rhino, and the cinema one-off specialist Fathom Events.
The main event is the entire Dead concert from Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, dating back to July 2, 1989. It was the “tour-opening show from what would be one of the Dead’s best tours of their final 15 years of performing,” organizers say.
Key tracks at the Sullivan Stadium show included 12 minutes of “Friend of the Devil,” a rare opening of “Playin’ in the Band,” and “Eyes of the World.”
The gig featured an extra helping of psychedelic-era covers, including “Queen Jane Approximately,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “Hey Jude” and “The Mighty Quinn.”
Meet-Up at the Movies extras include footage from Dead & Company’s fall tour, with interviews, as well as comments from band archivist David Lemieux about an upcoming Dead box set (below).
The show starts 7 p.m. local time, with tickets at $12.50.
Last year’s Dead movie night was a show from 1989, at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin.
In other Dead doings …
Mid-may sees the release of another whopper of a box set, this time “July 1978: The Complete Recordings.” The hook is the “first official release from the long-lost ‘Betty Boards,’ recently returned to the Grateful Dead’s vault.” (Read about the tapes and the story of Betty Cantor-Jackson.) These are all soundboard recordings, newly remastered by Jeffrey Norman. Shows include Kansas City, St. Paul and the band’s debut at Red Rocks.
“July 1978” is limited to 15,000 numbered copies. Downloads also will be sold separately. Going rate for the boxed set at dead.net is $130.
Record Store Day 2016 brings us the vinyl “Live from the “Capitol Theatre, Passaic NJ 4/25/77.” This one comes in a “two-piece box including four 180-gram LPs.” Key tracks include “Lazy Lightning,” “Deal” and “Estimated Prophet.” From Rhino. The run is limited to 7,700 copies. RSD is April 16.
May 20 sees release of “Day of the Dead,” an alternative music tribute to the band. Artists doing songs long associated with the Dead include Courtney Barnett (“New Speedway Boogie”), the National (“Morning Dew”), the Flaming Lips (“Dark Star”) and Lucinda Williams (“Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad”). About six hours of music, “created and curated” by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National. For charity.
Real Gone Music, meanwhile, concludes its reissues of the Dick’s Picks series, with “Volume One: Tampa, Florida, 12/19/73.” Key tracks include “Here Comes Sunshine” and the rarely performed “Nobody’s Fault but Mine.” Available May 6 in a two-CD set. Hat tip to Real Gone for reissuing all 36 editions of the Dick’s Picks titles.
And the Dead & Company tour keeps the reunion vibes flowing beginning June 10 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The band makes its way across the country, ending up in Mountain View, California, on July 30.