The Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies returns Aug. 1, unspooling the band’s July 7, 1989, session at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.
The Dead provided a rousing farewell to the aging sports stadium, which was just days away from being condemned by the city. Fans risked the crumbling facility to hear highlights such as “Little Red Rooster,” “Estimated Prophet,” “Hell in a Bucket” and the concluding “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”
The Meet-Up at the Movies event is now in its eighth year, as put on by pay-per-view specialist Fathom Events and Dead distributor Rhino Entertainment. More than 500 cinemas nationwide will screen the Dead movie at 7 p.m. local time.
Along with the usual suspects, the Dead of 1989 included longtime keyboard player Brent Mydland, who was in his last year of life.
The concert is known to casual Dead fans via its release from 2010 as the triple-CD album “Crimson White & Indigo.” The CD set also included a DVD of the concert. The complete video, said to be remastered for the Meet-Up, was directed by Len Dell’Amico (“Truckin’ Up to Buffalo,” “Dead Ahead”). Most Meet-Ups have featured the debut of live Dead videos but at worst the 2018 session offers an opportunity to see the concert on a big screen.
“For nearly a decade now, fans have looked forward to the summer to get together with ‘family’ in movie theaters across the nation for the annual ‘meet-up,’ ” Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said. “We’re proud to partner with Rhino again this year to bring this special event, featuring one of America’s most treasured rock bands, to some of the world’s most devoted fans.”
In other Grateful Dead news, the band’s label has set “Pacific Northwest ’73-’74: The Complete Recordings” for Sept. 7. Six complete shows on 19 CDs. Limited edition of 15,000. And a three-CD compilation of highlights from the motherlode. Also available on release day for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC (on dead.net).