Grateful Dead's 'Meet-Up At The Movies' Returns To Theaters Tonight April 19, 2017 22:45

Tonight only, movie theaters across the country will host screenings of The Grateful Dead Movie in honor of the film's 40th anniversary. A short feature of the band's performance at Barton Hall (Cornell University) on May 8th, 1977 will also be shown prior to the film.  The Grateful Dead Movie, released in 1977 and co-directed by Jerry Garcia and Leon Gast, is a film that captures the Dead during an five-night run at Winterland in San Francisco in October of 1974.  The film features Dead classics such as “Dark Star,” “U.S. Blues,” “One More Saturday Night,” “Casey Jones,” “Playing In The Band” and “Sugar Magnolia."  Click here to find your theater and purchase tickets in advance.

These concerts marked the beginning of a hiatus, with the October 20, 1974 show billed as "The Last One". The band would return to touring in 1976. The film features the "Wall of Sound" concert sound system that the Dead used for all of 1974. The movie also portrays the burgeoning Deadhead scene. Two albums have been released in conjunction with the film and the concert run: Steal Your Face and The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack.

Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies is an annual event that began in 2011. At the Meet-Up, which occurs at multiple locations in the United States, concert videos and films of the rock band the Grateful Dead are shown in movie theaters. Each yearly screening occurs only one time. Fathom Events organizes and manages the presentations. The event provides a venue and opportunity for the band's fans, known as deadheads, to gather in celebration and camaraderie.

Check out the official trailer for the 40th anniversary screening here: