The Grateful Dead share bonus material from “The Grateful Dead Movie” [Watch]

This week was the 50th anniversary of the Gratefully deadhas run Winterland Ballroom what became The Grateful Dead movie. To celebrate the landmark five-night run in San Francisco, the band shared 83 minutes of bonus material that ended up on the cutting room floor.

By 1974, the Grateful Dead had become a touring behemoth, a lumbering beast of burden enhanced by the revolutionary but highly impractical Wall of Sound PA system. While Jerry García, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzman, Phil Lesh, Keith GodchauxAnd Donna Jean Godchaux They were playing some of the best shows of their careers at this point and were exhausted. The band decided to take a hiatus of indefinite length and take a break from touring in 1975. Before that, however, the Dead decided to stage a (for now) farewell tour at the Winterland Ballroom from October 16th to 20th and release it for a theatrical release.

Directed by Garcia and released June 1, 1977, The Grateful Dead film includes iconic performances of the classics “US Blues”, “Truckin'”, “Playing in the Band”, “Stella Blue” and “Morning Dew” and shows the band at the top of their game. Between songs, viewers got a quick glimpse into the world, from the road crew to the people who made the Grateful Dead possible Bill Graham to the Deadheads themselves, including ticketless crowds who needed miracles and those who had been looking for a front row seat all week.

Associated with: Trey Anastasio, Bob Weir, Eric Clapton, Mavis Staples, More cover the band on Robbie Robertson Tribute [Videos]

With over 100,000 feet of footage, there was a lot of footage that didn’t make it into the 132 minute running time. When the Dead released the film on DVD in 2004, they included the same bonus material that the band uploaded to their official YouTube channel on Wednesday. The additional video includes sing-along favorites “Uncle John’s Band,” “Sugaree” and the pairing “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider,” as well as some extended performances that show The Dead at an improvisational peak. The band’s instrumental prowess is evident in an otherworldly “The Other One” > “Spanish Jam” > “Mind Left Body Jam” > “The Other One”, a jammed “Scarlet Begonias” and finally a primal “Dark Star”. ends with an atmospheric drum solo from Bill Kreutzmann.

Check out the additional footage from The Grateful Dead movie Below, along with an HD remastered cut of the film, available on the band’s YouTube channel.

The Grateful Dead film Bonus performances – October 1974

The Grateful Dead film

The grateful dead Film bonus material tracklist

0:07 – Uncle John’s Band
8:55 – Sugaree
17:51 – The Other One > Jam > Other One
33:43 – Scarlet Begonias
48:44 – China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider
1:04:00 – Dark Star