Grateful Dead: Truckin Up to Buffalo

The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.

Drop out of school to ride with the Merry Pranksters. Form America’s most enduring jam band. Become a family man and father. Never stop chasing the muse. Bob Weir took his own path to and through superstardom as rhythm guitarist for The Grateful Dead. Mike Fleiss re-imagines the whole wild journey in this magnetic rock doc and concert film, with memorable input from bandmates, contemporaries, followers, family, and, of course, the inimitable Bob Weir himself.

The Grateful Dead performs live at Winterland in San Francisco in October 1974.

This project was done with humor, truth, and sarcasm. At the University of California, Santa Cruz, UCSC, where I went to college, there were many fans of The Grateful Dead. They called themselves Deadheads. I had not heard of the band before attending the school. I listened to the music, and I didn't understand why people felt so passionately about the band. I was intrigued. So in 1986, I decided to try and understand these people and the music they loved, and to create a video of my quest. This documentary project is the result. Enjoy.

Grateful Dead show on July 17, 1989 at Alpine Valley.

Set 1: Good Times(Sam Cooke cover) Scarlet Begonias(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Deal(Jerry Garcia cover) Black-Throated Wind(Bob Weir song) Dire Wolf(Grateful Dead cover) Bird Song(Jerry Garcia cover) Going Down the Road Feeling Bad([traditional] cover) Set 2: They Love Each Other(Jerry Garcia cover) (>) Terrapin Station(Grateful Dead cover) (>) He's Gone(Grateful Dead cover) (>) The Other One(Grateful Dead cover) (verse 1) (>) Drums(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Space(Grateful Dead cover) (> 'The Other One' verse 2 >) Days Between(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Turn On Your Love Light(Bobby “Blue” Bland cover) Encore: One More Saturday Night(Bob Weir song)

Jerry Garcia, legendary lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead and David Grisman, virtuoso mandolinist and founder of "Dawg" music… Now, for the first time ever, the musical matrimony and extraordinary friendship of Garcia and Grisman is traced in the award-winning documentary Grateful Dawg.

The Grateful Dead perform two live concerts in Oakland and Anaheim in 1987. Featuring the entire sets from both shows, View from the Vault 4 is a must-rent for the legions of Deadheads. Songs include "When Push Comes to Shove," "Funiculi Funicula," "Terrapin Station," "Throwing Stones" and many more.

Set 1: Good Times(Sam Cooke cover) Truckin'(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Smokestack Lightning(Howlin’ Wolf cover) (>) Deal(Jerry Garcia cover) Me and My Uncle(John Phillips cover) Dear Mr. Fantasy(Traffic cover) (>) Hey Jude(The Beatles cover) (coda only) (>) Terrapin Station(Grateful Dead cover) Don't Ease Me In(Henry Thomas cover) Set 2: Eyes of the World(Grateful Dead cover) Shakedown Street(Grateful Dead cover) (>) St. Stephen(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Cumberland Blues(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Drums(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Space(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Milestones(Miles Davis cover) (>) Days Between(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Sugar Magnolia(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Scarlet Begonias(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Sunshine Daydream(Grateful Dead cover) Encore: Going Down the Road Feeling Bad([traditional] cover)

Sunshine Daydream is a concert film starring the Grateful Dead. On a blistering summer day in 1972, the Grateful Dead took the stage on the grounds of the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta, Oregon. for what would become one of the most legendary concerts of the band’s storied history. Considered to be the Merry Pranksters last "Acid Test", the concert offers a snapshot of the band at the peak of its playing prowess. The setlist that day included memorable performance of "Sugaree, " "Deal, " "Black-Throated Wind, " "Greatest Story Ever Told, " "Bird Song" and a mind-melting version of "Dark Star" that stretches over 30 minutes. The show, which was recorded and filmed but never released, has since become the most-requested live show in Grateful Dead history. A digitally remastered and reedited official version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 17, 2013.

Set 1: Jam (>) Cassidy (Bob Weir song) (>) Deal (Jerry Garcia cover) Samson and Delilah ([traditional] cover) Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover) It Hurts Me Too (Tampa Red cover) Tennessee Jed (Grateful Dead cover) If I Had the World to Give (Grateful Dead cover) (>) Going Down the Road Feeling Bad ([traditional] cover) Set 2: Althea (Grateful Dead cover) Estimated Prophet (Grateful Dead cover) (>) China Cat Sunflower (Grateful Dead cover) (>) I Know You Rider ([traditional] cover) (>) Eyes of the World (Grateful Dead cover) (>) Drums (Grateful Dead cover) (with Oteil Burbridge) (>) Space (Grateful Dead cover) (>) Terrapin Station (Grateful Dead cover) (>) Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson cover)