Grateful Dead Movie Meet-Up To Screen Unreleased 1989 D.C. Concert
RFK Stadium show will play in movie theaters nationwide for one night only in August
The Grateful Dead are prepping their previously unreleased 1989 concert in Washington D.C. for this year’s Meet-Up at the Movies event. Richard McCaffrey/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
The Grateful Dead will screen their previously unreleased July 12th, 1989 concert at Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium in movie theaters nationwide August 1st. Screenings for the band’s seventh annual Meet-Up at the Movies event will begin at 7 p.m. local time.
Organizers Fathom Events and Rhino Entertainment released a 30-second trailer for the Meet-Up featuring snippets of the Dead performing tracks like “New Minglewood Blues” and “Touch of Grey.” A list of participating theaters and tickets are available via the Fathom website.
The 1989 RFK show came in the middle of a busy year for the Grateful Dead, during which they played 74 shows and cemented their place as the third-biggest rock and roll concert attraction after the Rolling Stones and the Who. Still, the band often faced opposition when they rolled through town, including a Washington D.C. councilwoman, who represented the neighborhood surrounding RFK Stadium and lobbied against the show before ultimately reversing her position.
The concert at RFK notably featured a rare first set occurrence, with all four of the Dead’s lead singers performing at least one song. During set two, Bruce Hornsby joined the band for two tracks, “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” and “Sugaree,” which also served as an atypical set two opener. The concert film also includes one of the only versions of “Black Muddy River” recorded on video.
Earlier this year, the Grateful Dead celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1977 concert film The Grateful Dead Movie with a nationwide screening event.
Members of the Dead and John Mayer are currently on tour as Dead and Company. The outfit will wrap their trek with a two-night stand at Wrigley Field in Chicago June 30th and July 1st.