sunshine

Grateful Dead Meet-Up at The Movies 2013
Sunshine Daydream
Veneta, OR 8/27/72 Concert
A special event in cinemas nationwide – August 1, 2013

Review by Lori Zook for Deadheadland.  Lori attended the San Rafael Regency showing, and it was packed!

New and improved Sunshine Daydream…….

Documenting the original Field Trip on 8/27/72, Sunshine Daydream goes well beyond concert film, and tells the story of one epic day in Veneta, OR. Hot in more ways than one – the temperature hit an unheard of 105 – the re-mastered film includes some of the highlights from a three-set show, and lets the viewer experience the intensity and ebbs and flows coursing through those who were gathered.

From an event that opened with the New Riders, and continued with three sets by the Grateful Dead, it’s fascinating to watch things unfold from multiple perspectives. Taking the stage in the full heat of the day, the music continues throughout a blazing afternoon until the sun is seen setting during Sing Me Back Home. The show actually continued beyond that, and I’m still wondering how everyone made it off the field in what must have been pitch darkness.

Some of the elements that brought the movie above and beyond: an added interview section at the beginning that gives context for those of us not lucky enough to be around in those days, and features Pranksters, Hog Farmers, Creamery staff, Band staff, and audience members. A benefit to help save the Springfield Creamery, the concert brought 20,000 people together in a daylong celebration of music and community.

Scenes like children running around everywhere, on and off the stage, made me nostalgic for a time I missed out on, since things had changed quite a bit by the time I boarded the bus in the early 80s. The film’s surreal nature is heightened by interstitial audio tracks from the crew and Prankster radios, where people in variously altered states discuss the water supply, among other details.

Thumbs up to the naked blonde dude hanging from a pole right behind Jerry throughout Jack Straw and Bird Song, singing along. I also loved the dedication to the late John Norris, an amazing man, who was a huge force behind the film. I saw an earlier version of this film, and it was pretty interesting. This enhanced version of the audio and video – along with the bonus interviews – is stellar.

 

Sunshine Daydream is being released on DVD and Blu-Ray and you can order it from www.dead.net

 

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