Grateful Dead series Long Strange Trip debuts today on Amazon Video.
The 4.5-hour tribute, split into five parts, looks at how the band defied the odds to become one of the biggest bands in the world.
They were formed in 1965 by founding members Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann.
Over the next 30 years they sold more than 35 million albums, performing and recording until the death of Garcia in 1995.
Long Strange Trip looks at how they evolved as a band, how it was run, and what it meant to those involves.
It includes footage of them in their heyday as well as interviews with surviving band members and those who were close to them.
The series is split into six sections. The first It’s Alive, looks at how the band formed and how they made a commitment to continually evolve over time.
Part two, This Is Now, reveals how they found success on their own terms after initially scuppering their chances at superstardom.
Part three, Let’s Go Get In The Band, looks at who exactly made up “the band”, and whether it was more a phenomenon — as the edges between the band and the fans was constantly blurred.
Part four, Who’s In Charge Here? looks at how Garcia wanted no leader so that everyone was always on equal terms, but how this led to issues for the band.
Part five, Dead Heads, looks at the band as they move into the 1980s and how the band and their fans dealt with the changes in the world around them.
Part six, It Becomes Everything, rounds out the tale. Watch the trailer below…
Long Strange Trip is available on Amazon Video now.