The nature the phenomenon of, perhaps, the greatest truly American rock band of our era is also one of the most nuanced and difficult happenings in the history of music. The music itself is the greatest clue and even in and of itself it really doesn't reveal the singular reason for The Grateful Dead's "Long Strange Trip". If cornered I'd say it is something the music triggered inside of the listener which put in motion a revolution of sorts. This six-part documentary goes a long way in explaining everything else that was integral in this truly emotional journey of the band and it's fans.
Since only those who were there along the way can best tell an insiders viewpoints it is fortunate the story is told with ample footage and interviews of the actual band members. Added to this is a number of the employees and record executives giving invaluable related insights. This is truly an insider's look into the journey. It's very sensibly put together and told using a, mostly, linear timeline. The interesting flow is quite enlightening and entertaining making a six-part series feel much more concise and compact. I watched it all in one setting without a break. That says a lot for the care and excellence in the telling of the story.
This isn't suppose to be an examination of the actual songs and while we get some of that there should be no distress in what songs were, in part, included or not mentioned. It's more about the things going on around the music and I think, since the music speaks loudly for itself, this is perfect. This is, perhaps, the only band that played for four decades that never broke up and only took breaks to rest, regroup, and revitalize. That is a big thing of course. The bigger thing here becomes, in time, to be the phenomenon behind the phenomenon. Of course I'm referring to the most fervent music fans the world has ever seen...The Deadheads. Going back to what birthed the following behind the young band it was rooted in what emotionally happens inside each listener. Though that would be different for every individual what was universal was how it bound the fans together. It became a social brother and sisterhood no band had tapped. Though fruitless to objectively explain it you see how it grew and how the band received something equally intangible that kept it going. It was amazing and as good as this film is it can not replace being at even one Dead concert let alone the thousands the band logged. For film, however, it truly gives one a glimpse of something amazing no one truly understood.
The Dead's production company and archivists did an impeccable job here. This is truly on the level this great music and singular band deserves. The platform and support of Amazon is to be applauded for making this available to a wide audience. Along with many books on Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead this documentary will be a integral piece of the preservation of a musical phenomenon that was and will remain never to be duplicated. Even the other undisputed greatest rock band, The Beatles, didn't birth the emotions and camaraderie which is "Long Strange Trip". Because of this I say even if you are not a fan you should see it...And, if you're a fan it's hard to see how one couldn't be amazed and pleased to have so much insight and information brought to the screen in one documentary.
