Grateful Dead: Backstage Pass

Backstage Pass
Backstage Pass video tape cover
Directed by	Justin Kreutzmann
Produced by	Gillian Grisman
Starring	Grateful Dead
Edited by	Bill Weber Justin Kreutzmann
Distributed by	Grateful Dead Productions
Release dates	1992 (1992)
Running time	35 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Backstage Pass is a music documentary video by the Grateful Dead. It was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, the son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and produced by Gillian Grisman, the daughter of musician David Grisman. It was released in 1992, and is 35 minutes long.

Segments of the video

As the name implies, Backstage Pass provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Grateful Dead. Each of its six segments has a Dead song performance as its soundtrack. The visuals are a mixture of footage of the band from all eras up to the time the video was made, combined with footage of the song performances themselves, along with some computer animation.

1. "Hard to Handle", sung by Pigpen at a concert in the early '70s. The visuals are a montage of onstage and offstage footage of the Grateful Dead from all eras, focusing on the early days of the band.
2. "Fearless Groove", a studio version of "Drums" performed by Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, combined with footage of the Dead from all eras.
3. "The Other One", performed in concert at the Great Pyramid of Giza on September 14, 1978. The visuals combine clips from the performance with the band's "home movies" of their visit to Egypt.
4. "Easy to Love You", a concert performance of the song written and sung by Brent Mydland, combined with footage of the Dead, most of it then relatively recent.
5. "She Belongs to Me", a studio version performed by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Phil Lesh. Garcia and Weir play acoustic guitars and trade off singing verses of the song. The visuals consist entirely of the song performance and are in black-and-white.
6. "Infrared Roses Revisited", a concert performance of the free form improvisation "Space". This version is the track called "Magnesium Night Light" from the album Infrared Roses. The visuals are a computer animation of abstract forms and Grateful Dead related imagery. (See Infrared Sightings.)

Track listing

• "Hard to Handle" (Jones, Isbell, Redding)
• "Fearless Groove" (Hart, Kreutzmann)
• "The Other One" (Weir, Kreutzmann)
• "Easy to Love You" (Mydland)
• "She Belongs to Me" (Dylan)
• "Infrared Roses Revisited" (Garcia, Hart, Healy, Kreutzmann, Lesh, Mydland, Weir, Bralove)

Credits

Grateful Dead

• Jerry Garcia
• Mickey Hart
• Bill Kreutzmann
• Phil Lesh
• Bob Weir
• Vince Welnick
• Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
• Keith Godchaux
• Donna Godchaux
• Brent Mydland
• Tom Constanten
• Bruce Hornsby

Production

• Justin Kreutzmann – director
• Gillian Grisman – producer
• John Cutler – music producer
• Bob Bralove – sound designer
• Xaos – animation
• Bill Weber, Justin Kreutzmann – editors
• Fine Line Design – package design
• Annette Flowers – special thanks

References

• Grateful Dead: Backstage Pass at AllMovie
• Backstage Pass at AllMusic
• Backstage Pass at the Grateful Dead Family Discography
• Scott, John W; Dolgushkin, Mike; Nixon, Stu. DeadBase XI: The Complete Guide to Grateful Dead Song Lists, 1999, DeadBase, ISBN 1-877657-22-0, p. 122