Product Description

Music by Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia, appearances by Babatunde Olatunji, Merl Saunders, Wavy Gravy, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann

Written & Directed By: Brent Meeske For 30 years, Jerry Garcia played guitar and sang for the Grateful Dead, and by doing so, inspired a modern cultural phenomenon – the legions of nomadic fans that made a communal way of life out of following Jerry and the Dead – the Deadheads. "The End of the Road" began shooting just 3 months before Garcia’s Death in 1995 – documenting ‘life on the road’ with this family of bohemian wanderers – on what would be the final tour with Jerry and the Dead. That summer the road came to an end back where it all began – in San Francisco – where thousands gathered one last time for eulogies from bandmates, friends and family at the memorial for Jerry Garcia.

DVD Features: Uncut Memorial Ceremony, Extended Merl Saunders Interview, Follow-up Interviews, Deleted/Extended Scenes, Original Press Kit

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46333 in DVD
• Brand: GRATEFUL DEAD
• Released on: 2005-07-05
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Missoula Independent
"Mandatory viewing for all DeadHeads!"

The San Francisco Chronicle
"A loving tribute"

The Village Voice
"The Citizen Kane of fan docs"

Customer Reviews

"Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right" - Robert Hunter
The summer tour that this film captures was filled with many problems. I saw shows during this tour and unfortunately, there were harmful elements that I witnessed that had encroached into the community that followed the Grateful Dead. I commend the filmmaker for showing an honest perspective without sanitizing the negatives. I appreciated that the film also avoided sensationalizing events such as when unruly fans crashed through the fence at Deer Creek Amphitheatre. This could have been easily exploited with a drawn out examination for dramatic effect but instead it lasted less than two minutes. In the next scene, the film presents a very inspiring sequence where older Deadheads take accountability for not properly educating the new generation of fans. The determination of those interviewed to confront the problems on tour was very uplifting. Tragically, their vision was never realized as life following the Grateful Dead ended with Jerry's untimely death. Without a doubt, the closing scenes of fans gathered to celebrate Jerry's life makes this film worth purchasing. I highly recommend this film not only for Deadheads but more importantly for younger fans who have adopted the nomadic lifestyle of following the next generation of bands. There are lessons in this film to be learned, gathered and passed on.

Sad
The final tour of the Grateful Dead was fated in many ways. It was a dark tour that forshadowed The End. This documentary accurately captures that mood of the final tour. There were some great moments, but overall, it was very sad because it focuses on probably the most negative period of the Dead's 30 year trip. The movie left me depressed. Personally, I'm glad I saw it but would rather spend my time watching some of the better moments of the Dead, like the new Grateful Dead Movie DVD that has some amazing bonus song footage. Many of us like to celebrate the Dead and the final tour does not have much for us to celebrate. On the other hand, it accurately follows what has become history and there are many great moments. My favorite part was the bonus footage of the Jerry Garcia Memorial Service. That, alone, makes this a worthy purchase for a Deadhead. But if you are unfamiliar with the Grateful Dead, this is not a good place to start.

like bad home movie footage
I was eagerly anticipating this one but was left sorely disappointed. I give it two stars, just because seeing the remaining band members give speeches at funeral/celebration was interesting. But really, the first hour of this documentary is pretty bad. It's shot with a cam corder, albeit a decent one, and it's essentially a series of interviews with heads in the parking lot. All the cliches are there... the tiedye shirtmaker, the people who haven't showered since god knows when... don't get me wrong, I'm a huge head myself, but this wasn't worth watching. The time period was 3 months before Jerry's death until his death. But there's no footage of the band playing. None. I guess that's what I wanted most, not home movies of parking lot interviews. Even a little concert footage would have gone a long way. Sorry, my two cents. I absolutely loved "Downhill from here" and "Truckin up to Buffalo", both DVDs from 1989 concerts.