DocFest kicks off this Thursday at 6pm at the Roxie with acclaimed Deadhead doc Summer Tour—and we want you to go for free! We’ve got 10 pair of tickets to give away to lucky readers. TO ENTER: Email marke@48hills.org by Wednesday at 5pm with the subject line “Summer Tour” and your full name and favorite Grateful Dead lyric in the body. Winners will be chosen at random and informed Wednesday night.
Good luck! And read our full DocFest preview here—there’s tons more great stuff to see through June 7.
ABOUT SUMMER TOUR: Part road movie, part communal portrait, Summer Tour rides shotgun with the swirling, endlessly misunderstood world of Deadheads as Dead & Company embarks on its final tour.
The film follows Jerry and Annie, a young couple who hit the road to immerse themselves in the vibrant, nomadic community that has long surrounded the music of the Grateful Dead. As they drift from dusty parking lots to packed stadiums, the couple busks, sells handmade clothes on Shakedown Street, and navigates the fragile economy and radical generosity of life “on the lot.”
As Jerry and Annie move from city to city, the film weaves a collective oral history from fan call-ins, stories, memories, and roadside reflections that span generations. Blending present-day footage with the mythology and emotional afterglow of the Grateful Dead legacy, Summer Tour captures a uniquely American pilgrimage. The result is a warmly crafted hang-out documentary that serves as a love letter to community, music, alternative lifestyles, and the increasingly radical act of gathering in real life.
