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[upbeat music]
[♪]
[wind howling]
[man 1] Dreams are funny, aren't they?
Some are good, some are bad, some replay the past,
but some give us what you need to move forward in life.
It was the last type of dream I had on the anniversary
of my mother passing,
the dream of my next Kenny Royce on the Scene story.
This dream was full of happy people,
dancing like no one was watching,
like my mom.
[projector whirring]
[man 1] At her wake, they showed footage of her dancing,
and the image of her living free kept playing on a loop
over the words my stepdad Zeke said.
My mom always said that living her days
as a Deadhead were the best days of her life.
I remember ever since I was a kid,
she told me stories of how the Deadheads lived.
[man 1] Deadheads were a mobile tribe of people
who lived on the land guided by their own rules
and followed the Grateful Dead incessantly.
Year after year, selling their wares to survive
just to see another show.
They were folk in search of something beyond themselves
that they found in music and in lyrics,
so they created their own world to be part of it.
I dreamt of being there amongst the people,
living that life of music and travel.
This was it!
This was the story I needed to tell the world.
This was my next Kenny Royce on the Scene,
but bigger.
A big-scene journal showing life as a Deadhead,
walking in my mother's footsteps across the USA.
[vehicle whooshing]
[man 1] So when Dead & Company announced
this was the last time they were going on tour,
I felt this was my last chance to be on the scene.
Hi, this is Kenny Royce on the Scene.
What is going on with these fucking birds?
[birds chirping]
[Kenny] That's what I do.
I film stories on location as I see them.
I've done a ton of stories, filmed on my phone,
put up on the internet, but this dream was different.
It wasn't about bad housing conditions
or how to never judge a taco by its price.
It was about living my mom's dream
and living the human experience in the world of the Dead,
to find the real story behind these fans
and their way of life.
[upbeat music]
♪ Taco price unfair now
♪ It's Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
♪ Birds up in your head now, now ♪
♪ Kenny Royce on the Scene
♪ I'll take it to the next level ♪
♪ 'Cause I got a big dream
♪ That my mama gave me now
♪ Yeah, this is My Dead Summer ♪
♪ So come on along with Kenny Royce on the Scene, yeah ♪
♪ Ha, ha, it's Kenny Rodgers Royce, y'all ♪
♪ Come on, it's My Dead Summer ♪
♪ Everybody now, My Dead Summer ♪
♪ Oh, My Dead Summer
♪ My Dead Summer
[Kenny] My first day on tour with Dead & Company
is in my hometown of Los Angeles.
After the last four LA shows in December of 1994,
my mother hung up her dancing Dead shoes
and decided to settle down to raise me
in the City of Angels.
She said it was perfect timing since she was about to pop
and the tour was on its last leg.
She named me Kenny Rodgers Royce.
Kenny Rodgers, thinking its gambling spirit
might give me a little luck in life.
My last name Royce is after my father,
whom my mom met on the Dead tour.
She said that they always did it in a Rolls-Royce,
but couldn't be certain.
[projector whirring]
We're on the scene, and we are going to see LA Dead.
I decided to leave our production dog, Lily Pad,
at home for the first two shows
so I can really immerse myself in the Dead culture.
So I ventured out with my small film crew.
Now, they didn't wanna use their real names,
I don't know why,
but I got around to calling them Defer 1 and Defer 2.
They're called Defer
because they'll work for deferred pay.
It's basically a fancy way of saying
that they'll get paid later on a release date.
It's a complicated movie business thing,
but they're very still much professional, though.
Can you open the fucking door for me, please?
[upbeat music]
On the Scene with Kenny Royce.
[indistinct speech]
This is Kenny Royce.
Kenny Royce, this is On the Scene.
This is, uh... This is LA.
This is-- this is-- this is Dead & Company.
Most amazing thing I think that I've ever put myself into.
Let's walk around.
What is up with the... What is up with these balloons?
[indistinct chatter]
How you guys doin'?
[woman 1] Huh?
I-- I said I-- I was asking how you guys are doing.
From there, it was time to head to a place
they call Shakedown Street, the main Deadhead hangout.
[upbeat music]
[indistinct chatter]
This is essentially what Shakedown Street
is all about.
Everybody sells merchandise,
a lot of balloons that are happening.
Just when you see somebody with this,
it means, um, they need a ticket.
As I walked through the sea of people,
I felt like Odysseus on his journey in The Odyssey.
- [man 2] Yeah? - Like--
[man 2] yeah, yeah, it's like a-- like an oat bar
kind of a thing, and then it's got weed in it.
Oh, yeah?
[man 2] Yeah. It's a good ball.
It's oat cheese on it.
So, o-- it's o-- it's o--
[man 2] These guys are making [overlapping speech]
Where-- where-- where-- where are these guys--
- Where are these guys set up? - [man 2] Right here.
He's making grilled cheese and then shit.
Oh, oh, this-- that-- that guy right there?
[man 2] Yeah, yeah.
Thank-- thank you, guys. Thank you, guys.
Uh, my name is Kenny.
[Mitch] Kenny, Mitch. Nice to meet you.
Mi-- Mitch. Mitch.
- [Mitch] Yeah. - Thank you.
[Mitch] Have a great concert.
I do-- I-- what do you think--
What do you think they're gonna open with?
- Probably-- is that-- is that... - [Kenny] [indistinct speech]
- No, yeah. - Same, same.
I think they're gonna open up--
♪ West LA
[together] ♪ Fadeaway
♪ Doo, doo, doo
That's what I'd like to see.
Hey, have a good show. Check the band out.
[Kenny] And just as he was drawn to the singing of the sirens,
I, too, was mesmerized
by the lost cacophony of music, chatter,
popping balloons, and nitrous hiss.
Whip it, whip it, whip it.
[Kenny] I stopped to think about what it would be like
for my mom, as she lived her life as a Deadhead.
[Kenny] What do you do?
Well, I was here, and 'cause I wasn't selling nitrous--
- [indistinct speech] - They made me go in my car.
[Kenny] Okay. [overlapping speech]
So that's like-- uh-oh.
Uh, they are-- they're gonna be here.
We are filming.
Uh, so but, Melanie, tell me about--
Melanie?
Tell me about...
My name's not Melanie.
Oh, it's not Melanie?
[Ellen] Ellen.
Ellen. It's, uh, uh, Ellen.
- So, Ellen-- - [Ellen] Wait.
Ellen is selling Morning Dew candles.
And with a-- and with a--
Dot com. [laughs]
- With, um, dot com. It's a-- - My favorite song.
Is it?
So I just photocopied all my tickets,
'cause over the years, I just had, like, a box
I'd, like, throw all my tickets in.
But you can open this up and put your own ticket
in there.
- So-- so you are a big fan? - Oh, yeah.
What is your favorite song?
All right. Oh, Morning Dew, man!
- Okay. I-- I-- I-- - Look at that!
I-- I-- I-- I-- I-- I-- I-- I--
Hearing Melanie's love of the Dead
and seeing her make crafts of her long experiences
on the tour was an inspiration.
[indistinct chatter]
[woman 2] Oh, is that [indistinct speech]
[Kenny] Wait, an engine. [overlapping speech]
[woman 2] Priorities. We don't need an engine.
We need a cooler.
It's my first, uh, Dead show, but this thing is a--
- [woman 3] Oh, what? - [woman 2] Are you serious?
It's is, yeah.
[woman 3] Wait, where'd you get the cool shirt?
- [woman 2] Awesome. - It's-- I...
Well, I-- I put it out 'cause almost-- 'cause, like,
I wanna be almost like a-- like--
[woman 2] Yeah, you want to fit in, like--
- Yeah, I know the feeling. - [woman 2] Right.
[woman 2] Do you want a snack?
- Well, what-- what are you-- - [woman 2] I mean.
[Kenny] As I enjoyed the-- the satur-- shatir
or sh-- shattery,
the grace and such with these kind people,
I realized Deadheads now and then
have the same giving spirit.
I feel like a sponge,
soaking in the spirits of a legacy from generations
both new and old.
[woman 2] So this is your first show?
Yeah.
[woman 2] Are you ready to not sit down for three hours?
Like, the whole entire place will be on their feet.
The whole entire place.
[Kenny] As these fancy Deadheads continued to give me
show advice,
the weed cookie that I ingested earlier
began to take hold.
[trippy music]
[woman 2] Straight hour.
And you don't sit down for three straight hours.
Don't sit down. Three straight hours.
You don't sit down.
You don't sit down at all?
- [woman 2] No. - Well--
[woman 2] Especially not during Drums and Space.
Well, I had-- I had about 10% fear before I was--
I was going into this, and 90-- 90% excitement.
What you just said, I think I now have, like,
30-- 30% fear.
- [overlapping conversation] - [chuckles]
[woman 2] You're about to go hard.
[Kenny] With the fancy Deadheads warning echoing in my mind,
I bought some merchandise from a roving vendor,
took a pee, and went to my first Dead & Co. show.
Unfortunately, Defer 1 and 2
weren't allowed in the venue because of their cameras,
but I took footage from inside using my phone.
[trippy music]
[Kenny] As you can see,
the weed cookie really took a toll on me,
but it was a good show, I think, from what I remember.
Thank God, there's a day two.
[rock music]
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] After last night's show,
my body and legs were aching like never before.
I unfortunately forgot to set an alarm,
and instead of waking me up,
Defer 1 and Defer 2 went and got coffee.
We were running late,
and Shakedown Street waits for no one.
Let's go. Let's roll.
Let's roll.
We arrived downtown late.
Traffic in Los Angeles can be unpredictable,
and when we got to the lot, fog was engulfing the area.
The day itself felt ominous.
You can't get good sound here in LA
because we're-- we're right over LAX,
so it's-- like, it's close.
It is, and, um, it's--
Hey, everybody. How're we doing?
[woman 4] Yeah.
- Hey. - [woman 4] Good.
Have a good journey.
Same-- same to you.
It felt like something special was gonna happen,
and after yesterday,
I wanted to stay sober for this show.
I met up with a couple of friends
I had made the night before.
This is my friend Gary, and Gary is a--
He's a solid Deadhead.
A not too uncommon occurrence at shows on a tour
is running into somebody that you saw the night before.
And just like coworkers at a water cooler,
you'll often find yourself going over the set list
or talking about a song.
That's really what I'm enjoying about this community,
seeing the people and seeing how the music
makes them feel.
During our embrace,
Gary just offered me more Orange Sunshine.
For those who don't know,
Orange Sunshine is lysergic acid diethylamide,
or LSD.
Created by a Swiss chemist
who accidentally ate some himself,
years later it would even be administered by the government
to experiment on prisoners at Alcatraz.
But ultimately, it became a popular drug choice
for its psychedelic effects,
which explains a lot more about my behavior
after last night's show.
I politely declined Gary's offer,
and as I continued to hear him talk
about the stuff I don't remember from yesterday,
that's when I saw her.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] She was a free spirit, just dancing.
She reminded me of my mom.
And like a force of nature, with every twirl on the asphalt,
she just drew me in closer,
and I knew that I just had to talk to her.
What's your name?
I'm Fiona. - [Kenny] Hi, Fiona.
I'm-- I'm-- I'm-- I'm-- my-- my-- my--
My-- I-- I'm...
Um, um, uh, okay-- I-- my-- my-- um, okay, okay, uh, okay, okay.
Time just stopped.
My lips might have been moving,
and we might have been having a conversation,
but I don't remember a word that I said
or a word that she said after her name, Fiona.
And the name just kept echoing in my head, Fiona.
And as I stared at her as if she were a Greek goddess,
and how could she not be with that name, Fiona,
I didn't even hear the planes
that were screeching over our heads anymore.
I didn't feel sober.
Maybe it was the effects of last night's weed cookie
and Gary's LSD,
but I had this sudden rush of euphoria over my body
and over my head.
I wasn't the composed documentarian that I had been.
And then I heard something like, "Let's dance."
As I danced with Fiona, the shooting pain from my leg
smashed me back to present time
and reminded me to focus on the interview
and ask her what brought her on the tour.
[Fiona] Lost?
Right here.
[Kenny] After talking and dancing with Fiona,
I could see the magic this gathering of people
brings to all those who attend.
Connection, deep and real connections,
something that we all long for every day,
these Deadheads had found.
I'm excited to find out more.
So before I went into the show, I stopped to talk
to a group of Deadheads that were looking for a miracle.
So it's not a miracle, it's a-- it's-- it's--
- [woman 4] It's a weiracle! - It's a-- it's a weiracle.
So you guys are looking for a weiracle?
- [woman 4] Yes. - Yeah!
[Kenny] Oh, my God, that's incredible!
And it's our first show.
My first time ever being here.
All right, but my first show was last night, and, uh--
- Oh, my God! - Yeah, no, no, so...
And, like, I do, I have-- I have-- I have--
[Kenny] A miracle is hoping to get tickets
to a sold-out show.
It's a person's last chance to be part
of that night's experience.
So-- and, like, I do, I have-- I have--
I have some cameras here with me,
because I'm documenting it all, and it's-- and it is, like--
- [woman 4] That's amazing. - Yeah, yeah.
And so we're, like, it's-- it's awesome.
- I think that is badass. - [woman 4] Thank you.
I think it is. All right.
Well, I don't wanna keep you from the-- the-- the--
The weiracle.
- So, like, we'll-- - Wait, wait.
All right, okay.
[Kenny] As we were talking, an official from the tour
gave them their miracle, free tickets.
Unfortunately, the official also gave me something as well.
A free trip right out of there!
A warning that I had to leave the lot,
because I lacked the permits to film,
another complicated movie business thing.
[Defer 2] It's, uh, it's- it's--
Goddamn fucking rain!
And like Icarus, who flew too close to the sun,
my wings were melted, and I fell to the earth.
God, fucking cut. Fucking cut!
I'm fucking done.
I just-- I need a-- I need a fucking break.
Not to be deterred, I bought Defer 1 and 2
bacon-wrapped hot dogs an LA street cart delicacy,
and I called the only person I knew that could figure out
this permit problem and get me back on the tour.
Has you or a loved one been injured
while acting in an adult film?
[rock music]
[Kenny] My stepdad/lawyer, Zeke.
No one answered, so I left a message
that Lily Pad and I were coming to his office.
Hey, Zeke?
Zeke!
Zeke?
- [Kenny] Zeke. - [Zeke] Fuck! What the fuck?
There you go!
[Kenny] Man, what the hell, Zeke?
I'm havin' a burger social! Get the fuck out of here!
[Kenny] What the fuck is a burger social?
Get out!
[Kenny] Ze-- I-- Zeke, Zeke, they tried shutting me down.
They tried shutting down my phone.
What are you doing in here?
Well, this is-- this is my crew. This is-- these are the guys.
I was explaining Zeke what happened on the lot.
The lack of permits and getting kicked off the tour.
He was as angry as I was.
Oh, hi-- hi-- hi, Monica.
- [Kenny] Hi! - Hi, how are you?
I lost my phone.
You wanna help her look for her phone or what?
Uh, uh, I'll-- I'll help her look for the phone.
[Zeke] Where are your balls, Kenny?
Why didn't you say,
"I'm here to film my fuckin' film, all right?"
They never had any fuckin' permits back then.
How many videos went from one person to another, huh?
Did they have fuckin' permits?
- I-- I-- I-- - Did they have permits?
They didn't have permits.
Which is why I'm coming with you on the tour.
I'll have the permits, and I'll have your back.
I can see that.
You-- you want some?
[Kenny] As you can see, Zeke is kind of an intense guy,
but he's always had my back,
and I feel pretty good about that,
knowing that Phoenix is the next stop on our tour.
What are you doing?
[Defer 1] Uh, we're [overlapping speech]
Let's go. Monica needs a break. Come on.
[Defer 1] Oh, yeah.
[Kenny] My mom always referred to her time in Arizona
as being saved by the trip sherpa of Scottsdale.
How the story goes is that
she was unknowingly a few weeks pregnant with me
when she took a huge toke off of a nitrous balloon
and passed out into the arms of this tall, goofy dude.
It was Zeke.
Mom always said that the comfort and caring she felt in his arms
would make him the best trip sherpa for us.
Goddamn it!
[sighs]
[Zeke] Get in the fucking car in five minutes.
I need my 15 minutes to get ready.
[Zeke] Five minutes!
[Kenny] I wanna get back to the people, talk to them.
I feel like I've just scratched the surface with my interviews,
and I feel myself longing for more.
And maybe there's a chance I meet up with Fiona.
I hope.
I decided to bring Lily Pad on this trip as well.
Zeke will be on the road for a few weeks.
And I didn't find it prudent to let her live on her own.
I asked Defer 2 if he wanted to stay behind
to watch him feed Lily Pad,
but he said he didn't dog-sit for deferred payment.
So with that, we hit the road.
What are you doin'? Other side!
[Kenny] Me and my stepdad tour sherpa.
[rock music]
Late 2017, I finally just
Completely came off my hardcore meds.
Morphine, Vicodin, fentanyl.
Almost killed myself. Touched it with my fingertips.
Methadone, Suboxones.
Ever since then, I wheeze when I laugh,
which is why I only do recreational drugs now,
from nature.
Jesus, Zeke,
I didn't realize you were that bad.
[Zeke] Bad? What do you mean, bad?
You like that?
[man 3] I do. Uh-huh.
Zeke, do you have a-- do you have a--
Um, a-- a q-- a quarter?
I don't have a quarter.
- Yeah. - [Zeke] Just take a shit there.
Look, like-- it's like somebody already did.
Listen, I'll hold it in. I'm gonna hold it in, okay?
Road trips with a parent
is like cuddling with an older cat.
They're super cuddly, warm, and fuzzy,
that is, until you doze off, then they'll steal your breath.
What is it, Kenny, the...
It's Kenny Royce on the Scene.
[sighs]
God, I think, uh, you know, how do you [indistinct speech]
How are people gonna wanna look at something called
Kenny Royce on the Scene?
I made this three months ago.
It's already got 55 views, and look at my comments.
Most of those are all comments from you.
It doesn't matter.
I'm not gonna force you to do any drugs on the tour.
I'm just sayin'
if you want the experience the Dead had experienced,
you might need to get your feet a little wet.
Kenny Royce, are you an investigative reporter?
Uh, no, I'm a documen-- documentarian.
I'm telling-- I'm telling--
[Zeke] When you say "On the scene",
it sounds like they're gonna see somethin' about an, you know,
an exposé on a politician or something.
Is that you would call it?
Yes, exactly,
and you need to get used to disappointment.
Comment is a comment.
"Great job" is how many words?
That's two words, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, t-- t-- two.
Uh-huh, and then you just be looking for free handouts.
Life isn't about free handouts, all right?
Yeah, but-- but--
[Zeke] You gotta do it yourself.
Then they talk about Long Beach,
and that's way more than two words.
That's four words. Great--
[Zeke] I'm just sayin' you need to know your audience,
and you need to sell yourself.
People look, and they wanna see on a video
how many comments there are.
It doesn't matter who they're coming from.
All right, we'll work on the title later.
Just-- just look at the comments on your video, huh?
[chuckling]
[Kenny] So for this trip, I decided to stay alert
and focused Zeke on sharing his road knowledge with me
instead of stealing my breath.
[Zeke] Hey, Lily wants in there with you.
- [Kenny] No, Lily. Zeke. - [Zeke] All right.
[Kenny] Zeke, stay out there. Stay, Zeke.
♪ It's Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
♪ Oh, it's Kenny Rodgers Royce, y'all ♪
♪ Hell no
♪ It's Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] Zeke informed us we had to stop in the Salton Sea
to pick up some tour enhancers.
♪ Kenny Royce on the Scene, yeah ♪
[Zeke] Let me do the meeting, he knows me,
and you do your stuff.
[Kenny] Okay.
Let's-- let's, um, let's do it.
[Zeke] Oh, fine!
- Let's, uh, let's just-- - [Zeke grunts]
[Kenny] Knowing too well that tour enhancers
was actually drugs,
I was so nervous about Zeke's pickup
that I forgot to hit record on my phone for On the Scene.
Instead, I got a series of still photos.
[camera clicking]
[Kenny] But all I can tell you
is that my stomach was doing flips.
It was probably because I was so excited
and anxious to get to Phoenix.
It is. It's, um, it's exciting.
I think we're-- we're gonna be on the scene.
Fuck, get in the car! Get in the fucking car!
Kenny, get in the fucking car! Get in the fucking car!
[Kenny] Zeke. Zeke, Zeke.
What-- what-- what-- what-- what?
[tires screeching]
[car vrooming]
- Every man for himself, Kenny. - Zeke, Zeke, Zeke.
- Every man for himself. - Zeke, Zeke.
Rule number one.
- Zeke. - Okay?
[Kenny] While Zeke explained to me
the tour rules and whatnot,
his words began to turn into noises
that actually made my ears hurt.
I think Lily felt the same way, so I took her out for a walk.
When I got back to the car
and took a toke from my vape pen, it happened.
[screams]
- [Defer 1] Fuck! Oh, my God. - Call 911.
[Kenny] According to the WHO, dehydration is what happens
when your body loses electrolytes.
[Defer 1] Can we record anything?
[Kenny] It can cause heatstroke and possibly put you in a coma,
which it did.
[wind swooshes]
[Kenny] Remember how I said dreams were funny?
[ominous suspense music]
[Kenny] Sometimes they show worries,
sometimes they replay events,
sometimes they show you where to go.
Well, coma dreams aren't any of that.
Coma dreams are fucking nuts!
Has you or a loved one been injured while in a film?
[distorted] Injured while in a film.
Has you or a loved one been in a film?
[distorted] Has you or a loved one been in a film?
A loved one in a film?
[wind swooshes]
[tense music]
[Zeke] Kenny, Kenny, are you an investigative reporter?
[distorted] Investigative reporter.
Investigative reporter.
♪ Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
[Kenny] [echoing] I'm-- I'm a-- I'm a doc-- doc--
Document-- a documentarian.
♪ It's Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
[Zeke] I'm not-- not gonna force you to do any--
[distorted] Not-- not gonna force you.
♪ It's Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
[Zeke] Life-- life is not about free handouts.
[distorted] Free handouts.
♪ Kenny Royce on the Scene
[Zeke] You need-- need to get used to disappointment.
♪ It's Kenny Royce on the Scene ♪
[Zeke] [distorted] Disappointment.
[Kenny] [distorted] ♪ It's Kenny Royce
♪ On the Scene
[Zeke] [distorted] Get used to disappointment.
[wind swooshing]
[upbeat music]
Kenny! Kenny, wake up!
Kenny! Kenny, Kenny, wake up.
Wake up.
[Kenny] But Zeke being an excellent trip sherpa
and a questionable adult
broke me out of the hospital and detoured to Vegas.
- Zeke. - [groans]
- Zeke, hey! - [Zeke] Let's get out of here.
- [Zeke pants] - [elevator bell dings]
[Zeke] Oh, fuck. All right, let's go see Fiona.
[rock music]
[Kenny] Zeke.
It's time to play a little game.
Okay, come on. In the car. There you go. Get in the car.
We gotta go. We gotta go.
- [Zeke] Get in the car. - [Kenny] Holy fuck, it's Fiona--
[Kenny] This is a really nice car.
- [tires screech] - [Zeke] Yeah.
[♪]
[Kenny] As I rested in the car to stay out of the heat,
Zeke and Defer 1 went to get supplies to keep me hydrated.
[trolley wheels whirring]
[Zeke] I think--
I don't think Kenny needs to drink quite yet.
You have to wait a little bit for the heat
to kind of take effect
before you get the full effect of the water
rehydrating the cellular tissues.
So, uh, why don't you shut that thing off?
We're just gonna take a little quick break there,
and, uh, we'll see you back out in the parking lot, all right?
[indistinct background chatter]
[trolley wheels whirring]
Uh, we've been parked over here.
I haven't had this car that long.
[Kenny] My mom used to tell me whenever the tour
was goin' south and needed some positive juju,
Zeke would take her on what he called a Zeke freak.
A Zeke freak is when you're dressed up in outrageous clothes
to get a negative reaction from the squares
in a public place.
It's supposed to pass off the negative vibes to them
and reset our mindset to accept the positive ones.
Wow, who knew a personal injury lawyer
for the adult entertainment business was so spiritual?
I don't know if it was the Zeke freak
or the fact that I survived a heatstroke coma,
but I could really feel the good vibes,
and I was excited to get back on the tour with Zeke
to meet new friends and see Fiona.
[Zeke] Feeling good, Kenny.
- [Kenny] Feeling good, Zeke. - [Zeke] [bleep] drive!
[upbeat music]
[♪]
[Kenny] While we were on the road to St. Louis,
we made multiple stops for Zeke to pick up supplies.
Did you steal anything?
[exhales]
No, but I hurt my back running out here
to see if my briefcase was still in the car.
Well, you know you're not really supposed to run
more than five feet.
[exhales]
It was longer than five feet.
- Yeah. - [Zeke] Yeah.
[Kenny] So we had to take a little bit of a detour,
Defer 2?
- [Defer 2] Good God. - [Kenny] Yeah.
[Zeke] Fuckin' detour.
- [Zeke] Hey! - [Kenny] Is that the Circle K?
[Zeke] That's the Circle K.
[Kenny] Did we just do one big loop?
[Zeke] How did you do that?
[Kenny] What's going on?
- [Zeke] Wait, what am I-- - [Kenny] I don't know.
[♪]
[Kenny] Zeke took on the duty of finding hotels.
The first one he got was the haunted hotel
him and my mom used to stay at on every Grateful Dead tour.
Excited to capture a ghost on film,
I took the camera from Defer 1 and set it up while we slept.
[ominous music]
[tape fast-forwarding]
[Kenny] I caught a ghost, all right,
the most terrifying ghost ever.
[♪]
- [Kenny] Zeke. - Come on, come on. Come on.
- Look, look. - Zeke.
It's not the first time I've run into this, okay?
Zeke, are you naked?
After three hours of convincing Zeke
I wasn't my mom,
we agreed to never speak of the Zeke creep again.
- Yeah, that'd great. - Okay, good.
I mean, actually, what we do with...
But just to be safe, I slept in the bathroom.
[upbeat music]
- [bleep] house? - [Zeke] Yeah.
[Kenny] At breakfast the next morning,
Zeke was embarrassed about last night's events.
Even though we agreed not to talk about it,
his behavior told a different story.
I mean, you can see, my-- my body movement,
I'm just-- I'm just staring straight ahead.
You're the one that's actually moving around, like, left--
So we hit the road,
and I had Zeke focus on getting us to the next hotel.
[Zeke] ...reviews, huh?
10 out of 10, exceptional.
Oh, my God, Miss Pamela and her staff were--
You think that's Pamela Anderson works there?
I-- I hope she is.
- The hotel. - I've seen While I--
All right, we're gonna-- we don't need to talk
about fuckin' money.
We're talkin' about a hotel. We're just gonna get a hotel.
- [Lily farts] - Oh, my God, Lily. Oh.
[coughs]
[Kenny] I told you not to feed her that turkey.
Fuck is this?
"We regret to inform you that..."
So they will not be able to accommodate
your fuckin' rooms.
- [Lily farts] - God, Lily!
Oh
- [Zeke coughs] - [Kenny] Let her be!
- [Zeke exhales] Look at her, she's depressed.
[Zeke exhales]
[Kenny] She's not...
[Zeke] Yeah. Okay.
[Kenny] Since I had Lily,
I suggested Zeke get a tour companion
to keep him company,
one that doesn't fart so much
and would keep him from creeping.
[door squeaks]
[Kenny] So he found Gallop.
[country music playing in background]
[Gallop whinnying and galloping]
[Gallop whinnying]
[door squeaks]
[Zeke cheering]
[Zeke] Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Wooh!
Let's go! Get the fuck in the car!
Hey, press the ear. Makes a noise.
[indistinct speech]
[Gallop whinnying]
[laughs]
[Zeke laughing]
This is great.
[Defer 2] And so I take it you never got anything like that
when you were a kid there, Kenny, did you?
- Whoa, there. - Well--
- God!
- Fuck you, Defer 2. - Yeah, Defer 2.
I think--
[Gallop whinnying]
When we get to the show, you just carry Gallop around.
Anytime somebody does something that you don't like...
Yeah, I think so.
Problem is, the batteries are non-replaceable.
What?
And it's-- and they may explode or leak.
What a rip-off!
Yeah, so, um, that's the thing.
We're only gonna have to have, uh, about--
Battery life is 400 times, approximately.
400, that's it?
So now we only have 397 left.
Oh, my God.
No, I pressed it twice in the store.
395.
And then once when I was running out the door
on it.
394.
[Zeke sighs]
[Zeke] [indistinct speech] [bleep]
- It's all right. - It's all right.
Fuck 'em.
It worked.
♪ Kenny Rogers Royce, y'all
♪ Come on, it's My Dead Summer
♪ Everybody now, My Dead Summer ♪
♪ Ah
♪ My Dead Summer
♪ My...
[Kenny] Let's go with butterfinger.
[Zeke] All right.
So, you'd like a butterfinger in Uranus?
♪ Dead Summer
♪ My Dead Summer
[Kenny] As we rolled into St. Louis,
the big silver arch welcomed us.
[Defer 2] So the Arch's there.
Look at this, guys. Look at that.
Zeke told me that he and Mom
used to throw rocks in the Old Mississippi
to make a wish for a good tour and a safe return.
That may be what Zeke wished for,
but I wished to see Fiona.
So we headed back to the hotel for me to do
an on-the-scene update before the show.
[Kenny clears throat]
[Kenny] Uh, this is Kenny Royce on the Scene.
Uh, so our bathroom didn't work, our toilet didn't work.
[Zeke] I'm peein' in the sink!
That's great, Zeke.
[Zeke] Surprised?
Oh, Zeke, it's a...
Oh, it's one of my-- it's-- it's--
It's a Steal Your Face shirt. Thanks, Zeke.
[Zeke] Yeah! Yeah, Kenny.
- [Kenny] Well, thank-- - [Zeke] Ready for the concert.
Well, everybody, if you know, I had my heat stroke.
[screams]
And, um, I lost all my clothes
when Zeke rushed me out of there.
[Zeke] Yeah, the nurse had it, so, you know?
Oh, the nurse had it?
What were you doing with the nurse?
Well, I had to get you out of there
before we had to pay, so...
Well, this is Kenny Royce live on scene.
With my Steal Your Face T-shirt back,
I knew I was ready for the tour.
I took a power nap in case I ran into Fiona again.
[wind swooshes]
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] This time, I wanted to be ready
to dance all night with her, not like the last time.
[chokes, coughs]
Hey, before I forget, all right, if anything happens on the tour,
...uh, you know, all right?
It's Marco Polo, right?
So when you can't find me, just Marco, but not Marco.
It would be...
Polo?
No, uh, Zeke.
- You'll call back-- - [Zeke] I'll say Kenny!
You'll call back and say Kenny.
Yeah.
- [Kenny] Zeke. - Yeah.
What was that?
Uranius fudge.
Oh, that's the fudge?
That's the fudge.
[sighs]
Was it good?
Yeah, but it-- it-- it-- it--
it tasted almost, uh, uh, like--
It tasted, like, medicinal.
My taste buds were right.
The fudge that Zeke slipped me when I was asleep
was dosed with Molly.
Molly isn't a person.
Molly is a street term for MDMA,
or methylene-- methylenedioxymethan--
Methamphetamine.
It is a stimulant and a minor psychedelic.
Side effects can be dancing till dawn,
touching yourself or others uncontrollably,
and an unquenching thirst for orange juice.
It's been used in clinical trials to help PTSD,
and even social anxiety,
which Zeke said I was diagnosed with as a child.
He got this batch from a client in Canoga Park,
a film producer, so you know it's good Molly.
I trust Zeke. He's always lookin' out for me.
So I welcomed my first ride with Molly.
[sighs]
Defer 1, he gave me fucking Ecstasy.
Do you know what it's like
to be on fucking Ecstasy right now?
It's fucking incredible.
Zeke, why did you have to give me fuckin' Ecstasy?
I just-- I just fuckin' peed on myself.
[man laughs in background]
[Zeke] Did you?
Hey, good God!
[Kenny] Here's the thing, I was trying to do, like,
a rub-out.
You were trying to do a rub-out?
You were trying to rub one out?
I wasn't trying to rub it out.
Trying to-- trying to rub out...
I said, "Okay."
You gotta realize this, Zeke,
this Ecstasy is fucking-- absolutely fucking bonkers.
[man 4] Hey, guys, look, look at my artwork.
What's your work?
[Kenny] What you got there? What-- what's goin' on?
[man 4] All the prints.
[Kenny] These all-- these are all yours?
[man 4] Yeah, these-- these-- that's you know?
[Kenny] As we looked at the amazing artwork
our new Deadhead friend showed us,
the Molly really started to kick in.
It made me more focused on the awesome complexities
and fine craftsmanship of the lithographs.
For Zeke, the Molly made him focus on other things.
There's boobs on one of 'em.
[Kenny] Yeah, it-- The one did have boobs.
[man 4] That's a medallion.
It was a medallion, I know,
but I was-- I was actually gonna go with the Jerry Garcia.
[man 4] Oh, the Jerry?
[man 4] Yeah, that says "In the land of the dark,
the ship of sun is drawn by the Grateful Dead."
You don't like boobs?
[Kenny] With that, we headed into the show with Gallop,
and left Lily behind with Defer 1 and 2,
since all three of them weren't allowed in the venue,
because of cameras and Lily being a dog.
Seriously, what is your problem?
Armed with our phone cameras,
Zeke and I shot footage from inside the venue.
Everybody, this is, uh,
Kenny Royce, uh, on the Scene.
Hey.
Uh, I am fucking tripping my fucking balls off.
- [Zeke] Yeah, you are. - I am on fucking--
- [Zeke] Your angelic balls. - I'm on fucking Ecstasy,
and I'm just trying to find a way
to get into the fucking--
- [Zeke] I think we're good. - Into the place.
[Zeke] Go.
Zeke, you deserve the best.
- [Zeke] Why, thank you, Kenny. - You deserve the best,
and then the restroom's right there.
[Zeke] Okay.
- [groans] - [Zeke] Sudden.
Uh, yes, but so we're on the scene.
- [Zeke] Oh, oh. - You all right, sir?
- You got it? You okay? - [Zeke] You all right?
- [man 5] Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine. - [Kenny] All right.
No, I know that's heavy. You want me to carry it for you?
[man 5] No, no, it's not heavy.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] Zeke.
Yeah? Oh, sorry, that was your beer.
Zeke!
[Zeke] Yeah?
Whatever the fuck you gave me,
I'm fucking tripping my fucking ass off.
[Zeke] And it feels, what, good?
I do. Well, the-- the Grate--
Dead and Company just played Deal,
and it's fucking amazing!
And made LA, the first night.
LA went great, first night.
Second night... [bleep] [bleep] ...shut me down.
[indistinct speech]
With a, uh, great.
But I just saw a recent [indistinct speech]
I think I-- I think I-- I think I just burst my appendix.
As we were walking in the crowd, I thought I spotted Fiona.
[woman 5] Like, from Shrek? From-- from Shrek?
No, Fiona was a girl that I was trying to meet,
and, uh, uh, uh, oh, yeah.
She's from Shrek.
[Kenny] But it wasn't Fiona.
It was some other girl who looked nothing like Fiona.
You see, not Fiona.
I think it was just the Ecstasy.
[upbeat music]
Well, Zeke, like, I-- Zeke, look, we're at-- we're at...
Like, I gotta say I'm, like, I'm, like--
I'm on fuckin' Ecstasy.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Kenny] All in all, it was a really good show,
and I think I got all the footage that I needed.
Oh, my God, Lilypad! Lilypad, what's goin' on?
Hi.
- Am I you? - Hi. I-- I--
Well, hold on. Y-- you're me.
- Okay. - So, it's, like, start--
- Hold on, I'm-- okay. - Start dancing. Start dancing.
- [Kenny] Start dancing. - [grunts]
Yeah, but that-- that-- I was not dancing with Ecsatcy.
- Yeah. - That was not how I was dancing.
That's not--
I didn't see Fiona,
and I didn't get to dance with her,
but there's always the next show.
You ready to head to the show?
[Defer 1] Oh, thank you, Lily.
[Kenny] It was time to get on the road to the next hotel.
Zeke said hotel prices at the last minute,
after the show, will be cheaper.
I'm impressed.
Zeke really is taking his hotel responsibilities
seriously.
[Zeke] Yes, a dog.
It's locked.
[door rattles]
[Kenny] As we got to the hotel,
Zeke decided that we needed to turn the room.
It think it's a ghost.
[Kenny] Fucking ghost! Great, thank you.
Basically, turning the room is a time-honored tradition
of Zeke's,
back from when he was a roadie in Scottsdale, Arizona,
with a band called Pregnant Necromancer.
[heavy metal music]
[Kenny] They would tear up their hotel rooms
like the rock bands of old.
But my mom always warned me if I ever saw
Zeke's roadie rage
and his tendency to go off the rails,
that I should watch out.
What?
[Kenny] Yeah, well, you put the sheets on the ground,
and it's, like, all the pillows, and...
You want me to put it all-- You want-- you want-- oh, yes.
Sorry, Miss Daisy.
[Kenny] [indistinct speech]
With the room cleared, we hunkered down for the night
so we could get up early to start our two-day journey
to Saratoga Springs.
Hey, everybody, this is Kenny Royce on the Scene.
[Zeke] Shut up!
Zeke, you know how important this is to me.
[Zeke] Shut up.
Okay, guys, signing off. Kenny Royce on the Scene.
- Bye. - [Zeke] Shut up.
[knocking on door]
[birds chirping]
What's goin' on? [bleep] are you?
Bathroom is a little bit, um...
[Zeke] That's 'cause you took a shit and it won't flush.
That's--
Well, I-- but I took a shit after you took a shit.
I was peeing.
[Kenny] You were-- you were peeing--
You were peeing basically sitting down.
That's-- that's right, you know?
I don't actually pee sitting down, Zeke.
[Zeke] I have prostate problems.
What do you mean you have prostate problems?
I'm old.
[groans]
[Kenny] [indistinct speech] Right, and my legs are, too.
I told you, I met a girl, Fiona, at-- at-- in LA,
and that's--- that's-- that's who I wanna go find.
So, kinda a one-girl guy?
It's not about being a one-girl guy.
It's just that she was a-- she was a really pretty girl.
I wanna find her.
- Yeah... - What's wrong with that?
You're looking for her later.
[Kenny] I chalked up Zeke's sourpuss mood
to just being old,
so I checked my On The Scene page
for any possible messages from Fiona and saw nothing.
But this nagging question kept rolling through my head
like waves crashing ashore, why is Zeke here?
Why is Zeke here?
I mean, I didn't have any more permit problems
or tour officials creeping around to kick me out,
so why was Zeke here,
and what was driving his outrageous behavior?
Hey, tubby, need a ride!
[Zeke laughing]
You just take-- take the car?
I got a bigger clue to the why
as Zeke took me to visit a tour friend, Nitrous Ned.
[Kenny] I was surprised Zeke called Nitrous Ned
just a tour friend,
because my mom always said Ned and Zeke were tied together.
Nitrous Ned was the most famous and fastest balloon filler
on the tour,
and Zeke, the Scottsdale Sherpa, was his assistant.
Nitrous Ned gave my mom the balloon
that sent her into Zeke's arms and into her life.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] Our visit to the gravesite
really seemed to shake Zeke up,
but we said goodbye to Nitrous Ned
with some memorial shots.
[coughs]
[Kenny] Here's to you, Ned.
Again?
[Kenny] Thanks for your balloons and getting my mom high,
even if you were a dick.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] I pushed Zeke for one and two
to get us to Saratoga Springs
so we could make sure that we were at Shakedown Street,
and I could hopefully see Fiona.
[Kenny] Really, the guy's really on us.
[Zeke] Well, look at this guy.
[Kenny] I don't know about you,
but I think the drugs are kicking in.
Which one?
[Kenny] The green ones.
Yeah.
Yep, they're probably kickin' in.
Just, uh, sit tight.
Man, detour really got us.
Highway.
[Kenny shushes]
[Zeke] Highway.
Like the last 20 minutes of my life back.
[Zeke] Yeah, me, too.
I gave you a point. I'm taking it away.
[Zeke] You gave him a point?
Well, I did in the beginning,
'cause then it started moving around 50 miles per hour,
and then we got stuck again, and then--
[Zeke] Well, I think you should take away more than a point now.
[Kenny] Take away two?
[Zeke] Yeah.
[indicator ticking]
[Defer 1] Uh, guys, so, uh, [bleep] and I are gonna go in
and get fuckin' coffee.
The camera's gonna be rolling.
Mic's gonna be rolling.
So, uh, yeah, you can let loose.
Let's look up the reviews on Resse's-- Resse's Coffee.
[Defer 1] You guys want anything
at this expensively wonderful coffee shop?
Uh, regular coffee.
[bleep] gonna see what it's about.
Well, the thing is, you know,
I think you're right about the Folders incid--
- I mean, next time we can-- - Yeah.
Why can't we just get a fucking--
I'm gonna get a cameraman that can do regular coffee.
I tip every transaction and visit once or twice a day,
at least try to be friendly.
Today, the manager told me I make 'em
employees uncomfortable.
Think if he makes 'em uncomfortable.
- Well, fucking Defer-- - What-- what about Defer 2?
Defer 1 and Defer 2.
[both laugh]
[grunts] Man.
I mean, we're trying to get to the concert.
All right, well-- well, you know what?
We'll talk about that later, yeah.
Excellent.
[Defer 2 groans]
All right, everybody got-- got their fucking coffees?
Okay, we got the fucking coffees.
- [Defer 2] Yeah. - Great.
- I got-- I got you a-- a tall-- - [Zeke] Yeah, thanks, thanks.
Ethiopian black.
There's fingerprints on this.
Yeah.
[Kenny] After all the detours and coffee stops,
I thought we'd never make it in time for the show,
but we did, five hours early.
So we all took naps at our hotel in Saratoga Springs.
This should also be a really great show for Zeke,
since this is the venue that he and my mom
went together as a couple for the first time
to see the Grateful Dead.
And who knows,
maybe I'll finally run into Fiona here,
and see her at the concert or on Shakedown Street.
Love is in the air in Saratoga Springs.
I can feel it.
[Defer 2] All right. Okay.
[Kenny] But-- so I woke up, uh, you know, and so Zeke is gone,
and so what I understand is that Defer 2
went for some more coffee,
and so Zeke went with him.
Kenny Royce on the Scene. Uh, it's now been five hours.
Uh, I am, uh, I am drinking here in the hotel room.
[gulps]
It's now been five and a half hours,
uh, and I have nothing from Zeke.
Ze-- Zeke?
[Zeke] Yeah.
- Zeke! - [Zeke] What?
[Kenny] What the fuck is going on?
The left side of my fuckin' penis is numb.
[Kenny] Why is the left side of your penis numb?
Look, Lily Pad gets anxious, dude.
- [Kenny] She gets anxious-- - I'm not-- here. Okay.
[Zeke] This is gonna help you, okay?
Is that another tab of Ecstasy?
[Zeke] It sure was.
No fudge this time, so I do apologize for that.
That's fantastic.
All right, well, Kenny Royce on the Scene.
Once Defer 1 and Defer 2 are ready to go,
we are heading over to Saratoga Springs,
the Performing Arts Center, night two.
See you guys there. This is gonna be great.
I'm excited.
[upbeat music]
[♪]
[Kenny] Outside of Shakedown, Zeke and I drink it.
[puking]
You-- you-- we're rollin' in. So, um...
[Zeke gags]
Are you-- are you throwin' up?
[Zeke retches]
[Kenny] Are you throwing-- - [overlapping speech]
[groans]
- Here we are. - [Zeke] Oh.
- Saratoga Springs, night two. - [Zeke burping]
I'm...
So, someone's havin' a-- someone's havin' a rough time,
eh, Zeke?
[Defer 1] How you feeling, Kenny?
No, I feel great.
I-- I-- I feel-- I-- I feel fucking fantastic.
I mean, I don't know, like, the Ecstasy normally--
Yesterday I was, like, a little bit like, "Oh, yeah."
But now with the Molly,
I just-- like, I-- I feel like I'm--
[screams]
[Kenny] So it's like I feel really good.
Hey, Lily's eatin' my vomit.
[Kenny] No, that's not good.
Just why-- why would you fucking ever do that?
[Zeke] I didn't. She came over to it.
[Kenny] Yeah, but why would you just-- why would--
You let her leash go.
[Kenny] Well, I didn't let her leash go.
So-- so she just ate your vomit?
[Zeke] Yeah.
Zeke, can you handle one of these?
Can you-- like, this is, like, this is just for a bit,
- One of these? - [Kenny] Yeah, this is for--
Lily Pad. Lily Pad.
This is pissy stuff. I can handle that.
[Kenny] Lily Pad, get away from the fucking vomit!
[Kenny] Get away from-- - [vomits]
[Kenny] Get...
Okay, get away from the-- get away from the vomit.
I can totally handle this.
Uh, this is, um,
so but this is Kenny Royce on the Scene.
And, uh, here we are, Saratoga Springs, night two.
Uh, Zeke, obviously, is not in his, uh, good form.
Uh, you know, 'cause again, you know, five hours, you--
Five hours you guys were fucking missing.
[burps]
[Kenny] And, uh, you know, here we are that, you know,
we're showing up a little bit late.
We're gonna cross through the woods.
We'll brave the ticks.
We'll brave, 'cause we are in New York.
Ticks?
Brave the ticks.
[Zeke] I'll brave the t...
[vomits]
Zeke, you think this is maybe the Molly?
[vomits]
[Zeke laughs]
[Zeke] You all right?
[coughs]
Hey, uh, Lil-- Lily will get it.
[Kenny laughs]
I think-- I think I-- I don't--
I don't think that fucking Molly is any good.
[Zeke] Yeah, well, I mean, you got so many of drinks.
I don't think it's any good.
I don't think it's any good, Zeke.
Zeke, how the fuck am I supposed to do interviews like this?
Zeke, what the fuck?
- [spits] - I don't know.
[Kenny] Either way, we manned up and found our way
onto Shakedown
through a hole in the fence to talk to the people.
Over here?
[Kenny] Right. Right, it's down this way.
[thudding]
[man cheering in distance]
[Kenny chuckling]
- [Kenny] Zeke, are you okay? - [Zeke] I'm great.
[Kenny] Okay, Zeke, I know-- like-- my-- my--
I can't really feel my fucking feet right now.
I don't know what's going on, but, like, so--
This is a typical riot, Kenny.
[overlapping chatter]
[man 6] What's in that briefcase?
[Zeke] Everything!
[man 6] Everything.
[indistinct chatter]
Oh, my God, what's going on there?
All right, so we're on Shakedown Street.
On the scene with Kenny Royce.
And, uh, this is, uh, uh, Zeke.
Jesus Christ! You're not looking right at all.
[Kenny] [distorted] It's Lily Pad.
[woman 6] [distorted] Lily Pad. Hi. Lily pad.
[Kenny] [distorted] Oh, Pad, you wanna say hello?
Lily pad.
[woman 6] Hi, Lily Pad. You're so cute.
[Kenny] There's so many people, Zeke's gettin', like, uh,
he's just [distorted speech]
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, Zeke, what the fuck is going on with you?
You don't look good.
[distorted speech]
[indistinct chatter]
[Kenny] My worst fears were confirmed.
Zeke was off, a little off on a bad trip.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] A bad trip is caused by taking hallucinogenics
in a negative mind space.
The first telltale signs can be incontinence,
profuse sweating, mental confusion,
impaired motor skills, and immobility.
Maybe it was caused by the memories
of Saratoga Springs with my mom,
or from the visiting the grave of a long-lost friend,
Nitrous Ned.
Who knows? But he was on a bad trip.
Zeke, the sherpa of Scottsdale, always said,
"When Deadheads are on a bad trip,
they need guidance, caring, and understanding."
Get in the fucking car. Get in the fucking car.
[Kenny] Since Defer 1 and Defer 2 were still holding cameras,
I took up the cause, just like Zeke did for me my whole life.
You're a goddamn failure!
You fucking passed out on the goddamn fucking--
Zeke, look at you.
[Kenny] I can tell you personally
one bad trip can lead to another.
Come on, let's go.
[Kenny] And Zeke took me with him.
Get in the fucking car!
[Kenny] Other symptoms of a bad trip can include
emotional detachment and erratic mood swings.
But as Zeke always said, "With any bad trip,
usually you are in the clear
once you can let all your demons out."
Or in my case, puking my brains out
and missing the show.
Oh, my God.
Give, uh, I don't give a shit, Zeke, I don't--
Oh, shit. [retches]
[Zeke] Hey, Kenny.
[Kenny] We missed the show at Saratoga Springs,
and I missed getting any interviews.
[Zeke] What's that smell?
[Kenny] And I missed my chance to run into Fiona.
[Zeke] It smells like dog shit.
[Kenny] There was no scent of love in the air in Saratoga,
only the smell of puke, piss, and shit.
Yeah.
[Zeke] Oh, my God.
[Kenny] Saratoga Springs might have been a bad trip bust,
but we had Boston and New York City
still in our sight.
[upbeat music]
[♪]
[Kenny] We were scheduled to make it to Boston,
but the bad trip continued
as we missed the Boston show by a week.
Hey, Zeke.
[Zeke] Huh?
Isn't it supposed to be a Dead & Company show there?
Ah.
[Kenny] There's nobody here, Zeke.
Yeah, it's not until, like, the 24th to the 25th in Boston.
[Zeke] That's, uh...
[Kenny] That's next week. That's next weekend.
What the fuck, Zeke?
I mean, while we're here,
you could at least ride Gallop on Lansdowne.
Come on.
[Zeke laughs]
Atta boy, Zeke. Atta boy.
[Zeke laughs]
[tense music]
[Kenny] I tried to talk to Zeke about how the trip
was going off the rails as we meandered around the city,
but I was getting nowhere.
Yeah, this is the third day you've given me fucking Ecstasy
and...
you know, yesterday,
we were supposed to go to Saratoga Springs.
You said we had front row seats, and then you pissed yourself,
and then you fuckin' vomited all over the fuckin' Shakedown.
What the fuck's wrong with you?
You know well.
[indistinct speech] piss running down my legs,
vomit all over my jacket,
and you said some hurtful things.
You think you know all about me?
I don't pretend to know everything about orphans
just because I watched Little Orphan Annie
on the fuckin' stage, and I can sing every song.
So just because I've seen the musical Annie,
I know about your life?
Does that make sense?
What?
[tense music]
Oh, fuck it.
[Kenny] His stubbornness to talk about anything real
was causing the film, my on-the-scene reporting,
and the entire trip to suffer.
Maybe it was the Ecstasy, but I had a moment of clarity.
I needed to do something drastic
to get this trip and Zeke back on track.
So with a few days before New York City's show,
I told Zeke we had to exorcize his demons from this tour
that were haunting him.
That's when Zeke finally told me
where he took the Defers for five hours
in Saratoga Springs.
Zeke went to the place where he and my mom
used to get away and have what he called a pick and poke.
Unfortunately, their romantic picnic spot
was now a dog park at the side of a highway.
The loss of this memory was too much for Zeke to bear,
and this was the reason he said why he fucked us up
and put the tour on tilt.
I put my foot down. This mayhem had to end.
He was ruining my tour, my movie, everything.
They're right here.
Why don't we just tell 'em right now?
They're right here.
Zeke agreed, and we went through a ritual Zeke called
a spiritual cleansing and detachment
from the dark mother complex.
The process of this ritual involves several stages.
Stage one is first achieving enlightenment
through psychedelics
and purifying your habiliments from any negative attachments
in purified or holy water.
A local laundromat on acid would suffice
for the beginning stage.
[washer whirring]
I'm gonna put on some music, and I want you to go nuts.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] Stage two involves stripping down naked
as the day you were born
and finding a sanctuary or a cave
to engage in sacred dance with spiritual medicines.
Boxer shorts in our hotel room and tour enhancers
met those requirements.
This is Fiona right here.
Hi, Fiona.
I came to realize
all of this really was a chance for Zeke
to clean all the piss and puke off his clothes
from Saratoga Springs,
holed up in the hotel room for three days
to get rid of all the drugs Zeke brought with him
in his briefcase,
but most importantly for him to come to terms
with the loss of his one and only true tour companion,
my mother.
[Zeke] That does not look very inviting.
[Kenny] That's Char-- uh, Charles Island.
[Zeke] Okay.
[Kenny] The final stage for completing this ritual is
by making an offering to the gods.
So we left Gallop on the beach in memoriam of my mom
because she loved the ocean.
I felt pretty good about that. I think Zeke did, too.
[Defer 1] Kenny! Kenny, we're late, dude.
What-- what's goin' on?
[Defer 1] Dude, check out was, like, an hour ago.
What'd you guys do last night?
[Zeke screaming]
[Kenny] Well, we just had-- we just had--
we just had some burritos and-- and--
[Zeke crying]
[Kenny] Zeke?
[Zeke crying]
[wailing]
[Kenny] Zeke, what's going on?
Zeke!
[Zeke] I left Gallop on the beach!
What do you mean you left Gallop?
[cries]
[Kenny] With the tour fully cleansed
and Zeke's demons at bay,
it was time to get back on the road to New York City.
Kenny Royce on the Scene, live from Milford Cache.
[Zeke] Gallop!
[Zeke crying]
[upbeat music]
[♪]
Uh, this is Kenny Royce, live on, uh, on the scene
from, um, a what is Flushing, New York.
Uh, you know, I actually would think
that it was gonna be, um, a lot prettier.
Uh, Zeke, how are you feeling after, uh, last night?
Lily Pad left Gallop on the beach.
Well, that's not exactly true.
I think that... [indistinct speech]
But apparently the tide came in
and Gallop-- Gallop-- Gallop-- Gallop went away.
And maybe Gallop's with Wilson now.
[Kenny] He's, like, a horse at sea,
and that's the thing, he-- so he--
A horse at what?
So Zeke's-- Zeke's still upset about leaving Gallop,
and, um...
But this is Kenny Royce live on the scene.
We are gonna be in Citi Field, uh, in a few hours,
and we're gonna hit Shakedown Street,
so check it out.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] My mom's second-favorite city,
only to Los Angeles, is New York City.
She told me stories about
the amazing Grateful Dead show she went to,
and how the energy, the smells,
and the sounds of New York City just got on you.
Zeke seems to have a pep in his step, too,
now that all the demons are gone.
Right now, we're pressed for time.
We need to get to Citi Field.
We need to get over there, like, right, like-- like--
Like, pronto.
I'm ready to go.
All right. So you're ready to go?
[Zeke] I'm ready to go.
[gulps]
Give me a couple of minutes.
[Kenny] Well, almost gone.
While Zeke and I finished up our ritual,
Defer 2 got directions on how to get to the show
from a local,
as we didn't wanna get lost in New York.
[Defer 2] Yeah.
- Stained Glass? - [Defer 2] Uh-huh.
That's the train station.
Get on the Manhattan-bound N or W across the platform.
It's a one-stop.
Get off at Queensboro Plaza
and across the platform, transfer to the 7 train
to Flushing.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] As we started our adventure to Citi Field,
I could really feel the renewed energy
from the dark mother complex cleanse.
♪ My Dead Summer
[Zeke] Yeah, right. Over here.
- [Zeke] Italiano, though. - Italiano.
[Zeke] Isn't that the same thing?
Fine or continue.
Maybe we should go back to English.
Zeke, don't hit continuare!
- [Zeke] Onolare. - [Kenny] English.
- [Zeke] All right. - [Kenny] Okay.
[Zeke] No bells accepted, single ride.
[Kenny] Single ride tickets only.
Single ride valid for two hours. Okay.
[Zeke] What does that mean?
Credit c--
[Kenny] What Defer 2 forgot to mention
was that this journey was gonna take us
onto six different trains.
[jaunty music]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct announcement]
[Kenny] By the middle of the train hopscotch,
the full effect of our hotel ritual
began to take hold.
I really wish one of the stages of the ritual
was calisthenics,
because after being in a car for several days,
we could have used the exercise.
[indistinct conversation]
[Zeke and Kenny laughing]
[Zeke] I'm not laughing, Zeke. I'm actually crying.
Okay.
[Kenny laughing]
[Zeke] Zip it.
[Kenny laughing]
Go to sleep for a little bit, okay?
- Safe for a while? - It's okay.
- Are you safe? - Yeah, we're safe.
[door shuts]
[Zeke] You have something I didn't know about?
Kenny Royce on the Scene.
Uh, Fio-- Fio-- Fiona, I'm on my way.
And so we're, uh, we're gonna get-- make--
We're gonna make it there to the Citi Field, to--
To Queens.
[Zeke] Did you tell Fiona?
[Kenny] But I pulled it together,
and sent out a shout-out to Fiona
in the hopes that she saw I was in New York.
[train whirring]
[Kenny] What I've learned on this tour
is that the more exhausting the journey is to get there,
the payoff is always an amazing show.
[upbeat music]
[Kenny] I can see what my mother meant
by the electricity of the city, the people.
It was invigorating.
I got a high-five!
Yeah, high-five, man!
It's all downhill from here!
[Kenny] As we got to Shakedown, the crowds were insane.
It was almost a riot.
So we ditched that plan,
and we searched for tickets online
to take the pressure off Zeke
after the last two failed attempts.
All right, so Defer 1, Defer 2, we are checking out.
- [Kenny] Do you have it? - We got it.
[Kenny] You fuckin' have it!
I think so. Let's go
[Kenny and Zeke cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
Hey, everybody, uh, Kenny Royce on the Scene
with, uh, me, myself, and Zeke.
That's it.
Uh, we're totally checking out. This is, uh, Citi Field.
- Hey, how's it goin'? - [Zeke] Hey.
A lot of people in New York are not that-- they-- they--
They're-- they're not-- they're not that--
they're not that--
They're not that excited to see us.
[Zeke] You're glowing, Kenny.
Am I glowing?
[Zeke] Look at the video. You're glowing.
Tell me it says-- yes, it's 125.
Front-row seat.
Uh, it's in the middle right over there.
Oh, we're 525.
[Kenny] Five-- where is--
That's a long way, man.
Wait, it's this way. It says that way.
[Kenny] All right, so we're goin' up.
We're goin' up. Where are we going?
♪ We'll be moving on up
♪ Up, up to the top
Yeah, that's...
[indistinct conversation]
Turning on up. Section-- section five.
Oh, up there, yeah.
What is it? 55...
[Zeke] 25.
525, row four, uh, Citi Field.
[Zeke] What football player is 525?
I don't know. What are you talking about?
I don't wanna fight.
How are you, sir?
Um, I need to get you your-- get your-- get you-- your seat.
Get your seat,
and then we go and get ourselves some beers.
Like, let's just--
[Zeke] All right, let's do it.
They're cheering for you, Kenny.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
♪ My Dead Summer
[rock music]
[Kenny] This last show in Queens was the best.
Zeke and I were really in our form,
and we recorded on the scene, which was my best yet.
Kenny Royce on the Scene!
Holy shit, from fucking Citi Field.
Holy...
I am fucking just-- I am on-- I-- I'm on-- I'm so many--
I don't even know what I'm on.
Everything that, uh, that band Dead Grateful said,
it's so-- it's been fucking amazing.
It's so, I'm, uh, on the scene, and it's fucking amazing.
I just wanted to just get the fuck out
of this situation.
Look, how good we look.
What are you talking about?
- We look really good. - What [indistinct speech]
It's Zeke and, um, Kenny on the s-- on the scene.
It's been-- so it's been a-- it's been a...
Wild night.
So, uh...
[Defer 1] He's been doing a face.
Myself and Zeke.
[Zeke] Uh, you're gonna have to blur
that face behind him.
What? Blur what face?
So let's get it.
So I'm just saying, like, look--
Zeke, all we gotta do is--
- [Kenny] ♪ Tonight - ♪ Tonight
- [Kenny] No, that didn't work. - Do it again.
So we're gonna try to-- Zeke, Zeke, all we gotta do is--
- [Kenny] Sing it for me. - ♪ Tonight
[Kenny] Once again, I felt like Odysseus
on his journey back to find Penelope.
Only I found myself focused on looking for Fiona.
So much so that I was missing out
on what was right in front of me.
The story of an amazing show with my stepdad,
tour sherpa, friend of the devil, Zeke.
Okay.
[crowd cheering]
[screaming]
- Wait, wait, so-- - Yeah.
Hold on.
So I just talked to all those people [overlapping speech]
Yeah!
- With LSD? - And?
No wonder why everyone looks at me like I was fucking weird
because I was wearing an L--
- Why? - I was wearing an LSD cap.
Yeah, because you're taking LSD, baby!
Hey, right there! Are you okay, hey?
[Kenny] With the culmination of the New York City show,
Defer 2 stayed in New York City to shoot a coffee commercial,
and Zeke had to leave the tour
to go take care of some client business.
True, it was the end of our roadie.
But with Zeke in my life,
the adventure never really ends.
You fuck with a Marine! What'd you expect?
[Kenny] But I was bummed.
Out of this whole tour,
I never seemed to catch up with Fiona.
So I took a week off to recuperate,
then make my way to Dead & Company's final show
on their long, strange trip,
to a place where my mother never actually visited,
to the place where the music started
and this Deadhead movement got a foothold
in the staid American lexicon
and danced their way into a psychedelic dream.
This is, uh, this is Kenny Royce.
- I'm here with, uh, Defer 1. - [Defer 1] Mm.
We're about-- we're about four hours out of,
uh, San Francisco, and we're, um--
[Defer 1] [indistinct speech]
We're on the scene. This is the last--
I don't wanna say it's the last, this is the final day,
'cause they're not playing anymore this summer.
But I don't wanna say that it's the last.
There's a chance, there's a chance that--
That this is--
That it goes on, and not even that,
the music, the music always goes on.
uh, it is-- it's fuckin' hot as shit!
I am ready to go. I'm on the scene.
Couple more hours, San Francisco, here we go.
[upbeat music]
[♪]
[Kenny] Cool, man.
As I wandered around San Francisco,
I really missed my tour companions:
Zeke, Lily, Defer 2,
and even Gallop.
But I had no time to waste for sentimentality.
I had a show to get to,
a few more on-the-scenes to report,
and just maybe find that miracle I've been looking for all tour.
Hey, everybody, this is Kenny Royce on the Scene,
Uh, checking in.
But here I am, I'm in San Francisco.
It's been a hard ride.
It's been a hard, tough-- tough tour.
The thing is that...
Fiona? Fiona!
Oh, my God! Wait, Kenny.
Oh, my gosh, how are you? Kenny Royce.
- I know. How are you? - [Fiona] Hi. Good.
I have been looking for you.
You have?
All tour.
I mean, I mean, obviously, I'm--
You are going to the show? You-- are you-- are you--
Duh! I mean do--
Do birds shit in the woods?
Uh, do they? Yes, in the woods.
- [Fiona] Yeah. - [laughs]
I've been looking for you and looking.
And it's like-- it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Why don't we go to the show?
[Fiona] Well, I would take yes for it.
Then it is a date.
- [Kenny] All right. - Come on, this way.
[Kenny] Let's do it.
[Fiona] I'm in. Holy... This way.
[Kenny] Walking down the street with Fiona,
the whole meaning of this tour became crystal clear.
For me, this tour was the last chance
to discover new people, places, and hear the stories
of their lives, to live their life.
For Zeke, this tour was the last chance
to say goodbye to the past: the people, the places,
and the passing of his ride-or-die, my mother.
For the Deadheads, this last tour was everything,
their way to gather with family and friends
and celebrate the waning days of their special community,
guided by the soundtrack of their lives
that ring ever long in their ears,
seen through a psychedelic sheen that forever holds their hearts.
And for this brief moment in time
that I embarked on the long, strange trip,
I felt it, too.
I finally understood
why these were the best days of my mother's life.
Why, when she spoke of the people, places,
and things, she glowed.
Why, to her, these days never ended.
It was in the music. It always was.
It always will be.
[upbeat music]
[Defer 1] Hey, Kenny, close.
Uh, so we-- so we-- so here we are--
San Francisco, wildest thing ever.
Uh, we just got through security.
This is amazing! Somebody got rejected.
Gate crush.
He had the Ecstasy tick him.
It's like what Zeke did to me in Boston.
[upbeat music]
Uh, so here we are.
[Fiona] We're in.
We're in. Me and Fiona are in.
Is that normal, Fiona, that, you know,
there's always, like, a long line for that, right?
[Fiona] Yeah, that's why I've definitely gone
to the bathroom in the men's room.
I did.
[upbeat music]
[♪]
[crowd clapping and singing]
[Kenny] ♪ You know my love will not fade away ♪
Hey, everybody, it's Kenny Royce.
I'm here at Oracle Park. Uh, it's the end of the show.
The entire tour is done. This is it.
This is the, uh, last time it's Kenny Royce on the Scene
and I think as the band said tonight really-- really well
with Brok-- Brokedown Palace, fare thee well.
I'll s-- I'll see you guys all very soon.
Kenny Royce on the Scene.
Hit.
Okay, I'll give you a hit. I'll give you a hit.
- Ready? - [indistinct speech]
I'ma-- I'ma put it to your mouth.
- Ready? - Give me that. Give--
[Kenny screams]
[♪]
[man 7] [indistinct speech]
So we're just tryin'-- tryin' to-- tryin' to get--
[indistinct speech]
[man 7] That the same thing you doin'.
[man mimics air hissing]
[man 7] Okay.
Hey-- hey, Fiona, I got-- I got the ice here.
I got ice ready for our drinks and--
Great.
[crowd clapping in rhythm and cheering]
♪ Kenny Royce on the Scene, yeah ♪
♪ Ha-ha, it's Kenny Rogers Royce, y'all ♪
♪ Come on, it's My Dead Summer
♪ Everybody now, My Dead Summer ♪
♪ Ah
♪ My...
[upbeat music]
♪ Trying to find my way on down the road ♪
♪ I'm gonna take another turn, oh, the last time I got burned ♪
♪ The highway's long and it always takes me home ♪
Yes, fuckin' these-- uh, all fuckin' day,
these guys have been hammering and fucking hammering,
and I'm trying to fuckin' shoot
what I'm trying to fuckin' shoot.
Myself.
Oh, oh, oh, shit. Uh, selfie.
Fuck!
[indistinct speech]
I didn't realize that I was still filming.
Be around.
- They're, uh, this, uh-- - [Defer 1] Hey, guys.
[Kenny] Uh, so...
Uh, my lawyer, uh, Zeke. Go.
Royce on the Scene.
Um, we are in downtown St. Louis.
Lily Pad is excited.
They just fired some cannon.
[burps]
[Kenny] What was that?
Mm, St. Louis looks all right.
[Kenny] Zeke, what are you doing there?
[Zeke] Exercises, Kenny.
[Kenny] It looks like you're dry humpin', uh, you know,
like, a, uh, something.
We're waiting on Defer 1 and Defer 2.
[Zeke] Yeah, they're probably getting fucking coffee.
[Kenny] And they probably got lost from Defer 2's
navigation skills.
Absolutely.
Uh, we're a little bit scared because, uh,
the car's not here anymore.
[Zeke] Hey, let me give you a ride!
[Zeke laughing]
This is Kenny Royce live on the scene.
[dryer whirring]
Someone was-- someone was really drying their hands there.
I'm in the middle of my podcast.
[Zeke screaming]
[Zeke groaning]
This is Kenny Royce live on scene in-- at the Kum & Go.
[Zeke] Hey, Marvin, go fuck yourself!
[Kenny] Who's Marvin?
It's the guy from last night. Do you not remember last night?
I-- I don't remember last night. What do you mean?
[Zeke] Ah, don't worry about it.
And, uh, see, uh--
Zeke, is that more Molly?
[Zeke] Yes, it is, Kenny.
Gallop?
[Zeke] Gallop.
[Gallop whinnying]
[traffic whooshes]
[Kenny] I'd like to change at some point.
I've been wearing--
[Defer 1] You fuckin' lit me right up.
Are we goin' up? Yeah, we're going up, right?
Yeah, I'm just so confused.
We're always stuck in elevators.
We haven't gone anywhere, guys.
Nobody hit a button.
[Zeke] Uh...
[Defer 1] We're still on level three.
The car is right down there.
Level four, we went up.
[Zeke chuckles]
[Defer 1] You guys ever operated an elevator?
Because I got the permit. But it's not about the permit.
You think I practice law with a law license?
My God. All right?
- You just-- what? - What?
♪ The highway's long and it always takes me home ♪