ESPN scored surprising ratings success early in the pandemic by airing Live from the Forum MMXVIII, a concert film starring The Eagles. ESPN claimed it had a connection to the documentary, with Chris Berman providing the introduction. Showing it just made sense!
The network is turning to music again. This time the connection is a little less confusing.
Fire on the Mountain is an extreme sports documentary that will feature snowboarders, skiers, and surfers performing to a Grateful Dead soundtrack. If it’s on ESPN and the Grateful Dead is involved, you can bet Bill Walton will be there too. The college basketball analyst will serve as the narrator for the documentary.
“Recently, while shadow boxing the apocalypse, and wandering the land, I came upon the creation of the world, and the birth of fire,” Walton said in a press release. “I quickly spiraled round and round, and was immediately sucked into the vortex of Fire On The Mountain —The Movie. It has become a harmonic convergence of the highest order, bringing together the best of the best of the best—of everything, with as fine a group of young, dynamic, action-figure super-heroes, as there is in the known universe. Like me, they love the edge, nature, the groove, rhythm, sport, and the culture and rhythmic beat of the Grateful Dead. The new young guys asked me to speak. I channeled everyone and everything I’ve known in my now 53 years with the Grateful Dead. Mickey Hart, there from the beginning, led a responsive charge to my call to action. The result is Fire On The Mountain—The Movie, as great a project and team, driven by glorious purpose and song, as I’ve ever been a part of.”
Fire on the Mountain will debut Wednesday night on ESPN. It will re-air in November on ABC.
The timing makes some sense for the film’s debut. With baseball and basketball out of the way and college basketball yet to start, the network is looking for programming to fill the days of the week that don’t include Monday Night Football or college games.
