I was a 16-year-old growing up in Los Angeles. I was from San Francisco, but moved south in 1966 and still had a very large extended family in S.F. My first show was at the Forum on 6/4/77 and I did see the GD at Winterland on 10/20 and 10/21 1978. So, as you can imagine the anticipation was high going into NYE ‘78.
On Dec. 31, a few of us flew up to S.F. and hung out at my aunt and uncle’s place at the top of 999 Green on Russian Hill which has one of the great views of S.F. So, how did a 16-year old kid living in L.A. get six tickets to a concert that Bill Graham said he could have sold 500,000 tickets to? My uncle’s attorney, Bill Coblentz, was also Bill Graham’s attorney, so the request was made. Also, after the tickets had gone on sale, I just called BASS, I think, and got two tickets. I couldn’t believe it! Subsequently, my uncle called me and told me he had four tickets for me. This was truly two miracles. The four tickets went to my friends who flew up with me and the other two went to a friend of mine and his girlfriend who were up there.
Watching the third set from home, he has maintained to this day that it was the best blow job ever!
This is where it gets funny. His girlfriend would, in ‘79 or so, go to work at Arista, but wasn’t a Deadhead and didn’t really know the music that well. So, she brought a book to the show in case she got bored. LOL!!! She also made my buddy leave after the second set because she was tired. Watching the third set from home, he has maintained to this day that it was the best blow job ever!
What a night, and long as we all know! I flew home sometime the next morning and slept 22 hours straight. To this day, if I could trade all my tomorrows for that single yesterday, 12/31/78 would be it.
~ Robert Goddard