I remember the night as if it were yesterday, well almost yesterday. I was living with Stanley Mouse in Petaluma. He had been working on the Blue Rose and I loved watching it come to life in wet paint. Over the days Kelley and Stanley added the lettering to make the poster. I don’t think I realized at the time that Winterland was closing as we prepared for New Year’s Eve. I practically grew up there at Winterland. Stanley always dressed to the nines for events like these. He wore a cool 60’s vintage pin striped suit he designed that was hand tailored in London in 1970. I wore a frilly vintage dancing frock for the occasion and Chinatown flats.
A friend of his had shown up from Detroit and was coming along for the ride. Woah, I thought, “we are in for a night.” I have an image in my mind of lots of cars with Deadhead stickers on the way over the Golden Gate Bridge. Going into the city held much anticipation and excitement, and I remember the excitement through the eyes of our visitor. We parked and walked hurriedly past the streams of people, overhearing the banter. I loved looking at the women dressed richly with embroidered roses and intricate hippie designs; I found the artworks little masterpieces. Everyone was always smiling at Grateful Dead shows. As we walked thru the backstage door there was a palpable extra special vibe.
It was wild to have the “New York, New York” Saturday Night Live folks there; the place was beaming. Rockers and comedians make an interesting elixir I could say. Backstage was brimming with more people than SOMETHING IS MISSING HERE. Stanley and I walked around, then went onstage to watch the Blues Brothers. We were star struck a bit. I was dancing next to Rose, Dan Aykroyd’s girlfriend at the time. I do believe she gave me a long-stemmed rose and a Blues Brothers pin, and if I remember right, possibly a mushroom. Everything started to melt into a dream.
Stanley and I walked around, then went onstage to watch the Blues Brothers. We were star struck a bit.
As Aykroyd announced the countdown to the New Year, the spectacle of Bill Graham riding above the audience in an enormous joint from the balcony was amazing and wonderful, including the throwing of joints into the crowd. The place exploded with joy! Zillions of balloons dropped at midnight and the giant joint landed as a transcendental Sugar Magnolia burst from the band! The place was jumping and everyone was elated. We stayed and I danced happily, until in a flurry, I was swept off to the Starship’s mansion on Fulton Street for an after party.
I have so many wonderful memories of Winterland like the Bob Fried Benefit with the Jerry Garcia Band, Kingfish, Keith and Donna, and the Mirrors. Dancing on stage during the filming of Grateful Dead shows that were made into a movie is an immortal memory for me. I do indeed remember being extra happy and have very fond memories of this period of my life.
It seems in my memory now all the shows have indeed rolled into one. And like a Hunter/Garcia song “it’s all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago …”
~ Dava Sheridan