Winterland was both my church and my school! It was a place where I went to hear the “gospel of rock ‘n’ roll.” On NYE ’78, Winterland looked great, the music was fantastic, and the audience was very enthusiastic! When we walked into Winterland, I noticed the way Bill Graham Presents decorated Winterland to make it look like a grand ballroom. There was cloth covering the walls of the lobby. Inside the arena, the perimeter of the lower balcony was decorated with plaques of many of the performers who performed at Winterland and the dates of their performances: Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Traffic, etc.
Although we got to Winterland a few hours before the concert, many seats and spots on the floor were already occupied. We sat in the balcony behind the stage and above the bands. I actually like sitting looking down on the stage from behind the band; you kind of see the performance from the band’s perspective.
In a funny way, for me it seemed like more of a graduation ceremony or some kind of rite of passage than simply a New Year’s Eve concert.
The closing of Winterland was not really about the Grateful Dead as much as it was about saying goodbye to Winterland. In a funny way, for me it seemed like more of a graduation ceremony or some kind of rite of passage than simply a New Year’s Eve concert. I snuck a couple of bottles of champagne into Winterland that night for the New Year’s festivities.
After standing near my seat for the Dead’s midnight song, Sugar Magnolia, I began to circulate around Winterland, to thank some of the Winterland staff, offering them a sip of champagne. It was my way to say thank you to the people who worked at Winterland for the many years of fun times. I knew I would never see another concert at Winterland, my “old school” was closing down.
~ John Finnigan