The closing of Winterland was a chance for a gathering of the people who recorded and traded audio reels filled with Grateful Dead live concerts. By 1978, this was a small but dedicated group of fanatics. As I recall, we got in line around noon to be greeted by our new friend Dick Latvala, years from his association with the Grateful Dead, but important to our group for his generosity in mailing fabulous Hawaiian weed in exchange for Dead recordings.
Dick had flown in from Hawaii that day and had these beautiful tie-dye T-shirts made for the occasion that featured psychedelic pyramids in honor of the recent Egyptian shows. I still have my shirt even though it has faded and shrunk over the decades. The shirt was designed by a friend of Dick’s from the islands.
Soon joining us for the afternoon was Bob Menke, famed taper from San Leandro who would not be attending the show, but instead returning home to record the show both on his reel and on an early VHS deck. My friend Matt Williams, noted Dead scholar, was also down from Seattle; we had our picture taken under the Bill Graham wall hanging adorning the building, version of which is reprinted in Tapers Compendium Four.
Sometime that afternoon, the line began to move and we quickly moved to our location about halfway back in the balcony, right side facing the stage, near the famed AC outlet responsible for providing power for the reels operating during the various 1977 runs at Winterland. I was not recording that evening, just taking photographs and enjoying the psychedelic evening. Talking was difficult. I enjoyed the screening of Animal House, which had just been released. I remember that Dick Latvala hated the opening set by the Blues Brothers, and he actually left his seat to wander in the hallway.
I will never forget the sight of Reinhard Holwein fumbling to get his microphones re-assembled to record the last song, the only source of that version until the commercial release of the DVD decades later.
I loved the set given my background in the blues. Steve Cropper, ‘Duck’ Dunn, Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy, the SNL horns — what a band. The next set was by the New Riders which was fine. I seem to recall Jerry Moore, early Dead taper from New York, visiting our group after the set, but I was too confused to do anything but mumble hello. David Cooks was wearing his normal top hat that night. David was a friend of John Cipollina’s and was the source for many Quicksilver Messenger Service tape discoveries.
The Dead sets that night remain among my favorites, especially the start of set three. I will never forget Sandy Troy yelling out “Oh my god” as we all heard the opening sacred notes to begin the set. Set three was stunning, but all too short. After what seemed like a long period, the Dead returned for the farewell of We Bid You Goodnight. I will never forget the sight of Reinhard Holwein fumbling to get his microphones re-assembled to record the last song, the only source of that version until the commercial release of the DVD decades later. Reinhard was a monster taper, bowling over any obstacle in his path. Sometime later we stumbled outside into the daylight clutching our breakfast bag courtesy of Uncle Bobo, wondering if it was all a dream.
~ Pat Lee