Grateful Dead

people coming in thru the roof literally winterland was falling apart. one of my all time fondest memories. pancakes at six in the morning. jerry looking and feeling good chartbuster? --staggerlee jerry was into it. wharf rat j.g. kept hitting these notes that came flying out of his guitar straight at me .scarlet --fire-- all good loving every minute of it

I heard the Dead installed speakers under the floor for this show and turned them on for the Dark Star. Anyone know if this is true?

My first NYE show, and one of my most life-changing nights ever. Caught the red eye after the Pauley show on the 30th. Crashed in a friend's van outside Winterland and woke up to find speakers on the corner playing great music, Uncle Bobo serving lentil soup, carrot cake, all sorts of good stuff. Finally the doors opened and we were treated to Animal House at 6, followed by the New Riders, Blues Brothes, Flying Karamozov Brothers and the Grateful Dead from midnight until dawn. Oh, and lots of little visine bottles being passed around - liquid refreshments free for the asking. My folks still wonder why NYE is such an important night for me. 12/31/78 is why. If 3/18/77 (my first show) got me on the bus, 12/31/78 sealed the deal for life.

I've had the Winterland dvd for about 4 yrs or so and really dig it ( so do my kids). I've never had the opportunity to talk to anyone who was actually AT the show. I know this sounds really sappy, but it almost brings a tear to my eye. Thank you all * Peace*

My cousin and his wife lived in San Mateo. I lived in Orange County having moved out west post Syracuse University graduation. The only way to get tickets to this show was to enter a lottery held at various Bay area record shops. I called my cousin and asked him if he was into the Dead and he wasn't (my good fortune). I begged him to enter the lottery for me. He agreed, I sent him the money and he and his wife entered this lottery. The story is over 1 million people tried for just 3500 tickets. My cousin's wife won and I got to go! To this day, this is by far the best concert I have ever attended. After Pauley, we drove all night to my cousin's place. We crashed on the floor till about noon. The night started round 6 with a screening of Animal House. I was there up front. Then the New Riders played for about an hour. The Blues Brothers came out and tore the roof off the place. Belushi doing his flips, it was awesome. Then the Flying Karamozov Brothers juggling. It was endless. Winterland was dressed up like a Grateful Dead Museum. I remembered thinking to myself...Dead Heaven. There were Dead stickers on the floors, the ceiling, everywhere. The walls were covered with historic posters of all the great shows of the past and the posters were varnished on. Every where you looked, it felt historic. Just before midnight this big curtained off area in the balcony in the back of Winterland came alive and Uncle Bobo was sitting a huge smoking joint dressed as Father Time. It started coming down over the crowd and Father Time was tossing roses and spraying a little champagne over the crowd. I had to duck as he flew right over my head on to the stage. It's midnight, thousands of balloons come down and are pushed to the front and the Grateful Dead are now there playing Sugar Magnolia. Man, I will die a Dead Head. They played until 6:30 in the morning ending with an acapella We Bid You Goodnight. To top it off, Bill Graham served me breakfast and I had the privilige of standing next to him and talking to him for about 10/12 minutes while he was dishing out eggs and pancakes. He told me they were trying to recreate the old days. He said he wanted to go back one more time and he said if I ever wanted to know what it was like back in the day, just think of tonight.

Wow: Won the lottery with ticket number 700707, in Livermore Ca. in small hidden store I remembered about, after losing at Tower Records in Walnut Creek. That store did not open until late on Sunday 11 o'clock, a second chance. But wait, will I lose again, three days before the concert, I get the dreaded 1978-79' flu. My girl friend runs and get my parents after taking my temp she said it went 102 to 106 in two hours. My parents carried me into tub filled with ice thru me in and filled it up full of water. Now they told me 'that what doctor said', within a hour my fever broke, spent next two days in playing in bed, whoa they let me go.. again. They new by this time there was no stopping a true Deadhead. By that morning, about 3:00 AM a new year, the band was winding down for a small jam break, my girlfriend disappeared with her old flame into the masses. Was she really there at all, heard she got married to some other guy later downtown. But as the lights came up, there she was, the other one, my Hawaiian Doll, my old love from school, disconnected by a move, sitting just two rows ahead and next to a guy, that looked just like me. As we look at each others face, he pulled her away and I could see her arm waving one last goodbye never to be seen. Ohhhhh... Winterland.... what you did to me...... Bear 2 http://www.heavenlyharpist.com/mp3/greensleeves.mp3

Chef Free Number One greatest rock show of my life! We stood and screamed at the "end" long after all the equipment was gone from the stage. Bill came out and said something like "Sometimes the band wears out the crowd and sometimes the crowd wears out the band". I looked at some guy across the floor and we both think "If we just sit down there would be nothing they could do". So he and I and about a hundred other people, who had all obviously thought the same thing, sat down. With in five seconds everyone in the place was sitting!! Largest group-mind thought I was ever part of! So two mics were set up on stage and the band came back for an acapella version of And We Bid You Goodnight. MAGIC!

Got in on a pass, so Tex and I were able to save a front row in the balcony, left side. Guarded a garbage can full of Heinekins with Walton during some of the prelims. Remember one poster hung from center balcony 1407 days since last SF Dark Star. Dropped before Blues Brothers, a mighty time. BG served me srambled eggs that kept changing colors around 6 am.

WOW for sure! was this the gig the guy came through the ceiling & Uncle Bo-Bo talked him down? I had totally forgotten about the lottery, but then we were working @ Winterland (yes, lucky me) so maybe I wasn't really aware of it. Since we worked the catering, we fed the bands & don't remember if we cooked for the people that night.......I'll have to find the other cooks-maybe their minds are clearer on it-30 years-& those visine bottles.....haha Gypsy Cowgirl

I waited in line for a day and a half for this show. My wife (now ex) and I met up about five hours before doors opened. I took 12 rolls of photos & kept 'em frozen for 6 years before I developed them. What shots they are! I still have all of them. Next morning Bettike the catering lady came up and made sure I had breakfast. Bill Graham and I spent time just talking and he wasn't mean or too busy for us. He made sure that the folks in line had food and water. He was cool. Animal House before the concert was cool. The dance troupe was out there. The Blues Brothers - Wow! New Riders - Freakin' Wow! Uncle Bobo in a big joint throwin' little joints - who'da thunk? The Dead till Dawn - Damn Near The Best Show Ever! In a box in storage in a plastic baseball cube is a piece of concrete from the Phil Zone side of the stage. No way to replace this place. No way to replace this band. When they go, no one else will do what they do the way they do it. Thanks Jerry, Bob, Phil, Mickey, Billy, Keith, Donna, Pigpen, Brent, Bruce, & Vince.

greetings - too late to have made this show, but about 15 years ago I came across a 3 cd set in a record store in kenmore square in Boston of this show. sadly, I can't find anything about it on line. does anyone know more? back says "Limited Edition" No 2450. not looking to sell, only get info about this set. Cover: (in a circle surrounding white rose): Winterland San Francisco, New Year's Eve 1978-79 (stealyourface in gold foil) Grateful Dead with Thank You Uncle Bobo written for teeth.... I can email/post a scan of it if anyone wants to see... thanks!

The DVD bonus material is quite interesting, all those vintage clips and interviews. There is that one tv reporter/interviewer who knows only how to say one thing: "you are a Deadhead??!!" He says this over and over in every interview (including to Dick Latvala), and is totally annoying.

We traveled out from Chicago... I still have the shirt I bought there ( to small now) They hung banners over the balcony rails with Jimi, Janis and Jim Morrison photos on them .. Bill Walton on drums during the interlude , Uncle Bo bo w/flying Giant Joints ..Amazed that Bulushi could really do those back flips and NRPS were FAB... The movie Animal House just got the evening started and Breakfast served on Silver Trays was the all time clincher for and end to a Memorable evening ! We hung out in line for 2 days taking turns with Jim Ortman, Rich Lynn ( my ex ) and I ... I sat for hours, walked around for hours and danced for hours ...Ever have too much fun ?? This was one of those times ! Please do random acts of kindness !

went to great lengths to get tickets, but lost out on the lottery.Me and four friends tripped to the KQED TV broadcast.Recorded the KSAN FM broadcast that became my first master tape.I wore that tape out.Now Im diggin the DVD. One of the greats.I still cant believe that my parents didnt come into my room that night to se what we were doing.(I was only 17).They must have been glad that I was home on new years eve.One of the most memorable shows I didnt go to

Another comment to add... I traveled around inside Winterland ( during the showing of Animal House Movie) as I had never been there before and they were getting ready to "tear this old building down" !I had such FUN seeing all these great faces.. ( some melting :o), costumes and Smiles, Smiles, Smiles and a JOY of Being ! The band seemed to be having a great time too... Breakfast was catered in by Nasari's (sp) .. Thanks to Uncle Bo Bo This was my personal favorite New Years Eve Show ! Having flown out to SF from Chicago, It was an excellent week.. went up to Marin and Stinson Beach etc a few days before the show... All together It was ONE Excellent Trip !

keep your character, enjoy living, share your fortune,OXOX Merple Reddin

I don't remember how I got my ticket. I hitchhiked up on Thursday night and hung out on the streets until they let us in. I felt like I had traveled back in time to the early days. It seemed like they were so long ago back then. When the show got out in the morning, I had to hitch back to San Jose (on New Year's Day!). My first Dead show was just earlier that year on 5-6-78.

It was amazing to even be able to get a ticket. In Sacramento a lot of the lotteries where being rigged by the record store employees so their friends could win. The one I was at kept trying to delay the drawing. I encouraged the crowd to remember what happened at Sears when the Rolling Stones tickets sold out years before resulting in the store getting trashed. The manager relented and posted the winners. Damn! Missed it by one digit. When I threw my tickets down, one that was folded over popped out-the winner.Watching Animal House with a packed Winterland was the perfect start. I'll never forget how the place rocked when Neidermeyer's fate rolled across the screen. Deadheads, the New Riders, flying chainsaws and juggling freaks, Belushi and Akroyd at their peak, and then the Dead...God to be stuck there on Groundhogs Day...

3/18/1977 was your first show? My first one was the nest night. You had the best Peggy-O EVER. I got hooked on "Roll away.... With You"! Loved that band ever since.

This was "The" Commencement for attendees of the Grateful Dead College. Everyone graduated from the School of Higher Learning that night. Like everyone else, I do remember being there , or not there, but that's it. Over the years, it keep's coming back to me, like light from above. Chipollina's guitar being cut off for upsataging Jerry, (i was right up front). Weir appearing in rare form, voice better then ever, hair perfect of course. I saw Indian's in tribal dresses, kid's with their parent's, having their faces's painted ( by me, a deal i had with BoBo for show ticket's). I remember giving away a ticket i won from the lottery, to someone in front who had a big paper bag over his head, (everyone had there own strategy to get a ticket) i thought it was brilliant, simple but real; The Unknown Comic!, obviously in shock as i handed him the ticket, he took off the bag and in amazement it was a friend of mine! The show went on what seemed like forever, in fact i think it is still going on, in fact i "know" it is. I lived in Mill Valley , ( Bobby was my neighbor), and had heard they actually left during the break and went home and came back, they were gone, what seemed like for hour's. Belushi climbing up over the stage, Garcia with a huge smille on his face as he played his heart out. For now that is all i remember, ask me what song's they played, Dark Star?, that is where i leave off. I talked with BoBo when it was all over, we walked around as people were eating breakfast, and both new this was the "End Of The Era". no more Winterland (the City decided to tear it down, brilliant idea) no more Filmore, no more 60's, only memories now, i saw the best show's of my life there. We both wanted to cry, i never saw him again, I returned to normal life, but i will alway's be a Dead Head, i am an Honor Student from Grateful Dead University, i earned my wing's and and i now "know" how to fly, you taught me well. God Bless You All! God Bless You Jerry, God Bless You BoBo, hope we meet again.

I do not remember how I got my ticket (don't remember any kind of a lottery) since I lived in LA, but took a flight to SF that morning after the Pauley show the night before with my friend Jack who was on crutches. Grabbed seats in the first row of the balcony left side. A memorable evening indeed. Animal House, Blues Brothers, NRPS, and of course three sets by "the boys" (and girl) and breakfast. I do remember it being pretty harsh on the eyes waking out to the morning sun at 7:00 am.

I am looking for a copy of a photo taken of Bill G. trying to get his motorcycle started at midnight. I saw it in a calendar long ago with a caption like " 12:03 a.m." , or similar. Anyway photo shows top of my blonde head and my friend Curt's arm reaching up to touch a tire on Bill's bike. Would love a copy of this for my memory box.

The show was amazing as everyone has said. Getting a ticket was the crazy part. Matt G and I got in his Couger and drove from SF State's Verducci Hall to the Wherehouse Record store in Stonestown Galleria. At each store that sold tickets you could get a numbered ticket and after a while they would draw winners how could get two concert tickets. We each got lottery tickets at the Stonestown and Market st Wherehouse. When we got back to Stonestown there was a line of kids hoping to get an unclaimed winners ticket. Matt checked for his number and said no luck. My number was not on the list but I noticed the number before me was and it was Matt's number. We hugged with excitement and relief, but I never forget the look on the first kid in lines face for unclaimed winners tickets. Sorry dude it was a great show.