Grateful Dead - The Closing of Winterland

Starring:Grateful Dead
Studio: Monterey Video
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

Marking the end of an era, the world famous Winterland Arena was already losing ceiling tiles, her paint and fa ade worn and battered. In the East, it was The Fillmore, and in the West, the legendary rock palace was Winterland. The 70 s were rockin to a close (Janis, The Airplane, The Doors, The Who) and it was time to bid adieu. The celebrated Rock n Roll promoter Bill Graham created a piece of Rock n Roll history when he chose the Grateful Dead as his favorite band to commemorate the closing party of Winterland and what a party is was! What a DVD this is!

Starring: Grateful Dead
Running Time: 390 Min.

Format: DVD VIDEO

Customer Reviews:

"Me and my uncle own it" and you can too!.......2007-06-06

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

Two people of equal intelligence look at a painting and one sees a masterpiece and the other a waste of wall space. Over the years many did not exactly have the greatest admiration for Winterland as a venue. Marty Balin told me during the interview for "Take Me To A Circus Tent" that Winterland was his all-time favorite place to perform!

There was a certain charm in some of the concert halls of the 60's and 70's that no longer exist except for the endless memories.

This is a wonderful document with the Grateful Dead giving the time capsule terrific footage for the eyes of the world.

The quality is much better than numerous people had suspected and a farewell should have some classic moments. "Dark Star" and "St. Stephen" were performed to the delight of the sell out audience.

"It's All Over Now" (How appropriate) and "Stagger Lee" are only two more examples of the classics that left the audience salivating for more.

Today we take the tools that make up our world for granted DVD Players/Recorders/Personal Computers/Cellular Phones to name a few but it wasn't all that long ago that getting quality video footage of a great band wasn't as easy as finding the "Big River."

I have to ask Marty Balin if he were there for the final notes of the last show. If not I can tell him where to see his favorite venue one last time.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

Now I see why everyone gives this five stars!.......2007-03-30

This was filmed in 1978 so I am totally awestruck by the sound quality. I have DVD's of concerts made in the last few years that don't sound as good as this.

I will say that they never should have let Donna Godchaux on stage. She can't sing and she add's nothing positive to the band or this concert. She's out of sync with everyone else and has no sense of timing. They'd been better off with Yoko Ono - another bird who can't sing. And Keith Godchaux on keyboards? He sounds like someone playing a midi program on a computer. If you like the keyboard - pick up "Dead Ahead" at Radio City Music Hall.

I don't want to leave this review on a downer just cuz of them two Godchaux's because it is so flippin incredible in itself that not picking this disc up would be denying yourself an experience you won't regret. Jerry has the best guitar-rippin hands in history - period.

Why it sounds so good.......2007-03-01

I won't add to the other raves on the performance. It's a great show by the Dead in their prime. 'Nuff said.

But I will add a note on the sound, since I have some expertise on the subject. When this was taped in 1978, analog recording had reached full technical maturity. Despite all the digital hoopla, many of us in the biz know full well that the best of 70s analog was better than most of 80s digital...and you could take that into the 90s as well. So the sound capture that night was far superior to many of the later Dead releases done on early generations of digital gear. It's most apparent here in the gorgeous sound of Phil Lesh's bass. It's never sounded better on any release in any format. Of course, by the time they got around to remixing the original analog masters for DVD, digital technology was well into its third generation (24-bit resolution, 96kHz sampling or higher) and thus able to fully reproduce the gorgeous analog sound of original. So, crank it up and enjoy the best of the analog and digital worlds.

One final note: The only sonic disappointment here has nothing to do with the recording. It's the instrument. Why was Keith Godchaux stuck with the rinky-tink Yamaha electric? I sorely missed the gorgeous tone of a real concert grand as heard on Europe '72, where his work shone through spectacularly. You can see what he had on the cover of the Europe '72 booklet at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and I expect something similar was on the rider for each show. Was Bill Graham pinching pennies in '78 or what?

This is the one.......2007-01-28

This concert was and is incredible. As with all the things that Grateful Dead productions put out, this is money well spent. The Dead organization has always been loyal to their fans and this is their way of giving back. The show on it's own is mindblowing. But the extra goodies with this make it more of an experience than just the amazing performance.
This is my most prized Dead DVD. I watch it on my portable and am always amazed at how well they cleaned this masterpiece up. You get the whole story included in the set. I could watch "DARK STAR" till the next millenium.
All in all, The Dead organization gives back to the fans musically in the most gratifying fashion. Giving us little momentos(in superbly packaged products) of the boys in action that will always stand the test of time and let us fully realize why they gave so much to the music world in their 30 years. A MUST HAVE from the casual to obsessive listener.

A Must Have.......2007-01-10

When compared to other official dvd releases of the dead, such as the grateful dead movie soundtrack, this dvd easily sets the standard. The entire concert is here, and they are cooking. The less than pefect picture quality is quickly forgotten about once the band drops the bomb. buy this, if not here, than somewhere else for a better price, but trust me, you want this.

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