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Matt Vernon's Collection

Grateful Dead   12/31/1978

Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
Recording SHNID 1791
Media SHN   4 discs
Notes I was living in Berkeley at the time and like an idiot passed up an invitation to go to this concert! I remember getting an espresso on New Year's morning and hearing someone say "I think the Dead are STILL playing at Winterland". Historically, the orchestrated big event concerts have been busts for the Dead music wise. This concert bucks that trend. Set 1 starts off the New Year with a controlled Sugar Mag (I attended 12/31/72 and you have to picture the total chaos of several thousand dosed people in a sea of ballons with the Dead starting to play, adrenalin pumping through everyone's veins and then listen to how the Dead paces this song - incredible IMO). Set 2 is also strong except NFA (which turns into a "Who Do You Love" jam) got sidetracked so the Around/Around transition is abrupt. In the book "Bill Graham Presents", Bill said he wrote a letter to the Dead asking them to reherse and play songs that they hadn't played in a long time that people wanted to hear for the Winterland closing. Set 3 is the Dead's answer to Bill's letter. The Dark Star->TOO segue is nice but to my ears Wharf Rat is the highpoint. If you don't have this show, get it as a defining moment in Dead history.
Trades Allowed Yes
Ratings Show: A    Sound: A
Lists gd75-79
SHNID 1791
via Jay Ashley; third and final EAC/SHN (this one 4x-verified bit-identical) of same seed CDs as other 2 previous shn sets
Owned by Matt Vernon · Last Updated Nov 22, 2005