Customer Reviews

Grateful Dead - The Closing of Winterland

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This release took some time to come out due to having the technology to sync up and clean up the audio and video tracks, many deadheads have tapes and vhs of this since it was broadcasted, but it never sounded better than here (much better than I expected). The video is decent, it's late 70's video, so I was'nt expecting miracles there, it's patchy in spots, but the good sound and performance make this a must have dvd for fans as it is and will be the only concert footage released from the 70's other than the Grateful Dead Movie. The band was at their peak during the 70's - this performance blows away the dvd's from subsequent years. There are many highlights including- "scarlet begonias>fire on the mountain", cippolina jamming on "not fade away", and a short but very good "dark star"...the guitar solo on "wharf rat" is a classic Garcia moment- probably his high point of the show- the whole 3rd set is great. The band is mostly "on" for this one, they were so hot in '77 and '78 that most of the shows ranged from good to incredibly good, this disc is a fine document from a time many fans have been wishing for...excellent work by the GD archivists.

The closing of Winterland was a traumatic thing for alot of Deadheads back in 1978, and this was the final concert performed there on New Year's Eve 1978.

This is my 7th Grateful Dead DVD that I have purchased and...musically speaking it ranks up there with any of the other 7...(the sound is great on this dvd) and hey, maybe for pure content it is the best bang for the buck. Lots of cool jammin going on here, and the concert lasts for over 4 hours. The video quality is not as good as the others (a bit dark) and as can be expected, because it was filmed in 1978. All the other Dead concerts on DVD are from 1987-1991, I believe.

But all in all this is a great DVD to own, simply because the Grateful Dead are the... Grateful Dead. One can't help but to feel happy when listening to the music. I wish that more Dead DVD's would become available at a faster clip... It seems that they are putting out one a year or so. Anyway, the music will take ya away, and the extra bonus features on disc two are great. The 30 minute segment on the closing of Winterland includes old footage of interviews with Deadheads before the show and current day interviews with Bob Weir, Micky Hart and a long time member of the GD road crew... is really a nice segment. Also included in the bonus stuff is two of the songs the "Blues Brothers" did (an absolute riot, they were) in the opening act before Jerry and the boys took the stage. And, not to be forgotten, a piece of the action from New Riders of the Purple Sage, who were also a warm up act.

If you are a true fan of the Grateful Dead, this is a must. To any casual fan of rock and roll fan or music historian, I would highly suggest you pick it up as well. It's R&R history... and some great music, to boot!

Keep the Grateful Dead DVD's coming, its important to keep thier vibe alive... especially in a day where the comtemporary music scene doesn't have much to offer. The Grateful Dead were truly a unique phenomena, and the message that they articulated is one that should be still heard today.

Rock on Jerry.

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?

Here's the setlist for anyone interesting in buying this one:

SET ONE
1 Sugar Magnolia >
2 Scarlet Begonias >
3 Fire On The Mountain
4 Me and My Uncle >
5 Big River
6 Friend of the Devil
7 It's All Over Now
8 Stagger Lee
9 From The Heart Of Me
10 Sunshine Daydream

SET TWO
1 Samson and Delilah
2 Ramble On Rose
3 I Need A Miracle>
4 Terrapin Station >
5 Playing In The Band >
6 Rhythm Devils >
7 Not Fade Away >
8 Around And Around

SET THREE
1 Dark Star >
2 The Other One >
3 Dark Star >
4 Wharf Rat >
5 St. Stephen >
6 Good Lovin'

ENCORE
7 Casey Jones >
8 Johnny B. Goode
9 We Bid You Goodnight

After two huge high-profile meltdowns for whatever reasons at Woodstock (bad) and Egypt (not all that bad) we will finally be able to hear and see them play at their best New Year's show. This easily eclipses anything from the past 4 or 5 years including 'Steppin' Out'', 'Ladies And Gentleman'' , any 'Views' and perhaps the 'So Many Roads' and "Golden Road" boxed sets. After listening and wearing out tapes of aud/sbd/fm-sbd mixes for years and seeing little of the footage that circulates it will be good to hear something in 5.1. Monumental versions of 'Sugar Mags>Scarlet>Fire', 'Terrapin>Playing>Drums>NFA', everything in Set III and all the rest. Not only one of their best shows but one of the best concerts, and acts of communication and performer-audience symbioses ever by anyone thanks in large part to Bill Graham. An historical document capturing the closing of a venue and a moment in time that was possibly the last hippie hurrah. Obviously essential. Breakfast after the show. 'Nuff Said.

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.

This is another nicely loaded-down DVD and those who like the Dead will love this frequently bootlegged 1978 New Year's Eve concert that marked the closing of promoter Bill Graham's infamous San Francisco ballroom, the Winterland.

Aside from "The Grateful Dead Movie" -- which is *the* filmed Dead performance to beat -- this is the only official, extended look at the band's live act during the 70s.

The show covers three long sets, 27 numbers. The sound and video quality are limited by the technology of the period; it was shot in low light on fuzzy-looking video, but it's been cleaned up about as much as possible and if you like the way the band plays, then you probably won't mind at all.

Extra features include a solid, nicely detailed documentary about the Dead's history at Winterland; amusingly disorganized interviews with Dead drummer Mickey Hart, singer and guitarist Bob Weir, author Ken Kesey and show-organizer Bill Graham (who opens the show by flying up to the stage on a glowing, 12-foot-long paper mache spliff); footage of opening act, the Blues Brothers; and a short look at how the footage was restored for the DVD.

Just a short little review. Wow!!! I have pretty much all the Dead DVDs, and this one is worlds apart. First reason is Jerry. He has never been seen on video like this - in command, in charge, vital, his 1970s self. While his 1990s self was better documented, that was perhaps less indicative of who Jerry really was. Now I feel like I know the guy better. In the performance, Jer has power to spare, a welcome sight. New licks and vocal inflections everywhere. His voice sounding younger in line with his appearance. This guy is raging and putting on a damn fine show.

Seeing Bobby as a young man is pretty interesting too. Even at age 32 or so, he looks and moves like an awkward kid. Donna is a treat to see after hearing her on tapes but never seeing her.

Second reason is the video camera work. While the resolution isn't great, it is flat out FASCINATING to be a member of the audience of a 1978 Dead show. Unlike the other Vault videos, this one relies heavily on the audience's prespective and their experience, while providing plenty of close-ups. The philosophy of the public TV camera crew was evidently to document the mood of the night; it's largely successful. The video of Johnny B. Goode is worth the price by itself.

This is all helped by cool apsect #3, the incredibly well-recorded and well mixed sound. It's more enveloping than any video yet. My spacial and sonic curiosities are REALLY satisfied by this DVD. The essence of what HAPPENED that night, missing from other stage-feed videos that exclude the crowd, is easily felt here.

Also, for those curious about Winterland, how it interacted with concertgoers and fostered a happy experience, this video footage sheds some light on that. It was a grand forgotten space.

And let's face it, this is the only video with the band fully soaked in its well-known drug days. The GD are all having grand arcs of whatever brand of intoxication, as had become their expertise. It shows in that particular brand of '70s fire seen & heard in their playing. They are not bored or listless, nor are their minds on other things. They were all about MUSIC on this night. Thanks for the great DVD set.

Here I am sitting at my computer reviewing the Grateful Dead's newly released, "Closing of Winterland" DVD and it dawns on me that this is my twentieth year (Merriweather '83 was my first concert) of being 'on the bus'. Well, all I can say is that the "Closing of Winterland" DVD is just about as perfect a gift as I can think of to celebrate. Here is the Dead shown in all their musical glory during the great '78 tour, performing at a revered, historic last concert at the famed, Winterland. Yes, I know the Dead are known for dropping the ball (or the ice cream cone for that matter...) at the BIG EVENTS (think Woodstock), but this is not the case here. In this live local San Fransisco, Public TV, production we really see the band operating at it's musical peak.This is defintley X-FACTOR enhanced material, which has a great set list including favorites such as "Scarlet Begonias", "Fire on the Mountain","Casey Jones" and "Terrapin Station". To top things off, the band makes the occasion extra special by playing rarely performed tunes such as "Dark Star" and "St. Stephen".The entire third set is just amazing!I think I understand now, why so many tapers have been clamoring for this special show all these years. As for the DVD itself, the folks at Grateful Dead Productions have done a truely outstanding job of putting everything together.They deserve kudos for taking a 1978 recording (especially the sound) and updating it through the use of modern day technology. The DVD also contains loads of extras which will keep any Dead Head busy for a long while. I was impressed with the nostalgic, historical documentary "Winterland: A Million Memories", which included interviews with Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Steve Parrish & the late Bill Graham about the show. I love the various shots and vintage interviews with the 1978 era fans. It really helped explain the atmosphere and feelings that surrounded the concert. Also included are short videos and still photography of opening acts The Blues Brothers & New Riders of the Purple Sage. Finally, the packaging of this set is really well done. I like the beautifully reproduced, classic, Kelly & Mouse artwork along with a insert booklet containing the set list, great color photographs of the band performing and well written remembrances of the era, venue and the show.I highly recommend this wonderful DVD!

The dead in prime form...they were definately "on" this night. With all the late 80s/early 90s footage available on DVD, it's nice to have more vingage material available, especially a complete performance from 1978 (a golden era). This bridges the gap between 1974 (Grateful Dead Movie) and the band's 1980 performance (Dead Ahead)...I'm holding on to my Laserdisc copies until these come to DVD! What amazes me the most is how animated Jerry was during this era, rockin' and groovin' his head & body to the music, moving more that just his eyebrows or his hand to push his glasses back up when they slide down. Video brings the music to a new level, being able to see the "interplay" between band members. The extras are great too. Looking forward to what they'll come up with next from the vaults (maybe some Jerry Band, Summer Solstice, Bobby & the Midnites??).