Neil Young News: Winterland Stories

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Winterland Stories

The legendary Winterland Arena in San Francisco, CA has played hosts to hundreds of concerts over the years including the famous "Last Waltz" concert of Bob Dylan and The Band's final performance.

In the spring of 1985, Chris Horn took some photographs of Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA, being torn down. The photos were stored for many years and a project developed toward donating copies to the SF Museum and Historical Society.

In addition to the photos, Chris gathered stories from people who attended performances while Bill Graham put on rock shows at the venue (1966 - 1978).

Presented for your enjoyment - photos, stories, links and a complete list of performers during the Bill Graham years.

Check out Winterland Stories.

Let Chris know what you think of Winterland Stories. Feel free to share your story too. Thanks for your comments!

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30 Comments:

At 6/02/2008 11:56:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Just a quick comment, that The Last Waltz wasn't the big bash for "Bob Dylan and The Band", it was held and marketed as the last concert for "The Band".

Dylan certainly played an important role in The Band's history and in the concert itself, but The Band operated apart from the Bobster for most of its life and is respected independently of him.
At 6/02/2008 02:23:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Great site about Winterland Stories. Thank you.
At 6/02/2008 03:47:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Great stories about Winterland and it brings back many memories. I only saw one show at Winterland. The show I witnessed was Dicky Betts, Kingfish and 38special(1978). I borrowed my brother in laws Chevy Suburban with a CB radio and we drove in from Vacaville. I went to the concert and came out and the car was broken into and the cb radio was history. Thanks for the memories Winterland. The show was not great but ok from what I remember.
At 6/02/2008 06:02:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Dude...

...they tore it down?

bummer...
At 6/02/2008 10:03:00 PM, Anonymous said...: A great blog. I miss that old building. I must have gone to 30 shows there. Linda Ronstadt opened for Neil in 1975. The ticket was a whopping $5.00. We had our car stolen at a Grateful Dead concert and had to hitch back to Berkeley. Those were the days!

Still Rockin in the Rain
At 6/03/2008 04:05:00 PM, Anonymous said...: This is Chris Horn....

The previous comment mentioned seeing Neil Young and Linda R. at Winterland.

If you see this and want to send me a 'story' about this concert (for a possible future WS update) feel free to write me at...

winterland.stories@yahoo.com

Thnak you and everyone else for your comments!
At 6/03/2008 08:31:00 PM, Anonymous said...: wal-mart (and k-mart) suck.

is bgzkdes really a "word"?
At 6/05/2008 08:17:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I really enjoyed your site. Thanks for doing this.
At 6/07/2008 10:41:00 PM, steve said...: I have no idea how many times I've been to the corner of Post and Steiner. The normal thing for me to do on weekends was to go to Winterland. It didn't matter who was playing, I went because Winterland was the best place to be on a Fri. or Sat. night. One time I saw Manassas and Stephen Stills brought out some 'special' guests. It was CSNY onstage for a while. It seems like the ovation for them lasted 20 minutes and when Manassas finally returned they got boo'd off the stage. What a shame, they were putting on a great show. I had never heard of David Bowie until I saw him on his Spiders from Mars tour. I wasn't sure if I was seeing something awful or something great, I just knew it was different. Within a year my little high school rock band was doing half of that album. One time I was in line (Standing in line before the show was an important part of the ritual) and I was drinking from a pint bottle of southern comfort. There was an old security guard named Willie. He was there every weekend and he told me how to sneak my bottle in without getting caught. Thank God I can go to concerts now without being under the influence of anything. I gotta million more stories about my favorite venue and Bill Graham, Jerry, Neil, etc.
Peace
dontpassmusicby@cox.net
At 6/07/2008 10:42:00 PM, steve said...: I have no idea how many times I've been to the corner of Post and Steiner. The normal thing for me to do on weekends was to go to Winterland. It didn't matter who was playing, I went because Winterland was the best place to be on a Fri. or Sat. night. One time I saw Manassas and Stephen Stills brought out some 'special' guests. It was CSNY onstage for a while. It seems like the ovation for them lasted 20 minutes and when Manassas finally returned they got boo'd off the stage. What a shame, they were putting on a great show. I had never heard of David Bowie until I saw him on his Spiders from Mars tour. I wasn't sure if I was seeing something awful or something great, I just knew it was different. Within a year my little high school rock band was doing half of that album. One time I was in line (Standing in line before the show was an important part of the ritual) and I was drinking from a pint bottle of southern comfort. There was an old security guard named Willie. He was there every weekend and he told me how to sneak my bottle in without getting caught. Thank God I can go to concerts now without being under the influence of anything. I gotta million more stories about my favorite venue and Bill Graham, Jerry, Neil, etc.
Peace
dontpassmusicby@cox.n
At 7/10/2008 12:27:00 PM, Lou said...: My first two Winterland shows will be forever ingrained in my memories ... Feb 68 - Albert King, John Mayall, Jimi Hendrix; came away with a lifelong love of Albert - he stole the show from Jimi IMHO ... Mar 68 - Blood Sweat and Tears (the Al Kooper version) and Cream ... later saw the Oct Hendrix show ... a good year for music!!
At 9/16/2008 01:37:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Stumbled upon this site tonight and have to thank Chris Horn and all the other posters for bringing back some wonderful (and some not so wonderful)memories.
I remember the green stair-wells people sometimes getting sick while walking them. The chase scene from Bullit being played on the screen prior to the show along with cartoons and bouncing balls and stuff.Bill Graham pulling up in a limo and yelling at people in line to not yank on the doors and such.
I saw so many shows,we went no matter WHO played.
Some stand out shows for me were The Who. God, people were trying to rip the seats up out of the floor in the end. There is a picture that captures the moment on the Wolfgang's Vault website with Pete throwing his guitar in the air. Perfect.
The J. Geils Band played a kick-ass concert there. The entire place was up on it's feet. Incredible! I could go on and on. But thanks again for the website!
At 10/04/2008 01:04:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I remember my first time at Winterland, coming in and hearing Les Dudek jam on guitar. It was great. Next thing I remember is Pat Travers rocking away. The audience was booing because they wouldn't let him back for a 2nd encore. Then Dickey Betts headlined and played all those great Allman Brothers tunes. He played 5 encores. I've never seen anything like it. My 2nd and last show was Van Morrison during the last month it was open. Winterland was a cozy place with many nooks and crannies. There was no place like it.
At 10/26/2008 05:55:00 PM, Anonymous said...: LONG LIVE WINTERLAND...!!! One thing that I did not see mention of was the famous mirrored ball above the crowd, it was always a big deal to see the green laser light hit that and reflect onto the audience, also every show was being videotaped, unfortunately much of the classic footage was lost in a fire in San Francisco when bill graham was still alive, still remember journey when they first came out with there first album, they actually played it twice, cuz thats all the material they had, (no one minded) it kicked ass...also the tubes kicked major ass, all them naked women running around on stage and in the audience, one was in front of me with nothing but glitter, when the audience shoved me I ended up with glitter on me...damn I miss that shit...sincerely, mark sabatini
At 12/06/2008 02:19:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I saw so many shows at Winterland from 1976 thru 1978 (as a 16 to 18 year old). But I have to agree with the poster above that the Les Dudek, Pat Travers, Dicky Betts & Great Southern show was one of the BEST shows of my lifetime. I will NEVER forget standing a few feet in front of Dicky Betts as he played like no one I have ever seen before or since. There was something magical about that performance that still gives me chills when I think about it.

Yeah Winterland was a dump, and it had an anything-goes atmosphere (OK I only bought acid once from a stranger at a Montrose show - you remember the guys hanging around near the bathrooms "acid for sale, acid, acid..."). But for $6.00 or so, where else could you see so many great acts in one night?!
At 1/13/2009 11:25:00 PM, John from Santa Clara, Ca. said...: My first "big" concert was Grand Funk Railroad and Bloodrock. My three buddies and I were directly under the mirrored ball (laying on our backs) before the show started. There were two spotlights shining on the ball as it was spinning...giving us the illusion we were spinning around the ball!!! They were playing tunes loudly over the sound system. We were high on "psyches". Great show!! Also saw Ten Years After, Black Sabbath, Robin Trower, Johnny Winter, and Blue Oyster Cult. Also saw ZZ Top and Yes when nobody had ever heard of them.
I also went and saw Winterland being torn down with a crane and wrecking ball in '85. I have a piece of Winterland concrete in my dresser drawer. IT'S NOT FOR SALE!!! LOL
At 2/08/2009 12:49:00 PM, Anonymous said...: spent many nights of my youth there at this wonderful venue remember seeing robin trower one night bad co the next, sammy hagar on same bill as montrose doobies, bto and styx with young tommy shaw, eddie money's first show this place was the first place i saw lynyrd skynyrd with only two guitarists all for five dollars, eight at the most.there will never be a place like this sadly for a new generation of fans live isnt the same. long live winterland in our memories....
At 4/22/2009 01:27:00 PM, steve walker said...: thank you for this spot
winterland was my home away from home everybody from jerry and the boys to mick and pete from 72 to 78 saw almost everybody it was my college GDU
thank you uncle bobo
"long live the memories"
At 5/18/2009 04:46:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Ah, so many memories for so many people! I can tell you what my first and last visits to Winterland were, but not all the shows in-between. Appropriately, my first show was on New Year's Eve, 1971 to see the Grateful Dead. I had recently arrived in the Bay Area to attend college. My last show was the Closing on New Year's Eve, 1978. So that my many trips were bookended by two wonderful experiences with the Dead.

There was a point at that final show when I wandered up to the top seats behind the stage and in the corner. I looked up and saw big chunks of plaster just gone, and what looked like wiring or cable hanging out. I thought, "Holy S**t! This place is really falling apart!" Too expensive to renovate, I guess, but it was sad, sad, sad. Bill had them put the Dead banner outside the building, and as my friends and I approached the building (carrying our La Cumbre burritos to eat in line, that's how memorable of a night it was!), we were just, well, grateful. I must have seen at least 30-40 shows there between 72 and 76, when I moved out of the Bay Area. Winterland deserves its own site like this. Thanks.

Phil in San Diego
At 6/13/2009 03:12:00 AM, Anonymous said...: My first concert at Winterland was a month after I got out of the Air Force. It was March 1969, the show was AUM, Savoy Brown and Janis. Unbelievable show... I saw so many great shows, Robin Trower in 1971, Zappa, Lynyrd Skynyrd opening for Marshall Tucker and blowing the roof off... Very early Jefferson Starship, Lou Reed, The Beach Boys (went to mock them and, again, blown away), Toots & The Maytals opening for Santana, and dozens that I can't remember... The vibe was always mellow. Thank You!!
At 6/18/2009 07:00:00 AM, Pat Kitchen said...: Thanks Chris for creating this wonderful site! I have so many great memories from Winterland...which is surprising considering the ease with which to find mind-altering substances there! I was in the army stationed at Ft. Ord near Monterey. My friends and I made numerous journeys to Winterland from '75-77'.

The shows I remember most are Ted Nugent opening for Aerosmith and Starship's 10th anniversary concert, along with my first Winterland experience, Blue Oyster Cult.

Being from Michigan, the Nugent concert was special. He completely blew away the crowd and Aerosmith! We were on the floor that night, which was the only time we did not sit in the balcony. Ted set the loudness record that night as well being the only opening act to be called out for 2 encores.

Blue Oyster Cult was my first show there. They plaed my home town of Muskegon Michigan last summer and I had a chance to meet and talk with Eric Bloom. Unfortunately, all I did was make him feel old when I brought up his concert at Winterland in March '75. Oh well, age is a state of mind!

My favorite though was Jefferson Starship. Grace was incredible that night! Bill opened the doors early because it was raining and he set up a volleyball net on the floor. I was doing some kind of acid and as I sat in the balcony I couldn't figure out how the players could keep track of all the balls I was seeing...lol. Country Joe played that night also....man, I'm getting chicken-skinned thinking about that incredible night!

Thanks again for bringing back some awesome memories!!

PS....Somebody else mentioned the Tubes on New Year's Eve....I was there also. There were so many great concerts in the Bay Area that night, but we went to Winterland just because...hey, it's gonna be great if it's at Winterland!!
At 7/30/2009 02:17:00 PM, Anonymous said...: It was the best venue "acoustics/sound wise" in the entire Bay Area! The magic and vibe inside was something no other place could match. Here's some of my fond memories of various shows I experienced there:
1974- Styx, Wishbone Ash, & B.T.O.
1974 - Yesterday & Today & Journey.
1975 - Yesterday & Today, Journey
1975 New Years Eve - Greg Kiln, Yesterday & Today, Earth Quake, & Ronnie Montrose.
1976 - Rush, Bep Bop Deluxe, & Ted Nugent
1977 - Les Dudek, Pat Travers, & Dicky Betts
1977 - Hush, Max Webster, UFO, & Rush
1977 - Greg Kiln, Earth Quake & Mahogany Rush
1978 - No Dice, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, & REO Speedwagon
1978 - No Dice, Wet Willy & Mahogany Rush

Cheers!
Daniel Lars
At 1/27/2010 05:19:00 AM, Johny said...: Winterland was my "home for many years. Thanks for this site and bringing back those memories. Montrose, Journey, & UFO for $4.
Pat Travers, BOC, Boston's first tour. waiting in line was really fun. Kerry Livgren From Kansas opened the side stage door and hit me, shook my hand & said "Sorry". But it was RUSH that really affected my entire life. I have seen them every tour ever since. Always got lost trying to find the freeway after shows, and still trippin. I can't even begin to share all the shows, and all the fun we had, and we never busted!
It was an amazing time and place. Thank You Bill!.. John G. Howard
At 2/01/2010 09:52:00 AM, Anonymous said...: iserch
At 2/01/2010 09:53:00 AM, cory kilvert said...: Long Live Winterland ! The greatest place to see concerts in the 20th Century !
At 2/01/2010 10:10:00 AM, cory kilvert said...: I saw many shows at Winterland with my first being the September, 1974 show with Santana and Journey. I was a sailor aboard the aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE stationed across the bay in San Francisco. I was deploying to the Western Pacific in a few days, so me and two other guys went over for that show. I remember the bass player in Santana, Dave Brown, who was the original bass player, had just gotten out of jail for a drug bust. I had no idea who Journey was, until Bill Graham came out and introduced each band member. I knew it was going to be a special night. Eight months later, after returning from the evacuation of Vietnam, I was back at Winterland for Peter Frampton's show which was recorded for his live record which came out in 1976. I saw many shows there in 1975 including Black Sabbath and Mahoganey Rush. We always had a game plan when we went to Winterland. We would get there at around 2pm, get in line and head for the balcony facing the stage, front row in the middle. Yeah, we were the "sailor hippies" that always sat there for many shows up until I got discharged in January, 1978. Bands we saw there were Jeff Beck and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Peter Gabriel and Yesterday and Today, ZZ Top, Charlie Daniels, Leslie West Band, Orleans, The Rubinoos, Television, Stoneground, Sons Of Chaplin, Keith and Donna with Kingfish and Jerry Garcia and Friends (the "reunion" of the Dead in 1977), Fleetwood Mac and Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Rick Wakeman, Weather Report, Al DiMeola and Lenny White with Carlos Santana showing up to jam, and my last show there in 1978, The Ramones and The Dictators. It's great to post my memories of Winterland, and I have so many more which I'll post next time.
Cory Kilvert Pine Bush, New York
At 2/04/2010 02:58:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Saw Journey in '74 & 75, so much better before that Ass Steve Perry joined...They played progressive fusion rock..Gregg Rolie was awesome...Aynsley Dunbar was a great drummer...Saw English rockers "The Sweet" also, those guys were the epitomy of Hard rock.....very underrated........The Who in '76...Keith Moon was one of a kind, just like Bonham in Zeppelin...Irreplaceable...'70's will never return...Lazy, Hazy days of freedom...If we had known how music would change into hiphop/rap, we would've had a big party and OD'ed...It all started with Disco and Break dancing "WAR" - the world is a ghetto......I miss Winterland...Don in Benicia, which is where I lived 50 years ago, and still do today..
At 2/22/2010 01:09:00 AM, Debby said...: Well I was so excited to come across your site. I went to 11 concerts at Winterland at age 16 being my fist one. I loved Winterland!! San Jose was just a half hour away for me. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Foghat, Tower of Power to name a few. At 12 my first concert was Janis Joplin at the Fair Grounds in San Jose and at 53, I will be seeing Bon Jovi for the fourth time at Arco Arena 3/2/2010. I have quite a list of artists, which includes Led Zeppelin at Earls Court, Lonndon May 25 1975. I have seen the Rolling Stones 4 times, and lots more! Thanks for the awesome list of Artists that played there, it helped me remember the concerts I had gone to.
Debby Danielson Cotta
beemeupd@gmail.com
At 3/10/2010 06:56:00 PM, Horace said...: Chris Horn,

Thank you for this website. I'm a native San Franciscan who was 10 years old when the Grateful Dead closed it out. Wish I could have seen some shows there. Wish I could have seen The Who play Winterland in 1976.
At 3/11/2010 09:35:00 PM, deanplmr said...: There are no words to express what Winterland, and the Late Bill Graham means to me. It always felt so safe; so magical, with an energy that was vast and timeless. It was a special place and time in American history that can never be again and only those who were there will understand. Thank you so much for this very wonderful site! "We miss you Bill, very much."

-Dean Palmer

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Sunday, June 01, 2008

Winterland Stories

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