12-31-1978 – Stagger Lee

The Closing of Winterland is a four-CD live album by the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert performed on December 31, 1978. The concert was also released as a two-disc DVD. The title derives from the fact that it was the last concert in San Francisco’s Winterland Arena, which was shut down shortly thereafter. The Dead celebrated the closing as an approximately five-hour-long party (complete with breakfast with the audience at dawn) and invited some guests including guitarist John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service and Ken Kesey as well as actor Dan Aykroyd who provided the midnight countdown. It was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA on December 15, 2003 under the category of longform video, selling 200,000 units. The New Riders of the Purple Sage and Blues Brothers opened the show.

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Video description:

“Stagger Lee, a Hunter-Garcia take on a classic story song, was played consistently 1978-1995 with the exception of a six year hiatus 1979-1985 (aside from two versions played in August 1982). Its appearance in first sets throughout this era was always a treat.” – David Lemieux

YouTube Channel: Grateful Dead

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