Mr. Pug just bought the CD of The Last Waltz, which was performed and filmed at the old Winterland Arena in San Francisco. This old venue has long since been demolished, but we’re interested in finding its exact address. Mr. Pug’s research has been less than successful; do any of you guys know just where it was? All we know is that an apartment building now stands in its place. Thanks for any help.
Don’t know the postal address, but can tell you it was at the intersection of Post St. and Steiner St.
It was at the corner of Post St. and Steiner St. I haven’t been able to find an exact street address, but that is what is on all of the old Bill Graham posters of the 60s. The site was orginally an ice rink.
I came across two references - One puts the Winterland as across the street from the Fillmore, which is at the intersection of Fillmore and Geary.
Another describes it at Post and Steiner, which is one block north and one block west of The Fillmore, which is plausibly close enough to be “across the street.”
Like pretty much everything else pertaining to the San Francisco music scene in the 60’s and 70’s, Bill Graham was at the core.
Winterland
2000 Post Street at Steiner
San Francisco, CA
I had the privilege of attending this concert. At the time, it was the hottest ticket in town. The face price was $30, which was considered very high at the time! (A “normal” Grateful Dead concert was around 10 bucks.) There was an inticate lottery system to buy tickets. A friend of a friend of mine, here in NYC, was determined to go. He called the Bill Graham Presents office and found out that they would take mail-order requests from out-of-state fans. So I sent in my money order and SASE and waited. Lo and Behold, I got a ticket!!!
It was 25 years ago, and on top of that much of what happened was filtered through a marijuana and LSD induced haze, so honestly I don’t remember much. The started out with a screening of “Animal House.” Then, The New Riders of The Purple Sage. Next, The Blues Brothers. That was certainly memorable. Of course the main event was the Dead. This concert has been written about by writters more eloquent and knowledgable than myself. The write-up in the Grateful Dead Taping Compendium Part II is especially nice. I think I ate too much acid.
D’oh! I meant the DVD of The Last Waltz, not the CD. Consarned young 'uns and their confusing technology. I had never heard of this Scorcese film, but I loved it.
Thanks for the help, guys. We knew it was somewhere around Post & Steiner, but we were looking for the actual address. The next time we take a drive up to the City, we’ll check out 2000 Post Street.