CA: To see Jerry and Phil really get in each other?s face and almost dance is really something that, I dare say, most Deadheads have not experienced firsthand. I saw my first show the following year [April 3, 1979 at the Charlotte Coliseum] and I never saw any of them react so physically to the music or each other. Except maybe when Weir threw his guitar down in frustration one time in the early ?90s.

DL: Yeah, I know what you mean. When we are all gone, years and decades from now, there will be this document of the reason that so many people got so very much from the Grateful Dead. You can?t help but be moved when you see and hear the ferocity and verve that they are playing with.

CA: Speaking of physical, what shape was the videotape in? I know Jeffrey told us he had to bake the audio tapes — which he described as Standard Operating Procedure for that stock.

The oven used to bake the 30-year old tapes.

DL: They were in great shape. They had to be baked, because of the inherent problem with all Ampex tape during the late ?70s. But, as you can see, [the video] really looks clean.

CA: How will the successful execution of The Closing Of Winterland make future multimedia archival projects realistic for you guys to accomplish?

DL: It would lend itself well to the April 17, 1972 show at the Tivoli Concerthall in Copenhagen, Denmark, which is commonly referred to as ?TV From the Tivoli?. We have a great video and multi-track audio for that show. There are also some uses when we go to work on the various elements of The Grateful Dead Movie. More than that though, we have no trepidation about embarking on a similar venture. Now we know that while it may not be easy, it is definitely do-able. It bodes well for the future, for sure.

End of interview.


CrutchfieldAdvisor would again like to extend our most sincere thanks to both David Lemieux and Jeffrey Norman for sharing their time and respective expertise. If you have made it thus far, it probably goes without saying that The Closing Of Winterland DVD is a rock and roll extravaganza of epic proportions. It reinforces why many — if not arguably most — Grateful Dead enthusiasts consider this to be one of a handful of thoroughly epic entries in the band's voluminous 30-year (1965 - 1995), 2,300-plus concert career. The band certainly rose to the occasion by performing old classics, such as the improvisational vehicle ?Dark Star,? or the psychedelic standby ?St. Stephen." In fact the latter would only be performed a handful of times by the Grateful Dead in the ensuing years. They likewise bring the same impelling improvisation to several "soon-to-be" classics as well. Most notably, ?Stagger Lee,? and ?I Need A Miracle? — both comparatively new entries — firmly remained enthusiasts' favorites and staples in the band?s perpetually rotating songbook.

Equally impressive are the plethora of technological advancements that have made it possible to create an experience that goes beyond a realistic "you-are-there" experience, and into the rarefied realm of the surreal — as lucky attendees weren?t even presented with so optimum a view or substantial a soundscape. Perhaps I?m just showing my age, but The Closing Of Winterland makes me pine for the youthful spirit and exuberance that compelled me to forsake ?normal? teenage activities — like my prom, high school graduation, and hanging out at the local shopping mall — for the ultimately intimate "long strange trip" that commenced nearly a quarter century ago. And I wouldn?t have traded a note of that sonic sojourn I began the week after my 10th birthday for all the tangible riches in the world.