Winterland, an old ice skating rink converted into a music venue in 1966 by rock promoter Bill Graham, became legendary for the shows that happened there. Looking like a Roman coliseum, Winterland's acts played literally at center stage, and patrons could sit or dance as the spirit moved them. In the early days of rock concerts, Bill Graham and his staff would haul the equipment from the original Fillmore after the Thursday night show and set up at Winterland for the Friday and Saturday concerts. Winterland's capacity and layout made playing to larger crowds both possible and appealing to rock promoters, and Graham was among the first to recognize the potential of larger venues.
This playlist does not contain the "ten best songs ever played there," but it does capture some of the more historically significant moments like a song from The Last Waltz, the version of "Crossroads" that opened Side 3 of Cream's historic Wheels of Fire album [erroneously attributed to the Fillmore West], and the final song played by the original Sex Pistols.
If you were there, hopefully these tunes will bring back some pleasant memories; if you weren't, you'll wish you were.
If you'd like to browse all the concerts on the site from this legendary venue, type "Winterland" into the search box above.