The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Then & Now: 28 Sept 1975 and 18 February 2017

I read an article published by SFGate that contained 65 archival photographs of Golden Gate Park. One photo, in particular, caught my eye. It was a picture of the Grateful Dead at an outdoor concert in 1975. The information about the image stated that the concert took place at Speedway Meadow. I decided to go to Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park and identify the concert stage's location based on the topographical data shown in the photo. It took me a little while to conclusively determine where the concert took place on that cold, blustery Sunday forty-one years ago. Most band members are still alive; however, some musicians have died, and the bands are no longer active.

This was a free concert by the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. An estimated 40-50,000 people gathered at Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park on 28 September 1975. This was also the Grateful Dead’s first public performance in nearly a year.

The weather was chilly and overcast, but it did not dampen enthusiasm as Jefferson Airplane mounted the stage to a standing hometown ovation and played their old favorites for the next two hours. "Don't anyone go away!" Paul Kantner shouted over the applause, "The Grateful Dead is coming on!"

Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh was the first to plug in and face the audience. The crowd roared its approval. Elsewhere onstage, pianist Keith Godchaux breathed into his cupped hands to keep them warm while his vocalist wife Donna smiled with the anticipation of singing some of the newer Dead songs. Behind them, drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann were warming up, as was Paul Kantner, rhythm guitarist. Then a leather-jacketed Jerry Garcia stepped forward and sent out a trademark guitar riff, marking the start of a great two-hour concert.

The Grateful Dead on stage at Lindley Meadow, Golden Gate Park, 28 September 1975; the view is looking west. 

Click to listen to a recording of the Grateful Dead playing "Ripple."   

Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District. Circa late 1960s.

Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane at Golden Gate Park, 28 September 1975.

Golden Gate Park.

Latitude and longitude coordinates (37.7692, -122.4862) are shown on this Google Earth map. They show the approximate location of the concert stage sited on Lindley Meadow. 

 THEN  The Grateful Dead on stage in 1975. This is the photo that was published in SFGate. The view is looking north. 

NOW  The approximate location of the concert stage. 

 THEN  Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane on stage in 1975. The view is looking northeast.

 NOW  The approximate location of the concert stage. 

 THEN  The Grateful Dead on stage in 1975. The view is looking east. 

NOW  The approximate location of the concert stage. 

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view these photo galleries.

A Panasonic GX7 camera body mounted with a Panasonic 14-42mm lens was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com

San Francisco Then & Now – The Old Mint: 12 February 2017 & 4 March 2017

The San Francisco Mint was opened in 1854 to manufacture gold coins from gold bullion produced during the California Gold Rush. The mint soon needed a bigger building to process and store the large quantities of gold bullion it was receiving. In 1869 the mint moved to a larger building located at 88 5th Street at Mission Street. That building is now known as the Old Mint, and it is one of the few buildings that survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The damage caused to San Francisco by the 18 April 1906 earthquake pales in comparison to the devastation caused by the fifty-two fires that burned through the city for more than three days. There were 3,000 to 4,000 people killed, and 28,000 buildings were destroyed, most by fire. 

The Old Mint was designed by Alfred B. Mullett. He planned a building that was built around an enclosed central courtyard that contained a water well, a feature that helped save the building during the fires of April 1906. The building was constructed on a concrete base, the objective of which was to thwart tunneling into the mint's vaults. At the time of the 1906 fire, the mint held $300 million dollars in gold, a third of the United States’ gold reserves. Heroic efforts by the employees of the mint saved the building and the gold bullion stored in its vaults. The mint resumed operation soon thereafter. The Old Mint continued to function until 1937 when the currently operating mint was opened on Hermann Street in San Francisco. 

    The Old Mint THEN: 1885. Note the horse-drawn streetcar. The view is looking southwest. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

    The Old Mint NOW: 12 February 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

 The Old Mint THEN: 18 April 1906. The view is looking southeast. 

 The Old Mint  NOW: 12 February 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

The Old Mint sits forlornly amidst total devastation after it survived both the earthquake and fire. This picture was taken soon after the 18 April 1906 earthquake and fire. The camera was attached to a kite; the view is looking northwest. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.



This photo was taken outside the Old Mint on 4 March 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.



This photo was taken inside the Old Mint on 4 March 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.



This photo was taken inside the Old Mint on 4 March 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.



This photo was taken inside the Old Mint on 4 March 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.




This photo was taken inside the Old Mint on 4 March 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.



This photo was taken inside the Old Mint on 4 March 2017. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view these photo galleries.

A Panasonic GX7 camera body mounted with a Panasonic 14-42mm lens was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com