Grateful Dead’s most iconic venue

Winterland 

Hampton, Alpine Valley, MSG

Here in the U.S.? They played almost every one, but MSG probably for East Coast folks, while the Westies have their own opinion, I'm sure. The Greek?

Oxford Plains Speedway

My reason is the raw energy of that building, which wasn't necessarily more than other EC haunts, but the number of times it happened. Like a gazillion at MSG?

Seven posts and no Red Rocks? My rational is the GD played quite a few great shows in one of the most amazing places to see a show.

... Red Rocks would be in there, obviously.

>>>Oxford Plains Speedway

I always surmised the band played different depending on where they were geographically located.

To these ears Maine Dead is some of the Best Dead

Big fan of Florida Dead too.

My vote goes to JGB on the Eel

MSG

I never made it to the Frost until 2002 for the Q, but that place is pretty darn special too.

Them's some big icons.

The Greek Theater

Never been
Excellent shows, seems like the home cooking and energy brought out the best of the band

Shoreline.   Not the best venue by any means, but its the one that comes to mind and I most closely associate with the Grateful Dead.

the Greek. I saw some outstanding shows there, and it's just such an amazing location.

If I have to pick one, I'm going with Hampton. It's tough to pick it over MSG, but I have to. They played over 20 shows there, less than MSG, but virtually every one just smoked. All that aside, the 89 Warlocks show is pretty symbolic of its iconography to the band.

The Fillmore

Avalon Ballroom

Fillmore West

Fillmore East

Oakland Auditorium

The Warfield. Pack it up. Thread over. 

Fillmore(s), Winterland, Red Rocks, Greek, MSG, Alpine Valley, Frost, Hampton, Warfield, and Shoreline probably about covers it across eras and venues for Deadhead (and Band?) favorites

My age and "geographical convenience" make mine MSG.. 

Kaiser

I have never seen the attraction to Hampton Coliseum, if the '89 tour opened in another city, the deep catalog tunes would have been played there. The songs were ready to return, happened to be in Virginia.

For the single shows, '79, '81 & '83 were hits, '80 was not very good at all. '84 & '85 were hit & miss 2 night stands.

'86 had the first Visions & Box return, again because the tour opened there.  The 3rd night was very short & weak.

'87 tour opener, last of the 3 shows had the juice, standard late 80's setlists.

'88 really nailed nights 1 & 2 after opening with a show in Atlanta.   

Looks like most venues that were played almost every year during late 70's thru '95.  Keep going and hope for the goodies.

Saw '80, '83>>'88, passed on last minute tickets to '89, already going to the next 8 shows.

Have to say the Greek, Hampton, Red Rocks, Starlight in KC, and MSG in that order, but yeah the Greek if I have to pick one since shows there got me to move out west. 

Ken, you should be disbarred for saying Shoreline.

The answer is clearly Niagara Falls Convention Center. 

I would say Winterland, Frost, Greek, Oakland Aud/Kaiser, and Red Rocks.

Forced to pick one? For me, Frost Amphitheater, Stanford.

But, Winterland......

The question wasn't "favorite venue" it was "most iconic venue".

In that case it has to come down to The Fillmore, Winterland and The Fillmore East.

I'd say Winterland wins that comparison, because the place was so unique, the band played there for over ten years, the venue saw them go through many incarnations, and their multi-night runs there were/are legendary, so legendary that they made a movie about that (The Grateful Dead Movie is more about a GD run at Winterland than it is about the GD).

The Carousel/Fillmore West & Oakland Auditorium/Kaiser should be in the discussion because they were also unique places that served as a home base for the band, and the Greek because it was such a different venue than any other they played, and also because while it's true that many Bay Area shows could be flat (wives, families & home cooking, nothing but trouble) I don't think they played one dud in the 25-30 shows they played at the Greek.

I get why many would say MSG because of it's overall fame, how often the GD played there and how many fine shows there were, but that place is really just a generic multi-purpose arena. There's nothing special or unique about it other than it's in the middle of Manhattan. The GD played the Oakland Coliseum Arena more than any other venue, and there were many great & memorable shows there, but that place is also a generic arena and I don't think anyone would consider it "iconic". 

Overall, The Fillmore is the most iconic rock concert venue ever, because of how much was started there and because it's still going strong 50+ years later, and for legendary status the Fillmore East & Winterland are right there with it, but for the Grateful Dead in particular, it has to be Winterland.

There's never been anything remotely like that place, including all the other venues mentioned, and it was home to the Grateful Dead during their greatest years.

I see what Lance is saying, but I'm going for the Greek due to the iconic architecture and the fact that on a clear day from up on the hill your view could encompass a big swath of GD history (and other venues) from SF to North Bay to South Bay to East Bay. And it was outdoors, so it elicited the iconic "free show in the park" vibe.

Sept 30 1967

"The band returned to the Greek Theatre in 1968, but that would be their last performance at the outdoor venue until they returned for a three-night run in September 1981. The Dead made a point to return to the Greek Theatre with annual three-show runs at the venue each year throughout the decade until August 1989"

29 shows total?

Golden Gate Park

GD

^^  that one

EOM

LLTD, having one of those apartments across the street from '66-'78 might have been cool...

But you had Palo Alto....

Olompali

Don, my wife had the same thought....She instantly said "Egypt"; I didn't give her the parameters.....

She could have gone but mom said no. A friend of mine went.....needless to say he wasn't disappointed.....

Her mom made it up to her in 1990. (Not quite the same, but hey).

"What do you mean, the Dead are doing a Europe tour and you're not going?"

"I'm going to all the Madison Square Garden shows and can't afford it!"

Mom said nope, and they went and did the whole tour but the first show. 
On top of that, 9/16 is my birthday, another ballbuster......

Well yes, I thought of Egypt and winterland and carousel and Fillmore west and the Greek and the Kaiser

and the Greek and the most grin convenient frost

bit el Camino ballpark was my first show and super geo 

Only saw them play there twice but I suspect it started to change the trajectory of my life a bit

impactful

Most shows I saw were at the Oakland Coliseum.  Not much to look at but tons of good memories.

Not sure about the iconic value but there were a lot of classic shows at The Capital Theater, NY in their tenure as a band. Fillmore East. Warfield, Winterland. Pretty well known spots that they frequented. Hollywood Bowl

NYE 68- NYE 78 for me 

a lot of bands crushed it on post and Steiner 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterland_Ballroom

>>> The answer is clearly Niagara Falls Convention Center. 

That's funny, LCL. I was at that '84 show- probably the worst-sounding place they ever played- once... I still wonder how that even happened, as there weren't many rock shows there.

I always think of Great American just because that was like the holy grail tape. Then they released it. But there is only one venue that was built for them and that’s Shoreline 

Radio City Music Hall, those were 8 magic nights at an iconic venue:

Iconic Roast Beef sammys! OK, I'll stop now.

^^. I wish!   So near yet so far 

we do have friend that went tho and was a friend of Billy's from Paly 

Can't beat the .69 cent roast beef sandwiches. 

I'm going to add the Oregon Country Fair grounds, where they only played twice ('72, '82). Not iconic in the sense that the Fillmore or Winterland were, but symbolic of the band moving air to the very souls of those in attendance. And a lot of fun, too.

Of where I saw them the top 4 are these.

#1 for me. Saw every one.

#2 Saw 82 and 86

#3 Saw 84 only

#4 saw every one

me being (barely) post winterland:

Greek

Red Rocks

Warfield

i think only fillmore and winterland check all the boxes - home to major changes and innovations in their playing and style, shows played there during years that are widely considered to be the highest points in the bands career, home to iconic multi-night runs, close proximity to where the band came together, and home to many significant events in GD history...seems like others such as the greek, msg, red rocks etc only check a few of those boxes.

if they did not play there during the most crucial formative years of 68-74 i dont see how a venue could be the "most iconic"

daylight

stop making sense

JK - keep up the strong work - if nominated for ZOTY - you will surely decline

lol

that was magic - is magic

Greek Theatre!

Winterland kind stands alone, no? I don't really know exactly in what sense "iconic" is to be described by as far as the venue is concerned but The Winterland just seems to be a definitive venue for the dead. 

Based on the last line in your criteria it cannot be Egypt. 
In my humble opinion though I never saw a show at them, when I think about the Grateful Dead, it would have to be either Winterland or both the Fillmores. 
My favorite however was the Capitol Theater in Passaic. My hometown. Saw every show there. Every one outstanding. Fantastic sound quality. 
Also for me up there would be Englishtown Raceway Park. Famous venue. Only one show but what a doozy. 
I'm also fond of the Roosevelt Stadium shows. All superb 3 setter in 72 and The Band opening in 73. 

>>>Roosevelt Stadium shows

This got me to pull out my deadbase

only 2 east coast shows in the summer of 72!?!

Dillon Stadium, Hartford>Roosevelt NJ

probably left a lot of $$$ on the table

interesting they returned to Roosevelt Stadium in the fall

then 2 nights in 73

1 in 74 and 76

Guess I never realized the Roosfelt was the GD's summer home near the big apple until they moved to the swamp

This has been a great thread, but if you had to pick ONE venue most associated with "the band beyond description", the winner has got to be Winterland. Home town, home court, closed it and made the movie there, blah, blah.  Never made it there and don't know how many times they played there, but the old-school charm from photo's seems just massive. 

^They played Oakland Coliseum Arena the most at 66 times. Played Winterland 60 times.

http://www.setlists.net/

Okay, Bss, what's the ruling? Do we have to wait for the gallery debut of the artwork?

Thanks for posting that link Bss. The Winterland shots are great, but It's the promo videos of the first Lollapalooza in '91 & The Hootenanny in '02 from Shoreline that make me smile.

I was right in the middle of both those shows, it's fun to look back and remember.

God damn, that first Lollapalooza was really something.

OMG  - I totally got the chills watching that video  !!!!!!     !!!!    !!!   !!  !

Kindda like My DEAD on The Rocks.....Morrison Co

Hartford Ct - Dillon Stadium (2nd summer outside show after The Glen) / Colt Park (1st rail) / Civic Center ( lots and lots of magic)