This show marked the end of an era, the closing of Winterland Arena in San Francisco. As was usually the case, the Grateful Dead appeared at Bill Graham's annual New Years blowout.  The '78 edition also featured the Blues Brothers (this is one of the very few concert posters that features this short-lived tandem) & New Riders of the Purple Sage.  The image, commonly referred to as "Blue Rose", is one of the classic images of the era.  This is a must own poster in any collection.

The poster we have listed is an original/first print poster.  It measures approx. 20" x 28", and was printed on a very high quality paper stock.  Unfortunately, this poster was bootlegged, an illegal/unauthorized reprint.  We routinely see it offered on ebay for $25-$50, yet it is rarely disclosed that it is a fake.  There are two characteristics of the bootleg that make it distinguishable from the original. Firstly, the bootleg was printed on a low quality paper stock (if you are not familiar with the paper stock used to print the original, this difference may be hard to determine if you are examining a bootleg), and secondly, the yellow area between the snow and blue sky (left and right of the blue rose) is a muddier/brown color on the bootleg.  The original is much cleaner and yellow in color. 

The original handbill was also printed on a high quality paper stock, and measures approx.  5" x 7".  There is a very touching farewell message from the Bill Graham Presents crew on the back.