When looking back through Classic Rock’s most famous New Year’s Eve concerts, it’s pretty hard to go past the Grateful Dead’s momentous farewell concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom in 1978. The behemoth event went for over eight hours and welcomed many well-loved performers to the stage; but true to legendary form, the Dead alone played for six of those eight hours (and enjoyed breakfast with the audience at dawn).

The epic night was later compiled into a four-CD live album, The Closing of Winterland – named for the fact that it was the last concert ever held at San Francisco’s Winterland Arena. Several other huge acts, including Springsteen, Tom Petty and Smokey Robinson, were part of a series of late 1978 shows that culminated with the Dead's historic finale.

Watch the full concert below, with actor Dan Aykroyd kicking off proceedings with a one-of-kind countdown to midnight.

Grateful Dead | The Closing of Winterland [Live in San Francisco, 12/31/78]

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