The Last Waltz-as-an-actual-event was a Requiem for both a Sensibility and an Era (call it Classic Rock, if one must), even if no one present knew it. I’ve also always assumed that–as of this date in 1976 anyway–not a single person on that Winterland stage (Patti Smith’s pal Bob aside, of course, and as usual) had yet heard a whisper about “Punk”. But the near-perfect parallelism of the release of “Anarchy in the UK” THE NEXT DAY has always struck me as a truly seismic shift, no matter how many folks may want to point back a year to HORSES, or six months to RAMONES, or hell, five weeks to “New Rose”. Because whatever impact they accrued was gradual, at least outside of Lower Manhattan (or Central London), whereas The Sex Pistols’ renown/influence was sealed by December 1st, when they appeared on Bill Grundy’s television program!
– Tom Kipp
PS: Re: the title, if only the show had taken place at The Cow Palace rather than Winterland! Though even there the metaphorical aptness is nearly 100%, since the final Pistols concert ALSO took place at Winterland, less than 14 months later! And of course the final Beatles concert was in SF as well, at Candlestick Park on 8/29/1966, ten years ahead of The Last Waltz.)
