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The Champagne Toast at the Warfield Theatre San Francisco, California
As the photographer for the Grateful Dead back in the 1970's and 1980's. I produced the Official Book of the Deadheads along with my brother Paul Grushkin and Cynthia Bassett published by William Morrow publishers in 1983. "The Toast" photograph appears in the book and illustrates the pinnacle of dedication by the fans for their favorite band the Grateful Dead. The best way to describe the photo is told wonderfully by the reporter, Mark Whittington for the San Rafael California Independent Journal, October 25, 1980, as quoted in the book: "Before the Deads encore at the Warfield, a table with glasses of champagne was set up on stage. Unknown to the band, Grahams workers also passed out champagne to the crowd , knowing the fans wouldn't toss the bubbly around. The band came out and raised it's glasses for a toast. suddenly, Graham flipped the switch on special london air-raid lights that revealed the crowd of 2,200 toasting the band. A garland of roses hung from the balcony reading, "Thank You!"
The image was captured on a 35mm film camera called the 'Hologon'. It was part of the Zeiss Conterax line of cameras. It was unique in that it had a fixed f8 lens and a interchangeable film back. The lens was so recessed in the camera, that a special handle was required so your hand did not get in the picture. I shot on Tri-x pushed to 1600 using Diafine B&W chemistry.
After all my focusing on the bands incredible tours, this image sums it all up. The Dead's music struck a chord in all of us. Enjoy! Jonas
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