A Short History of Winterland
The most influential artists of their generation played at Winterland such as the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Queen, KISS, Boston, Cream, Yes, Steppenwolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, The Band, Big Brother & The Holding Company With Janis Joplin, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Rush, Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis, Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, Styx, Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Deep Purple, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Elvis Costello and many more. Led Zeppelin first performed their song “Whole Lotta Love” there.
Bill Graham just before closing Winterland in 1978 photo: Michael Zagaris.
About Winterland Lodge and Taproom in Nozawa Onsen
Winterland Lodge, Taproom and Gyoza Bar was inspired by music and mountains. Two long-time Japan residents had been skiing, snowboarding and visiting Nozawa Onsen since the 1990s and both moved to the ski and onsen village with their families They both also grew up following the Grateful Dead—one on the West Coast, the other on the East Coast. In 2015, they met up in Chicago for Fare Thee Well—the final shows the Grateful Dead would ever play together. The seed for Winterland Lodge & Taproom in Nozawa Onsen was planted there and the dream became a reality when they opened the boutique hotel and taproom in building that had been closed for more than a decade in the center of Nozawa Onsen. The three-star lodge-style hotel and taproom opened for the 2018-19 season features six rooms, each with private unit shower/bathrooms a guests lounge with washer and dryer that is free to guests, and a great location at the center of all the action in Nozawa Onsen and right across the street from the main Nozawa Onsen bus terminal. The free shuttle to Nagasaka Gondola is also right out front and its just a 6-minute walk to Yu Road (the free escalator that takes you up to Hikage Gondola Station).
