THE DOORS’ BOOTLEG ANALYSIS: WINTERLAND BALLROOM'S THIRD NIGHT

 

The Doors' three performances at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 26, 27, and 28, 1967, represented a fitting conclusion to a year marked by remarkable artistic progress and positive commercial results.

By the end of 1967, the band had developed a unique musical style blending rock, poetry, and theater, earning them substantial approval from the American public.

The group’s controversial lyrics and daring sound experiments had also elevated them to a cultural and symbolic reference point for the most rebellious and nonconformist American youth.

Thus, San Francisco welcomed The Doors to an ecstatic celebration of what would prove to be the best year of their career.

The bootleg of these concerts includes only the first night (here is the link to the article that provides an in-depth analysis of the 26 December show) and the third one (December 28^th).

Unfortunately, the second performance (December 27^th) was not recorded, hence this article will focus only on the third and final show.

The December 28 tape (here’s the link to the tape) includes only twenty-two minutes of audio, suggesting that it does not include the entire live performance.

However, it allows us to listen to six high-quality tracks, showcasing The Doors’ unique creative perspective and their deep impact on the history of music.

The recording opens with the medley "Alabama Song" — "Back Door Man", two covers included on the band's first LP ("The Doors", released in January 1967).

This combination, presented as separate tracks on vinyl, was a frequent feature of the quartet's live shows. It cleverly aligns the 1920s musical theater of Bertolt Brecht with the Chicago blues of Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf.

Through the medley, Morrison's convincing vocals resonate with dark and abrasive charm, topping off a group performance that meets the high standards The Doors displayed during this period of their career.

Robby Krieger's electric guitar solo during "Back Door Man" definitely stands out (before the audio breaks down). Here, the guitarist unleashes an energy and inspiration that surpasses what can be heard on the vinyl record. He channels these qualities with exuberance, resulting in remarkable spontaneity and incisiveness. Tight, high-pitched, and scratchy notes create a dynamic phrasing that never strays from an evocative and engaging melodic line. It should be noted that this solo is one of the best Krieger has ever performed.

The bootleg resumes halfway through "You're Lost Little Girl", released just three months earlier as the second track on the album “Strange Days”.

At the Winterland Ballroom, the band played the song essentially as it appears on the album, although it fades out after just one minute due to audio problems. However, this is one of the rare live recordings of this tune.

Next is "Love Me Two Times," which is unfortunately cut short before its conclusion. The song was released just a month before this concert as the second single taken from the LP “Strange Days” (after "People Are Strange").

Ray Manzarek's flowing solo on the electric organ is noteworthy (the musician plays the harpsichord on the record). Its fluid evolutions describe an enveloping and luminous pace that is less lively and urgent than the official version.

Following “Love Me Two Times” we can hear the sequence "Wake Up” - “Light My Fire": a crucial moment in many concerts of The Doors since late spring of 1967.

The initial poetic section, recited by Morrison with a vehemence that is sometimes persuasive and sometimes edgy, unfolds against a backdrop of avant-garde music.

The music oscillates unpredictably between arcane percussive minimalism, gloomy electric guitar moans, and dreamlike, thunderous sound assaults.

This surprising and wonderful fusion of experimental theatre, rock, and poetry is suddenly shattered by the sharp strike of drummer John Densmore's snare drum, like an abrupt awakening from a surreal, viscous dream.

Immediately afterward, the instrumental introduction of "Light My Fire" bursts in, quickly shifting the focus to a broader horizon and paving the way for one of the greatest rock songs ever written.

The song remains essentially faithful to the masterpiece recorded on the band's debut album (“The Doors”). The exceptions can be found in the two lines, "Persian night babe / See the light babe", taken from another great song by The Doors: "When the Music's Over" from the recently released LP “Strange Days”.

Morrison improvises these two lines between the electric organ and electric guitar solos that occupy the extended central part of "Light My Fire".

Furthermore, in the second half of Krieger's solo segment, the guitarist ventures into imaginative, virtuoso explorations that lead listeners along fascinating and pressing paths, rarely explored by rock music up to that point.

The last composition is "The Unknown Soldier," still unreleased at the time, but soon to be published as a single in March 1968 and on the LP "Waiting for the Sun" in July '68 (here is the link to an article with more information on "The Unknown Soldier").

Although the first minute is missing due to recording issues, it is clear that the tune had been already completed and played in its final form at the Winterland Ballroom on December 28, 1967.

Morrison showcases all his dramatic vocal prowess in the finale: a minute of free fall that grows progressively more intense in the festive vortex evoked by the other three band members. It ends with the significant phrase: "The war is over!".

Following The Doors' three memorable concerts, the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco continued to impress thousands of spectators with gigs of considerable artistic depth for the remaining three days of 1967.

Chuck Berry was the headliner on the December 29 and 30 nights (with Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service as supporting acts), while the latter two bands played on New Year's Eve in a bill also comprising the Jefferson Airplane.

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