The Doors, Jefferson Airplane 1967 Two-Part Magic Mountain Fest Concert Poster (AOR-2.317 & 2.318)....

Description

The Doors, Jefferson Airplane 1967 Two-Part Magic Mountain Fest Concert Poster (AOR-2.317 & 2.318). An original first-printing concert poster for the event Rolling Stone magazine calls "America's first-ever rock festival"... the KFRC Fantasy Faire and Magic Mountain Music Festival at Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, CA on Saturday & Sunday, June 10 & 11, 1967, just one week before Monterey Pop two hours to the south. Among the talent performing this weekend were The Doors with "Light My Fire" just entering the charts, and Jefferson Airplane with "Somebody to Love" the #6 record in the nation. Other participants included the Byrds, Moby Grape, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Steve Miller Blues Band, Country Joe & the Fish, 13th Floor Elevators, the Grass Roots, the Seeds and many others. Each half of this poster measures 14" x 22" and grades to Good condition. From the David Swartz Concert Poster Collection. COA from Heritage Auctions.

Literature: See Grushkin, Paul, The Art of Rock: Posters from Presley to Punk, Abbeville Press, New York, 1987, p.227 (illus.).

More Information: In Heritage's image of this poster, that is not simply a crease running down the middle of one piece; it is the two halves put together just for the photo and to give context. The poster was distinctly printed in two halves, which is why it even has two AOR plate numbers.

The promoter or printer numbered these posters by hand, and notice in the lower left corner that this specimen is #799 out of 1,000.

The poster gives the dates as June 3 & 4, but the festival was postponed one week due to inclement weather. It was strictly a daytime affair running 10 AM to 6 PM both days. Rolling Stone ran a long article on this Fest in 2014 which is available on the internet, and It's a rare, great sight to see acts like the Doors and Jefferson Airplane playing outdoors in bright, midday sunlight.

Being the first-ever rock festival, the weekend was not without its problems and many acts did not appear due to the one-week postponement, such as Wilson Pickett. But as evidenced by the Rolling Stone article on-line, the Doors and Airplane did perform, in broad daylight. Otherwise many conflicting accounts of the talent line-up are to be found, due to the rescheduling and who's named on the posters, ticket brochures and other materials.

Remarkably, admission was only $2.00. The event doubled as a benefit for the Hunter's Point Child Care Center in San Francisco, right across the water from Candlestick Park.

According to Greg Shaw's book The Doors on the Road (Omnibus Press, 1997), the formal name of this event's venue was the Sydney B. Cushing Memorial Theater, situated near the peak of Mt. Tam with panoramic views of San Francisco and the northern California coastline. "The colorful crowd," the book states, "is greeted by warm sun and clear skies for a vibrant and peaceful festival where hippies successfully intermingle with such characters as the Hells Angels."

And the San Francisco Chronicle review the following Monday, June 12 (author: Mainland Zane) applauds the fest as a two-day relocation of the Haight-Ashbury and Fillmore Auditorium scenes to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. "It was the weekend of the Big Blast on Mt. Tam," the article states. "It was wild sounds and wild colors, skydivers and side-shows, bizarre hippies from the Haight-Ashbury and T-shirted frat boys from Cal., young people necking on the sunburnt slopes, children sitting wide-eyed in a real tepee, Hells Angels munching peanut-butter sandwiches at a health food bar... there was something for everybody."

Condition details: Pinholes in every corner, often more than one; a bigger hole in "Sparrow" at the top; a one-inch diagonal crease in the lower left corner of the left poster that breaks color; usual amount of handling and surface creasing here & there; and a little more toning than usual throughout.


Heritage Auctions provides as much information as possible but strongly encourages in-person inspection. Condition statements are offered as general guidance only, not as complete representations of fact, and do not constitute a warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted but may be visible in the photos, which are considered part of the condition report. Lots estimated at $1,000 or less are not de-framed for inspection, and we may be unable to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and is not liable for damage to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or artwork that has shifted in the frame. All lots are sold "AS IS" under our Terms & Conditions of Auction.