Led Zeppelin 1969 Pasadena Rose Palace Concert Handbill Graded 9.0 (AOR-3.60). ...

Description

Led Zeppelin 1969 Pasadena Rose Palace Concert Handbill Graded 9.0 (AOR-3.60). An original first-printing paper concert flyer for Led Zeppelin on their second U.S. tour on May 2 & 3, 1969 at the Rose Palace ballroom in Pasadena, California, touring off their debut album. This specimen has been graded to a rosy 9.0 Very Fine/Near Mint by CGC (Certified Guaranty Company).

No poster was made to advertise this engagement. This handbill has a unique design that sets it apart from any other Zep piece of the era. Its unusual color scheme morphs from orange in the top half down to brown in the bottom half. There's also that swirling vortex in the background that looks like modernized psychedelic art.

And then there's the long, thin dirigible in the middle, with proportions unlike any other blimp image we've seen on a Zeppelin piece. This is believed to be the very first time a blimp or dirigible image was used on a Zep flyer or poster in America, so the concept didn't have any traction yet; up until now, most pieces just used the band's first publicity photo. Designers would soon pick up on the idea, however, and have a field day with zeppelin images, especially once the 70's got rolling.

Second-billed for this two-night stand was Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity. According to reviews, their progressive, avant-garde jazz-rock suffered from a poor sound system. Opening act for both nights, uncredited on the handbill, was the newly solo Elvin Bishop, having just left the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Fun to see elementary directions given to the Rose Palace at the bottom of the flyer, getting attendees into the right general area. Newcomers were often thrown off by the freeway simply coming to an end as you entered Pasadena. (And below that, notice Cream's farewell-performance movie getting plugged as the next weekend's attraction.)

Zep was riding high on American radio's enthusiasm for Led Zeppelin, which was #13 on Billboard's album chart at this moment and would enter the Top 10 within a couple of weeks. As usual, they opened with "Train Kept A-Rollin'" and then played ¾ of the LP: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," "You Shook Me," "Dazed and Confused," "White Summer/Black Mountainside," "Communication Breakdown," "I Can't Quit You Baby" and "How Many More Times."

Handbill measures 5 5/8" x 8 3/4". COA from Heritage Auctions.

Literature: See Grushkin, Paul, The Art of Rock - Posters from Presley to Punk, Abbeville Press, New York, 1987, p.272 (illus.).

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