Grateful Dead 1966 Trips Festival 196? Longshoremen's Hall S.F. Concert Poster (AOR-2.187)....

Description

NO QUESTION MARK ABOUT THIS ONE, IT'S A CLASSIC

Grateful Dead 1966 Trips Festival 196? Longshoremen's Hall S.F. Concert Poster (AOR-2.187). An original cardboard window card advertising a reprise of the January Trips Festival exactly three months later, also at San Francisco's Longshoremen's Hall, over the weekend of April 22-24, 1966. This is a wildly cool, rare and sought-after poster by many, having been made in a much tinier quantity than any standard paper psychedelic poster of the day. This is the very first time Heritage has ever been able to offer one.

Last year there was a rare occurrence of this poster being sold at auction elsewhere, and it pulled in a not-surprising $41,125.

The Grateful Dead headlined, of course, and they rushed back from their failed experiment of living in Los Angeles (with Owsley Stanley) to play this weekend and earn themselves a total of $375. The organizers were hoping to continue the magic of the original Trips Festival, and they certainly did so with their poster. The very nature of "196?" on there sets this poster apart from all others. Its fascinating hybrid of psychedelic artwork and boxing-style lettering can be attributed to the Tilghman ("till-man") Press of Oakland, who almost never made psych posters but filled the west coast with boxers. Notice Tilghman's trademark "split fountain" ink coloring, too... from red at the top morphing into black in the middle and then dark green in the bottom third.

History has treated this poster extremely well, but at the time it wasn't considered gorgeous like the Wes Wilson posters all over town, so not many people saved it. Today it's a prized catch and only the lucky few have one. This first-ever Heritage offering measures 16" x 24 3/8" and grades to Very Good Plus 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.186 (illus.).

More Information: According to Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip (DK Publishing, 2003, co-authored by Dennis McNally), "After six weeks in L.A., the Grateful Dead are no closer to getting ‘the big break' than they'd been in San Francisco. And they're homesick, and keenly aware that big things are doing around the Bay Area while they sit in [Stanley's] pink house in a cloud of acid dust and meat grease. When Rock Scully books them into Longshoremen's Hall for three nights, they leave L.A. almost as quickly as they left San Francisco, arriving with just a few hours to spare before the first show."

Condition details: The board has three pin holes with attendant halos at the top center above the word "way." There's one more right near the edge to the upper right of "are." Then at the bottom, there is one solitary pin hole & light halo straight down from the "R" in "Door." The two bottom corners are just a little bit dinged & creased. There are a couple of minor, faint surface creases to the board which have to be looked for hard, to find. A couple of tiny brown markings are found in the "II" in the center of the black swirl artwork. The verso has a couple of light black pen marks in the very lower right portion. General toning to the board 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.