Jimi Hendrix, The Doors (Hidden Opening Acts) 1967 Forest Hills Concert Poster. ...

Description

Jimi Hendrix, The Doors (Hidden Opening Acts) 1967 Forest Hills Concert Poster. An original cardboard window card advertising eight top-selling attractions appearing at New York's Forest Hills Music Festival in June, July and August of 1967. The biggest surprises amongst these acts are well-hidden from the eye. Fans of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Doors will know just what we're talking about. It's very well-documented and much-discussed that Hendrix opened some shows for the Monkees in '67 just before he broke out to stardom. And this weekend at Forest Hills was the final time they played together; Hendrix's heavy sound was just too much for the Monkees' teenybopper fans.

And in another "Whaaaat?" moment in rock history, Jim Morrison and the Doors were booked to open for soft folkies Simon & Garfunkel, who had actually met in school in the 50's right there in Forest Hills. So the audience was theirs, and wanted nothing to do with this dark, foreboding presence from the west coast. It was a musical mismatch to the max, for which some heads are still shaking to this day. This extra-thick poster measures 13 3/8" x 22" and grades to repaired Very Good Plus condition. COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: We counted no fewer than TEN different colors used on this piece, which must be some kind of record for a non-psychedelic concert poster.

It's astonishing to think that this was actually one month after Jimi's spellbinding performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. But the movie of that festival hadn't been released yet, and the world wasn't connected the way it is today.

Jimi had been opening for the Monkees for only a week before this Forest Hills weekend, playing the previous weekend in Florida and a couple of mid-week shows in North Carolina. Then these three nights at Forest Hills, and the experiment was over. Hendrix conducted a phone interview with England's New Musical Express right afterwards, and described his previous week thusly:

"Firstly they gave us the 'death' spot on the show, right before the Monkees were due on, so the audience just screamed and yelled for the Monkees! Finally they agreed to let us go on first, and things were much better. We got screams and good reactions, and some kids even rushed the stage. But we were not getting any billing... all the posters just screamed out MONKEES. Then some parents who brought their young kids complained that our act was vulgar. We decided that it was just the wrong audience. I think they're replacing me with Mickey Mouse."

Interestingly, Jimi's debut album Are You Experienced? had been out in the U.K. for two months at this point, but
Reprise wouldn't release it in America until late August. As for the single "Purple Haze," it had been released in June, but wouldn't enter the Billboard Hot 100 until August, where even then it barely made a whimper.

As for the Doors, it was a snake-bitten if historic night for the L.A. band. First, their equipment didn't arrive on time, so they had to hustle to borrow instruments to play. The group steps onstage, Morrison growls "This is the end!" and a hush falls over the crowd, but not an awestruck one; more like a perplexed one. They remain silent as the Doors work through four songs in their abbreviated set: "Break on Through," "Back Door Man," "Light My Fire" and "The End."

"The band plays exceptionally well, especially considering the circumstances," states Greg Shaw in his book The Doors on the Road (Omnibus Press). "They conclude with a striking version of 'The End,' and then abruptly leave the stage after about half an hour." But the crowd was so distant, callous and close-minded that Paul Simon actually reprimanded them from the stage, explaining how difficult it can be for any new group trying to break in.
New group? Trying to break in? Guess what: In Billboard magazine's Hot 100 for the week ending on August 12 - the date of this show - the #1 record in the country was... "Light My Fire." How lame and elitist could a supposedly hip audience possibly be?

Condition details: The board is solid, thick, rigid, robust and all-original. Only some of the colors, and white margins, have been touched up, such as over "lovin' spoonful" and the right portion of the Monkees' green strip. Likewise with the right couple of inches for Simon & Garfunkel and Trini Lopez, and around the dates on the left of the top three acts. This touch-up is done so subtly and expertly that you have to tilt the poster at an angle to the light, just so, to see that anything was done at all. Otherwise just a very little bit of light scuffing on the bottom four acts, like in the purple around "Simon," and a couple of light surface scratches, such as in the middle of the Monkees' name. All of this discovery comes only when you're tilting the poster and looking for it.


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.