JEFFERSON AIRPLANE & GRATEFUL DEAD BG-74 TORONTO CONCERT POSTER RAREST IN BILL GRAHAM SERIES.
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Winning Bid:
$4,478.10
(Includes 18% Buyer's Premium)
Bidding Ended:
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Wednesday, June 30, 2021 9:00:00 PM)
Item Description
13-7/8x20.75" index stock mounted to thin board. Right vertical margin has designer credit "James H. Gardner '67" and "C 1967 Bill Graham #74." Left vertical corner has "Photos By Herb Greene" and "Printed By Tea Lautrec Posters, San Francisco." Images feature from l to r in the Jefferson Airplane; Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jack Casady, Marty Balin, Spencer Dryden and Jorma Kaukonen; in the Grateful Dead; Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. Poster promotes concerts "In Toronto" at the "O'Keefe Center" on "July 30" to "Aug. 5th" w/additional text at bottom "Evenings At 8:30/ Mats On Weds & Sat." Mounted to board for restoration of puncture affecting the text "Dead" and the top edge of the lower image, three horizontal folds (center, top & bottom third) and pin holes/corner creases. Additional color touch ups to borders, green & black background and orange text. Technically Good but displaying above grade. As is frequently the case on the small population of surviving examples this poster was clearly hung to promote the shows. Extensive restoration was performed to enhance display. This poster has long been considered the "set-stopper" in the BG series and w/so many attempting to complete a set the demand has always far surpassed the supply. With high grade examples selling in the $40,000+ range this is an opportunity to obtain a representative example of this exceedingly rare image that displays well and will frame nicely.
The top margin headline "Bill Graham Presents The San Francisco Scene" says it all- the cultural revolution on the international stage during the Summer of Love. Plucked from the 25 square block Haight-Ashbury neighborhood the Airplane & the Dead delivered the sights & sounds of the exploding psychedelic scene to Toronto. Graham, who was also the Airplanes manager and ever the pusher, had an idea- if the kids in Toronto could get a free taste of the hippie scene they'd come back and pay for more. So, Graham organized a free gig featuring these two bands on July 23 in Nathan Phillips Square where over 20,000 came out to take in the experience. These posters and their corresponding handbills were largely distributed at this free gig. The Airplane and Dead delivered all the good vibes as expected and the Toronto crowd clamored for the upcoming week of gigs advertised on this poster. After a bit of a rocky start on account of sound issues at the arena and some less than amicable local reviews the gigs took flight becoming a transcendent week for attendees that is no cemented in Toronto rock lore. Those lucky enough to make the final gig were treated to over an hour long jam with both bands on stage. Stories abound about why these posters are so rare, everything from "Most Never Left San Francisco" to "They Were Confiscated At The Border." It's likely a few never made it out of SF but news photos of the free concert indicate that many of these posters made it over the border and were posted. It's likely that the vast majority printed made their way to Canada where they were posted and trashed w/the few survivors a result of early obsessives who were wily enough to recognize the cultural impact of the moment. This poster has long been considered the "set-stopper" in the BG series and w/so many attempting to complete a set the demand has always far surpassed the supply. With high grade examples selling in the $40,000+ range this is an opportunity to obtain a nice representative example of this exceedingly rare image that displays well and will frame nicely.
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