Carousel Ballroom ,Fillmore West 5/30-6/1/68

This is one of the classic Grateful Dead images of the psychedelic era. The posters and handbills were used to promote the 1968 Memorial Day shows at the Carousel Ballroom. The Carousel was run by several San Francisco area bands, including the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane, in an effort to produce concerts independently of Bill Graham. Unfortunately, the bands were poor managers, and within six weeks of these Memorial Day shows, Bill Graham had purchased the Carousel and renamed it the Fillmore West.

Both the posters and handbills come in two variations. On the upper margin, where the show dates appear, many copies have had some of the dates blacked out. The type without the blacked out date are far scarcer and command a premium. Due to the odd size of the handbill, many display significant damage.

The original poster was printed on white stock and measures approximately 14″ x 20″.

The original handbill was printed on white stock and measures approximately 7″ x 11″.