Avalon Ballroom ,Straight Theater 12/26/67

This Rick Griffin-designed poster was used to promote the Second Annual Grope for Peace in 1967. The event was held at the Straight Theater, which was a hippie-run establishment that served as an alternative venue to the Fillmore Auditorium and the Avalon Ballroom. Hundreds of important rock shows were held at the Straight, including many that featured the then newly-formed blues band known as Santana.

There were also other productions held at the Straight, such as film screening and poetry readings. The management was shaky from the beginning, and the city government finally withheld some required dance permits. To counteract this, the Straight management promoted a number of rock shows as “dance classes,” with the Grateful Dead as the first “dance instructors.”

This original poster was printed on white stock and measures approximately 19″ x 27″.