Fillmore Auditorium 5/27-29/66

After the BG-1-OP-1 and the BG-2-OP-1, this is quite likely the most difficult early original BG poster to find in top condition. Whether the original print run was smaller or whether people just didn’t save them, the reason for their scarcity is unclear. What we do know is that we almost never see one for sale, even in lower grade. Andy Warhol became the manager for the Velvet Underground in 1965 and he suggested they feature the singer, Nico, on several songs. While Warhol was their manager, the Velvets became part of Warhol’s multimedia road show, The Exploding Plastic Inevitable, for which they provided the music. They played shows for some time in New York City and then traveled throughout the United States and Canada until the final show in May 1966.

The original poster was printed on white stock and measures approximately 14″ x 20″. The Union logo #72 appears in the lower left corner.

The second print poster was printed on white stock and measures approximately 13″ x 19⅞″. The credit “Printing by West Coast Lithograph Co. SF” appears below “Geary” in the image.

The third print poster was printed in 1991 and has the addition of hot pink ink in some of the lettering. This printing measures approximately 14″ x 20″.

The original handbill comes in five different versions, all of which measure approximately 5″ x8″:

The Type A handbill is printed on bright pink paper in black ink and has a Los Angeles Times review on the reverse.

The Type B handbill is printed on bright pink paper in black ink and has a blank reverse.

The Type C handbill is printed on pale pink paper in black ink and has the review reverse.

The Type D handbill is printed on pale green paper in black ink and has the review reverse.

The Type E handbill is printed on yellowish-tan paper in black ink and has the review reverse.

The postcards come in two types:

The Type A card matches the original poster, has no union logo and measures approximately 5″ x 8″. These were printed in 1967.

The Type B card matches the third print poster and measures approximately 5″ x 7″. These cards were printed in 1991.