Grateful Dead Postcard
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BG062 is Wes Wilson's final Fillmore poster in his series of 56 and is a study in symbolism. Wilson's comments on the future of the counter-culture movement and his view of the predation of concert promoters are more subtle. Wilson casts a jaded eye on the avarice of the industry in general and Bill Graham in particular and brands the Fillmore banner at the bottom of the poster with a vaguely Christian symbol featuring the Almighty Dollar.
There are several variants of the 1st printing postcard, all printed before the concert with the "split fountain technique".
1st printing A (see BG062-1A) is all green and measures 4 1/2" x 8".
1st printing B most notably displays the "split fountain technique", ranging from green at the top to yellow to pink at the bottom. It measures 4 9/16" x 8".
1st printing C (see BG062-1C) is all pink and measures 4 1/2" x 8".
1st printing D is a black and white variant and measures 4 1/2" x 8".
The 2nd post-concert printing of the postcard (BG062-2) matches the 2nd printing of the poster, in brown, purple and yellow. It measures 4 5/8" x 8".
When the Avalon Ballroom and Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium began to hold weekly dance concerts, Wilson was called upon to design the posters. He created psychedelic posters from February 1966 to May 1967, when disputes over money severed his connection with Graham. Wilson pioneered the psychedelic rock poster. Intended for a particular audience, "one that was tuned in to the psychedelic experience," his art, and especially the exaggerated freehand lettering, emerged from Wilson's own involvement with that experience and the psychedelic art of light shows.