Fillmore East Large Handbill, 1968-1969

NOTE: This handbill hung in the New York Historical Society Museum from February 2020 to January 2021 as part of the Bill Graham and the Rock and Roll Revolution Exhibition.

The Fillmore East provided Graham with an East Coast counterpart to his existing Fillmore in San Francisco, California. Opening on March 8, 1968, the Fillmore East quickly became known as "The Church of Rock and Roll," with two-show, triple-bill concerts several nights a week. Graham would regularly alternate acts between the East and West Coast venues. Until early 1971, bands were booked to play two shows per night, at 8 pm and 11 pm, on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Unlike how he promoted concerts in San Francisco, Bill Graham funded only a handful of full-sized posters for shows at the Fillmore East. Instead, he had smaller and more economical postcards printed and often those listed a 4-6 weeks of upcoming shows. The Fillmore East had become such a center for teenagers and hippies to hang out that he barely needed to advertise to fill the house. As one visitor to the Bahr Gallery remembered, “we rarely knew who was playing – we just knew if it were the Fillmore East, it would be good.” 

While artist David Byrd was tasked with the "arty" stuff-like posters, program covers, etc.. Design agency Willson-Frissora did a lot of the "nuts and bolts work like the newspaper ad materials and more basic layouts like these postcards and handbills. They are mentioned in the Fillmore East programs on the staff page.

Some of the performers featured on this handbill, which covered December 20 1968 through March 1, 1969 include: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper’s Super Session, BB King, Blood Sweat & Tears, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Jeff Beck, Iron Butterfly.