Grateful Dead - Panther Hall - 1970

This is one of the most desirable and rare Grateful Dead posters ever produced.

The Dead played a few Texas shows with Quicksilver Messenger Service. Quicksilver had not toured since late 1968 (they only played a few shows in 1969), but their first two albums remained staples of FM radio, so they were as big or bigger than the Dead. The 1970 lineup included not only the "classic" Quicksilver quartet (John Cipollina and Gary Duncan-guitars, David Freiberg-bass, Greg Elmore-drums) but Nicky Hopkins on piano and Dino Valenti on vocals. Meanwhile, the Dead were starting to get FM airplay of November 1969’s release of “Live Dead,” and sometime during the month were recording Workingman’s Dead. Patrons recall a very young, still unknown local Texas band called ZZ Top opening the show.

Printed by "FunKit," the show was put on by a small local promoter named Middle Earth Productions. Images include the familiar Mercury for Quicksilver Messenger Service and he is delivering the message, “Peace over War, at last.” Meanwhile, we have a skull rimmed with a headband of eyeballs for the Grateful Dead and a few graves. The skull’s eyeballs flash with a peace sign and a mushroom cloud. The artist is unknown, but the poster is a superbly executed, hand-pulled silkscreen using fluorescent ink. The large size and very thin paper they were printed on makes the few posters that have even survived were extremely susceptible to damage. This one is in excellent condition.