An original, authentic concert poster with Bruce Springsteen’s early band Steel Mill serving as opening act for Ike & Tina Turner at the Mosque in Richmond, Virginia circa 1970.

This old concert tour poster was manufactured using Day-Glo yellow and pink colors, along with your typical black & white.

This rather large cardboard concert sign measures approximately 22 x 32 inches.

Concert placards from The Mosque in Richmond were made in abundance for shows over the years, but not saved that often.

Original Steel Mill window displays can be found by collectors dating only from November 1969 up through January 1971. At that point, Mr. Springsteen changed his band name yet again (see below).

Guitarist (and Boss best friend) Miami Steve Van Zandt had just joined Steel Mill in March 1970, so this authentic Springsteen telephone-pole poster contains Steve in the band.

Not only that, but vocalist Robbin Thompson joined Steel Mill in August 1970, so this concert billboard represents a Springsteen show with Thompson singing much of the time. (They remain friends to this day.)

And wait, there’s more on this Steel Mill tour poster: Vinny “Mad Dog” Lopez was sitting on the drum stool and the late, great Danny Federici was tickling the ivories, making this Boss concert poster very nostalgic.

This big vintage cardboard concert poster for Steel Mill opening for Ike & Tina Turner was designed and manufactured by the Globe Poster Co. of Baltimore.

Bruce Springsteen collectors thrill at trying to find old Steel Mill tour posters, Child concert placards, Earth window displays, Castiles concert posters, Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom telephone-pole posters and all the various band names the Boss used before he finally settled on the E Street Band.

What follows is the complete wording as it reads on this old Mosque placard, from top to bottom:

(Inside the first pink cloud): MOSQUE – Richmond, VA. – (Then outside the cloud) Sun. Oct. 11, 7:30 P.M. – Admission: Orchestra $5.50 – Grand Tier $5.00 – Balcony $4.50

Tickets on Sale at: Thalhimer’s, Downtown – Music City, Southside Plaza – Gary’s, Willow Lawn – Churchill Records – Barkey Records – Bill Jones, Petersburg

(In the Day-Glo yellow stripe): Presenting In Concert – (and now the big pink cloud): The Fantastic Ike & Tina Turner and Their Fabulous Revue – “Wanna Take You Higher” and “Please, Please, Please.” (and then a media quote): “They Are Too Much” – – Look Magazine

(Bottom yellow cloud): The Dynamic Ikettes – (and then the killer): Also Special Added Attraction – (in the pink bar at bottom): Steel Mill

Globe Poster – Baltimore (in the bottom white border, tiny print)

Richmond, Virginia concert posters from the 1960s are found with surprising frequency because the town was a hotbed of music activity around this time period.

Locating a Bruce Springsteen broadside from the time preceding his first LP’s release in 1972 is always a challenge for collectors. But fun!

This vintage Steel Mill concert placard is made over in giddy fashion by poster collector Peter J. Howard in San Luis Obispo, California (reach by 805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). Please remember that I will pay the BEST PRICES for the oldest, coolest Springsteen concert advertisements for any of his early bands.

Now that you’ve seen this, to catch a rare photo of another early Bruce band, a Child show poster also from Richmond, Virginia, in 1969 (with a stunning picture of Bruce), just find your way to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/rock.htm