An authentic, vintage Bob Dylan & Joan Baez concert handbill and two unused tickets for their performance on March 5, 1965 at the Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This Dylan-Baez handbill was drawn up by graphic artist (and folk musician) Eric Von Schmidt. The very same artwork was also used for bigger concert posters, printed on card stock, for this same event (and a handful of others).
A never-used Bob Dylan concert ticket from 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 or 1966 is pretty collectible because promoters usually threw away unsold tickets once a tour was over and the paperwork was settled up.
This particular poster design by Eric Von Schmidt was used for 4-5 different Dylan-Baez concerts in March 1965. Larger broadsides (14×22”) have been seen for a couple of those gigs, but I have not yet seen the full-sized window card for this particular Dylan-Baez show on March 5 in Philly.
It is safe to conclude that this Dylan-Baez concert flier and poster were also produced for their performances in New Haven on March 6, 1965; Pittsburgh on March 17 and 18, 1965; and Raleigh, NC on March 19, 1965. A Dylan-Baez concert poster and handbill were also printed up for the pair’s concerts in Seattle and Portland the following month, but a B&W photo of the pair was used instead of the Von Schmidt painting (which had been discontinued by that point).
The brief text as it reads on this original 1960s folk-music handbill (Dylan had yet to go electric):
(In the blank white area up top): Friday, March 5, 8:30 P.M. – At Convention Hall, 34th & Spruce Sts. – Seats: $4.50, 3.50, 3.00, 2.50, 1.75
(And then down in the colored area, in Von Schmidt’s creative script): In Concert – Joan Baez & Bob Dylan
And then at the very bottom, there’s a circled “VS” for Von Schmidt.
As for the never-used concert ticket, I won’t go into minute detail such as the row and seat numbers, but it basically says this:
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, March 5, 1965, Friday evening at 8:30 P.M., $2.50 (one of the cheaper tickets), Convention Hall, 34th & Spruce Sts., Phila., PA.
Original Dylan concert leaflets like this were saved much more often than their larger poster counterparts, because they easily fit into books for long-term safe storage – and then sometimes completely forgotten about.
AND, you could always discover an unused Dylan concert ticket in the same fashion as this old folk-music concert flyer… placed into a book many years ago and then lost to time.
You might also notice that both the flier and the ticket clearly say “Joan Baez & Bob Dylan,” giving Joan top billing of sorts, although Dylan would surely become the bigger name later this year when his “Like a Rolling Stone” became one of the summer’s biggest hits.
This pint-sized Dylan-Baez handout can actually be given any one of a number of descriptions… it could be labeled a Dylan-Baez appearance sheet; I’ve heard Bob Dylan-Joan Baez herald used on rare occasion; and one guy recently referred to it as a Dylan-Baez slinger, a very different term that I was unfamiliar with… but sure, I can see how they were “slung” across counters or into the hands of people on street corners!
This Baez & Dylan 1960’s concert handbill & new, unused ticket are happily displayed and discussed by collector Pete Howard – a Dylan fan since the late ’60s. I can be reached through pete@postercentral.com or by telly at (805) 540-0020. And remember, I pay the VERY BEST PRICES for any vintage Bob Dylan concert memorabilia that you or a friend may possess.
Now, if you’d like to view some more mid-60’s Bob Dylan advertising broadsides and telephone-pole posters, head over to this page located right here on my web site: http://www.postercentral.com/bobdylan.htm
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