An original, vintage 1960s concert card for the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead appearing at the O’Keefe Centre in Toronto, Canada for a week in the summer of 1967.
James Gardener is the graphic artist who created the attractive autumn-colored artwork for this psychedelic BG-74 handout.
Noted photographer Herb Greene took both pictures which appear on this Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto leaflet. He gets a name-check credit near the bottom, in orange ink, no less.
I personally love the way this BG74 handbill has an “autumn” feel to it, with its gentle green background and orange leaves scattered about, even though the fall season was still a couple of months away.
You sure see a lot of faces on this Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto flyer… the JA had 6 members and the GD had 5 at this moment in time. Within just a couple of months, the Grateful Dead would add a sixth member with the addition of 2nd drummer Mickey Hart.
This BG-74 concert flyer is known by that designation in collector’s circles, because it was the seventy-fourth concert (or set of concerts) in Bill Graham’s numbered series that commenced in 1966.
One thing not mentioned on this Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto concert herald, for good reason, is that both bands also played a free concert or two in Toronto sometime during this week.
One thing a bit unusual about this BG-74 concert handout is that it’s an exact representation of the larger BG-74 concert poster… there is virtually no difference in the two, other than size. That’s unusual because usually there is at least some little difference between fliers and the larger posters, other than size.
This is all true for the front surface, anyway… the back side of this Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto flier displays a Time magazine article written on the Summer of Love in San Francisco, whereas obviously the poster is blank on the back.
Here is the exact wording on this Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto herald, exactly as it reads from top to bottom, including all the credits at the bottom:
(In the top white margin): Bill Graham Presents The San Francisco Scene – (and now the colorful artwork by Gardener) In Toronto – Jefferson Airplane – Grateful Dead (next to their corresponding photos)
From 31 July to 5th Aug. – Light Show by Headlights – O’Keefe Centre – (the print starts getting real small here) Evenings at 8:30 – Mats. on Weds & Sat – Box Office Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
(Now all the margin credits): Photos by Herb Greene – Printed by Tea Lautrec Posters, San Francisco – (lower right in orange) James M. Gardener ’67 – Copyright 1967 Bill Graham #74 – (and in black print at very bottom) Printed in U.S.A.
Even though the shows were in Canada, this BG-74 concert leaflet was printed in the U.S., which reportedly caused some problems with customs agents at the border… did all of them make it through?
And let’s not forget that in this video, I also show you the original Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto bumper sticker, printed on bright Day-Glo orange paper. This BG-74 bumper sticker was never applied to anything, so the protective peel-off wax paper is still present.
A lot of collectors like the fact that this BG 74 concert flier represents more than just a series of gigs… it represents the whole “San Francisco scene” and ethos being exported from S.F. all the way up to another big city, thousands of miles away. One can be sure it drew lots of fans from the New England states, especially New York.
This Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Toronto handbill is discussed with great enthusiasm by collector Peter J. Howard (805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). That’s me, and I will pay the very best prices that you’ll find, anywhere, for the poster, handbill or bumper sticker for this week in Canada.
My Web site doesn’t have a page for psychedelic handbills specifically, but to see a few nice psychedelic sixties concert posters, just trip over to this page located right here on my site: http://www.postercentral.com/psychedelic.htm
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