An original, genuine Beatles concert poster for their Aug. 14, 1966 concert at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.

The most unusual aspect of this Beatles Cleveland boxing style concert poster is that it wasn’t made to be posted here, there & everywhere, like most concert posters… it was strictly an on-site ticket-sale advertising piece.

That’s the reason this Beatles Cleveland concert placard gives no locations where you could buy ducats… it doesn’t need to, they’re on sale right “here”!

And boy, those ticket prices are sure printed in big text across this Beatles Cleveland billboard. Only the two lines that say “Beatles” use a bigger type font. That’s very unusual.

This Beatles Cleveland appearance poster carries dimensions of 14.5 x 20”, a little bit smaller than the standard 14×22” usually used.

In my humble opinion, it’s not a drawback that this poster is in B&W, just like their famous movie A Hard Day’s Night was. I think it’s actually a strength of this Beatles Cleveland placard – it just works.

I just love the way, by sheer design coincidence, that the words “Live – In Person” appear directly beneath John Lennon’s face on this Beatles Cleveland show poster. It almost looks like it was planned that way, but then you realize that surely it wasn’t (singling out Lennon for special treatment).

The picture of John, Paul, George and Ringo on this Beatles Cleveland window display is a common publicity still used throughout their 1966 North American tour.

Since this poster was printed up to be used for just a few weeks and then discarded after the event, this Beatles Cleveland advertisement is a fun collector’s item that would look nice framed on anyone’s wall.

The promoter must’ve been somewhat embarrassed when this Beatles Cleveland poster came back from the printers and The Cyrkle were misspelled as “The Cyrcle” – and they had the #2 hit in the country at the time! (“Red Rubber Ball”)

At least this Beatles Cleveland broadside got the spelling right for The Remains and the Ronettes. (smile)

Speaking of the Ronettes, one of the reasons they’re on this Beatles Cleveland in person poster is that they had actually met the Liverpool lads back in England before the boys ever came to America.

It’s too bad that Barry & The Remains are listed as only “The Remains” on this Beatles Cleveland sign. Group leader Barry Tashian went on to write a book about his experience on this tour, opening for the world’s most popular act.

But if you think Barry was shortchanged, how about poor Bobby Hebb? Mr. Hebb is not even listed on the Beatles Cleveland tour placard, but he was definitely one of the “Other Exciting Acts.” And yet his huge hit “Sunny” was no less than #2 in the country at the very time of this show!

I’m guessing that Hebb was perhaps a last-minute booking, which would explain his absence from this Beatles Cleveland event poster. Cleveland was only the third date of this North American trek.

Notice that “All Seats Reserved” is stated on this Beatles Cleveland show placard. Even though the grassy field would’ve accommodated thousands of General Admission chairs, the results could’ve been disastrous.

It’s highly unusual that “Rain or Shine” is proclaimed on this Beatles Cleveland concert announcement. This is the only Beatles American concert poster to ever state that. The promoters in Cincinnati probably wish they had that policy in place, too… their show a week later, on August 20, was indeed postponed due to heavy rains.

The final words down at the bottom of this Beatles Cleveland tour poster are “Don’t Miss this Historic Show!” What nobody knew at the time was that it would be historic simply because it was their last. If you ever see a Beatles ticket poster with a declaration like that, it’s a total bootleg. I’ve seen lots of pirated Candlestick Park concert posters which say something like, “Their last show ever!” The problem is, nobody knew that at the time, with the possible exception of the boys themselves, but even they were unsure, according to their biographies.

People just assume the Fabs always sold out their concerts, but that was not the case in 1966, when they played the biggest stadiums and arenas they could find. The sole reason this Beatles Cleveland street sign was printed up was to help the promoter sell tickets, period. In the 1960s, it was either radio announcements, newspaper ads or concert posters that would effectively get the word out.

That’s why there were only three Beatles concert posters made for their first two U.S. tours combined. For ’66, however, this Beatles Cleveland fence poster is actually one of five cities that needed a poster to help move tickets.

Jontzen, a local Cleveland company, is credited at the bottom of this Beatles Cleveland telephone pole poster as the printer. And the usual printer’s union bug is on there as well.

This Beatles Cleveland street poster is shown to you with great enthusiasm by long-time collector Peter Howard, who can be reached by E at pete@postercentral.com or by phone at (805)-540-0020. That’s me, and I will pay TOP DOLLAR! for this (or any) Beatles 1960s concert poster!!

To see a collection of more original Beatles concert posters, take a glance at this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/beatles.htm