Joan Baez & Bob Dylan Poster
Here’s a 1965 Joan Baez / Bob Dylan concert poster that’s been heavily bootlegged, but the two pictured here are absolute authentic originals.
The one of the left is the much more common “tour blank,” before any venue and ticket information was printed in. These are more common because reportedly, Dylan didn’t like the poster – designed by folk singer Eric Von Schmidt – so it was used only briefly before being mothballed. How many are around nobody knows, but this one still retains its deep, rich colors, so it was stored well. This poster's colors are more susceptible to fading than any poster we've ever seen.
Speaking of fading, the example on the right reflects the ravages of time and either sunlight or florescent lights. Significantly faded, this poster is nonetheless highly collectible because it has the venue and ticket information printed in. So it was almost certainly used to sell tickets at the time… and many collectors would prefer this to a tour blank, even in mint condition.
One can only speculate as to why Dylan didn’t like this poster – if that story is even true. Could it be the fact that he’s presented as the second half of a duo instead of the main event, a status he had clearly earned by 1965? Or perhaps it was because Dylan’s still pictured very much as a folkie, whereas 1965 was the year he plugged in and went electric. We may never know, as Dylan seldom talks about such matters and artist Von Schmidt passed away in 2007.
