NEWS
The Beatles only known oversized 1966 Shea Stadium poster for sale for $150,000
06 September 2023
Gottahaverockandroll.com is auctioning the only known oversized 1966 Shea Stadium Concert Poster and it is estimated to sell for more than $150,000.
"The Beatles" and "Shea Stadium" are two sets of couplets that go together in pop culture like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers up through Jay-Z and Beyonce. Not only world-changing music, but entertainment history was made at Shea by the Fabs in 1965 and '66, and it's easy to see why: by stepping on stage at Shea, the Beatles faced an audience that probably exceeded all of their 279 appearances at Liverpool's Cavern Club combined - all in one night.
For their first appearance there in 1965, no advertising materials were needed. Word of mouth alone was enough to sell the place out 10 times over. Once New York DJs started mentioning it on the air, promoter Sid Bernstein just sat back and watched the ticket money roll in. Who needed to spend money on advertising? Concert posters were just an advertising expense back then, despite collectors' love for them today. They weren't created frivolously in the 1960's; they were produced only if needed.
While relatively simple and straightforward in presentation, at the same time this 1966 poster is a masterwork of charisma, color, type fonts, our heroes' faces and, of course, rarity. How many did Sid have printed up? Nobody knows. But we do know this is the ONLY surviving one
Bidding ends on September 22nd at Gottahaverockandroll.com
"The Beatles" and "Shea Stadium" are two sets of couplets that go together in pop culture like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers up through Jay-Z and Beyonce. Not only world-changing music, but entertainment history was made at Shea by the Fabs in 1965 and '66, and it's easy to see why: by stepping on stage at Shea, the Beatles faced an audience that probably exceeded all of their 279 appearances at Liverpool's Cavern Club combined - all in one night.
For their first appearance there in 1965, no advertising materials were needed. Word of mouth alone was enough to sell the place out 10 times over. Once New York DJs started mentioning it on the air, promoter Sid Bernstein just sat back and watched the ticket money roll in. Who needed to spend money on advertising? Concert posters were just an advertising expense back then, despite collectors' love for them today. They weren't created frivolously in the 1960's; they were produced only if needed.
While relatively simple and straightforward in presentation, at the same time this 1966 poster is a masterwork of charisma, color, type fonts, our heroes' faces and, of course, rarity. How many did Sid have printed up? Nobody knows. But we do know this is the ONLY surviving one
Bidding ends on September 22nd at Gottahaverockandroll.com
