FLAGGING DOWN THE DOUBLE Es : History of Bob Dylan Concert Posters in 6 parts | RAY PADGETT

 

A History of Bob Dylan Concert Posters in Six Parts

Part 1: The 1960s

RAY PADGETT MAR 8 ∙ PAID

Flagging Down the Double E’s is an email newsletter exploring Bob Dylan concerts throughout history. Some installments are free, some are for paid subscribers only. Sign up here:

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Today we kick off a six-part series exploring the history of Bob Dylan concert posters. There will be one entry per decade, and each will consist of two sections:

1. A look at the “standard” posters of the era. The ones that were used show after show, for an entire tour.

2. My favorite custom one-offs. Particularly cool posters created just for one specific show that were never seen again. This “bonus” part will be for paid subscribers only.

We start today with the 1960s. All images via the essential resource DylanStubs.

Disclaimer: I’m using the term “poster” a little loosely. “Printed concert advertising material” is more accurate, but makes for a cumbersome headline. Working off digital images of these decades later, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether these were posters hung up on walls, flyers handed out, or even ads in magazines or newspapers. Where I do know, I’ll say.

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The Standard Tour Posters

In the first couple years of the ’60s, Bob Dylan didn’t tour in the same way—maybe a gig out of town here or there, but not weeks or months on the road—so he didn’t really have “standard” concert posters. They were all fairly bespoke for a specific show or festival (where he was lucky if they spelled his name right). We’ll see some of those very-early-’60s posters in the second section.

By 1963, that began to change. He began “touring” more, or at least playing more shows outside the Village coffeehouse scene that would require posters. Plus as a Columbia recording artist with first one then two albums under his belt, he now had the industry backing to create standardized promo materials. Similar designs and photos begin popping up again and again. Like these two versions, same lettering but different photos, one for vertical and one for horizontal:

The Times They Are a-Changin’ cover photo also pops up a lot in ’63-’64, but in different contexts. I’m guessing the photo was given to local promoters as a publicity still and they could use it however. Not quite a “standard” poster design like the ones above, but not totally random either.

Read on and subscribe here . . .