On This Day in Art Rock History

A DAILY CHRONICLE

SAN FRANCISCO · THE PSYCHEDELIC ERA · 1960s

Welcome to On This Day A living archive of the posters, people, and stories of the psychedelic era — start here. Read the welcome →
July 1
BG-14

BG-14 · Wes Wilson

Catalog Number
BG-14
Series
Bill Graham
Venue
Fillmore Auditorium
San Francisco
Date
July 1, 1966
Artists
Nickname
The Independence Ball
Performers
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Jay Walkers

The Independence Ball

Bill Graham called it the Independence Ball, and the name was printed right on the poster - it is the Grateful Dead's own archivists who still use it today, because the most famous thing to come out of the weekend was a tape. Wes Wilson drew BG-14 in purple and magenta, the lettering still a step short of the full melting psychedelia he'd arrive at within months, for a three-night Fillmore Auditorium run over the…

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Were You There?

Do you have memories of this show, or an original BG-14 poster? On This Day in Art Rock History celebrates the people who lived through the psychedelic era. Your stories and collections matter to this archive.