BG-20 · Wes Wilson
San Francisco
Sons of Champlin
Them
On July 29, 1966 — a Friday — the Fillmore Auditorium opened a two-night run headlined by Them, the Belfast band fronted by Van Morrison, with San Francisco's own Sons of Champlin in support. The poster is BG-20, drawn by Wes Wilson (wolfgangs.com BG020; trps.org; dking-gallery.com BG#20-2; the Met holds a copy in its collection). What makes the date stick isn't the bill so much as a story that gets told about what…
Read the full story →Also on July 29
FD-18 — Avalon Ballroom
Friday, July 29, 1966 was the second night of Bo Diddley and Quicksilver Messenger Service at the Avalon, on Mouse and Kelley's FD-18. The pairing recurs through this chronicle's 1966 pages and the reason is worth stating plainly: Bo Diddley's rhythm was the single most borrowed thing in the room. …
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BG-75 — Fillmore Auditorium
Saturday, July 29, 1967 was the second night of the Doors' half of BG-75 at the Fillmore Auditorium, with the James Cotton Blues Band and Richie Havens. Bonnie MacLean's poster for the week is the one to stop on. Its central image is a drawn human face, framed by the feathers of a highly stylized p…
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FD-73 — Avalon Ballroom
Saturday, July 29, 1967 was night three of Blue Cheer, Captain Beefheart and the Youngbloods at the Avalon, on FD-73. Blue Cheer are the reason this bill matters more in hindsight than it did at the time. The San Francisco trio's version of "Summertime Blues," recorded later that year, is routinely…
Read about this poster →Were You There?
Do you have memories of this show, or an original BG-20 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.