Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$300.00
Starting bid: $1.00
This Big Brother / Janis Joplin handbill was produced for a January 5th performance at Fresno’s historic Rainbow Ballroom in 1968.You may recognize the famous photo of Janis -- it’s the same photograph taken by Bob Seideman for the wildly popular 1967 head-shop poster printed by Mouse Studios and distributed by Berkeley Bonaparte.
Deep history revolves around the Rainbow Ballroom. It was originally built as the Fresno Natatorium in 1918 serving as a post-World War I Fresno indoor swimming pool complex. The ballroom flourished in the late 1960’s as a popular venue for the West Coast Sound. Legendary acts played there in their formative years including Creedence Clearwater Revival Carlos Santana Ike and Tina Turner Revue and Fleetwood Mac.
By the time Big Brother & Janis rocked this date (2 shows) at the Rainbow in early 1968 big things were happening for their career. It would only be a month later they would embark on their first East Coast tour starting with the historic Anderson Theatre in New York City. In early March they would begin recording sessions for their landmark album “Cheap Thrills” which reached #1 on the charts for 8 consecutive weeks.
We offered the poster version of this issue once before, but this is the first time the handbill is being offered in our auction! It is extremely rare and unlikely to appear again anytime soon.
Condition Details: mounted to second sheet, tape staining, toning, tear top center
--CRITICAL DETAILS--
--TITLE: Janis & Big Brother at Rainbow Ballroom
--GRADE: EXTRA FINE 61
--PERFORMERS: Big Brother & The Holding Company, Valley Fever
--VENUE: Rainbow Ballroom
--CITY: Fresno, CA
--DATE: 1/5/1968
--SIZE: 8.5 x 9.75
--PRINTING: OHB-A; Original Pre-Concert First Printing Handbill
A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot.
High resolution HD photos available on request.
For a personalized eyewitness examination call 410-464-6180, 10:00 am to 5:00pm EST.