This Grateful Dead billing featured the band's signature skull mascot, but not in a playful way. Conklin took the reader on a trip to Hell, and the spooky images broke down in decay near the bottom of the poster.
The handbill was only printed once before the concert. It measures 4 5/8" x 7".
There were also some pre-concert double-sized mailers printed that were conjoined with the BG163 image (see BG162/163). They measure 7" x 9 1/4".
Lee Conklin's early influences were pen and ink masters Heinrich Kley and Saul Steinberg.After seeing articles featuring Wes Wilson's poster art, Conklin was inspired to visit San Francisco and show his art to Bill Graham. Conklin was soon commissioned to do posters and produced 31 original designs for the Fillmore between 1968 and 1969. Conklin rendered both graphics and calligraphy in intricate detail. What began as a personal challenge to disguise images within images and lettering soon turned into a concerted effort to turn every single letter and figure into another form, stretching the imagination to new limits.