Fillmore East: The Closing Nights Poster
FME011 was Byrd's last design for the New York concert hall and advertised the last month of Fillmore East concerts. He designed a piece that looked more like a war memorial plaque than a poster, and centered the final show information over a list of all the Fillmore East performers in order of appearance. The bright colors belied the poignancy of the message: the East Coast Mecca was closing.
This poster was only printed once. It advertised the entire last month of Fillmore East concerts and measures 17 7/8" x 24 1/2".
The 2nd printing is on coated stock and has "W 2023" in the lower right-hand margin. It was printed in 2023 by Wolfgang's in a 250 copy run. This reprint measures 18" x 25".
As the exclusive designer for the Fillmore East, Byrd produced 11 posters for Bill Graham between 1968-71. With his architectural training, powerful linework and sense of dimension and balance, Byrd said his understanding of symmetry "... Led [me] right up to Art Nouveau. Add to that my LSD experiences, and it all connected up somehow." Byrd's credits include concert poster designs for Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Grateful Dead, movie posters for Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, posters for The Pasadena Playhouse productions, cover art for TV Guide, and work for Warner Bros.