Vintage poster advertising 1965 Beach Boys concert in Charlotte takes us back in time
The year is 1965. It’s the week the Beach Boys released their famous song, “California Girls.” The Charlotte Coliseum — now, Bojangles Coliseum — prepares to host the Beach Boys as fans prepare to see the group live in action.
Monday they played Raleigh, Tuesday they played Greensboro and Wednesday was reserved for the Queen City as the band completed the North Carolina portion of its tour.
“It’s interesting if you look at it,” concert poster dealer Andrew Hawley said. “A lot of the acts now play the big huge cities, but you have an act like the Beach Boys who played a lot of these smaller cities.”
While those who had the luxury to attend the concert that Wednesday evening are probably still raving about the experience, others are still mesmerized by the vintage concert poster advertising the show. It’s not your average poster. Created by Globe Poster company on cardboard, the jumbo poster exceeds the normal jumbo size, Hawley said. While the size is commendable, the colors — in Day-Glo ink — are what set the gem apart from the rest.
If you’re reading this while thinking, “I need this in my music room,” we’ve got news for you — it’s for sale. Hawley is narrowing down his collection, which means the “best-looking Beach Boys concert poster ever made” will soon land in the hands of a new owner.
Globe Poster is known for garnering some huge names — including B.B. King, Etta James and Chuck Berry — on its posters, according to NPR. While the names are truly commendable, there’s something to be said for the overall appearance and look. Globe Poster introduced the Day-Glo ink to its posters in the mid-1950s and it quickly defined the company’s trademark style. The ink was a great advertising tool but it also required a certain technique during the application process.
“If you were walking on the other side of the street and you saw that poster, you probably walked over to check it out just because it was so bright and beautiful,” Hawley said. “But, you could read it across the street. You didn’t have to be right on top of it just to know. I wasn’t old enough to see the show. I mean, Charlotte is a booming city now, but who knows what it was like in 1965. it must have been a really small-town feel.”
Hawley received the poster in 2009, and he sold it to a friend. While in his friend’s storage building looking to make a different trade, he saw the poster and was mesmerized by the look once again. He traded for it back.
“I was like ‘Wow,’” he said. “I had forgotten all about it. It’s so big and beautiful. The graphics just stand out and the neon colors just pop. I was like, ‘Whoa.’”
If he loves it so much, why sell it? “I just like to put cool stuff out to the public, just stuff they’ll probably never come across,” he said. “For me, that’s just as much as enjoyment as actually obtaining something in my own collection. We are only custodians of this stuff.”
The time has come to pass it on, he said. It’s time to share a rare find with others.
“This stuff is so hard to find, honestly,” Hawley said. “If you were like Bill Gates, even with all of your money, I severely doubt you will find that poster along with a lot of these other rare posters. The stuff just got thrown out. It was just not meant to be saved. It was meant to advertise a concert and then be done with.”
If it were a poster from the early 1970s, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal, Heritage Auctions vintage concert poster expert Pete Howard said.
“To have such a visually appealing poster plus in the sweet spot of their career and their run of hit singles was just crazy,” Howard said. “You have all of those elements coming together to make it a real special piece.”
Heritage Auctions — which holds poster auctions three times a year — received the poster a few months ago. Howard estimates it will sell for $5,000-$10,000 because of the look and rarity.
“The orange and blue Day-Glow inks used here are just crazy and off the charts,” he said. “For some reason, they don’t fade at all with time. So, it looks as bright, attention-grabbing and glorious as it did 56 years ago. Just the gorgeous bright, Day-Glo fluorescent inks which Globe was famous for, so that’s one of things that give the poster such huge appeal.”
How to get the 1965 Beach Boys in Charlotte poster
When: The bidding is now open and ends on Saturday, May 1.
How it works: On May 1, an auctioneer at the podium will call the sale and the winner will be determined, Howard said. A couple of hundred lots in other categories come before the Beach Boys poster, which means the predicted window of time would be between noon and 3 p.m.
Register at Heritage Auctions, find the auction and follow the directions from there.
Update: The poster sold for $3,200.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
