A hand-drawn crayon sign advertising the Grateful Dead's first-ever performance under their new name has surfaced after nearly 60 years, preserved by two teenage sisters who were too nervous to attend the historic event.
The primitive poster, reading "Can you pass the Acid Test?" and bearing an address in San Jose, promoted Ken Kesey's first public Acid Test on December 4, 1965. The event marked a pivotal moment in rock history — the debut of the newly-renamed Grateful Dead, who had just abandoned their previous name, The Warlocks.
Listed on Heritage Auctions with a current high bid of $6,750, the poster's authenticity comes with remarkable provenance from sisters Kathy and Betsy, who retrieved it that night. Betsy had been taking guitar lessons from Bob Weir himself at a local music shop. "We were in high school," Betsy told Heritage. "We went around to this music shop, and found out they were giving guitar lessons. And that was Bob Weir."
The sisters drove to the event, drawn by rumors that the Rolling Stones might appear after their San Jose concert. But the scene proved too intimidating. "We arrived there and were a little intimidated by all the people," Kathy wrote in her letter of provenance. "Just as we were arriving, Ken Kesey's bus pulled up and a bunch of Merry Pranksters piled out and went inside. We were still in high school, and too nervous to go in."
Previously:
• A Grateful Dead family album
• Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, RIP
• French officials call Project Gutenberg archive, 15 million ebooks, Grateful Dead recordings and Prelinger Archive 'terrorism,' demands removal from Internet Archive
• Internet Archive to honor the Grateful Dead
• There are a surprising number of unsolved murders involving Grateful Dead fans
• Listen to the musical roots of the Grateful Dead
