This poster features David Edward Byrd’s celebrated 1969 concert design for The Rolling Stones, originally created to promote the band’s 1969 American tour. Byrd was a significant figure in American poster art, known for his elegant line work and theatrical compositions. His career bridges rock promotion and Broadway design, including the original posters for Godspell (1971) and Follies (1971), along with work connected to the Fillmore East concert scene.
The design is closely tied to The Rolling Stones’ 1969 tour, which culminated in the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival held on December 6, 1969 in Northern California. Intended as a West Coast counterpart to Woodstock, the event drew hundreds of thousands of attendees but became notorious after violence erupted in the crowd. Members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club had been hired as security, and during the concert an audience member, Meredith Hunter, was fatally stabbed. Altamont quickly came to symbolize the darker end of the 1960s counterculture era.
The imagery reflects Byrd’s engagement with Art Nouveau traditions, particularly the influence of Alphonse Mucha and the Vienna Secession. A classical female figure appears within an ornate architectural frame, surrounded by intricate Celtic interlace and stylized botanical motifs that merge nineteenth century decorative design with the visual language of late 1960s psychedelic poster art.
Although the design dates to 1969, this example was released to the public in 1980 as an authorized re-issue.