The Italian Job – Steuso, Milano, 2008

Artist: Steuso
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 26 x 20
Event Date: 6.17.2008
Venue: Arena Civica - Milano, Italy
Signed, numbered edition of 150

Here is another poster that while pretty damn cool and everything, in my opinion doesn’t really fit with the band. Nothing against pretty ladies on Radiohead posters (Joe Whyte’s dragonfly girl is still one of my all-time favorites), but this feels more like a poster for a James Bond film festival. Still, it’s different, if that’s your kind of thing.

The Student Demonstration – Powerhouse Factories, Inc., Lollapalooza, 2008

Artist: Powerhouse Factories, Inc.
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 18 x 24
Event Date: 8.1.2008
Venue: Grant Park – Chicago, IL
Signed, numbered edition of 100

There are only 100 of these, and in print runs as low as that posters tend to fetch pretty high prices, especially when they are from major festivals. This one from Powerhouse, though, is a little subdued with muted colors and lots of negative space. It looks to be a moment of police brutality at a student demonstration, but it’s hard to be sure with the sparse printing and lack of detail in the photograph used.

There are only two things that would make me want this poster: me having been at the concert or me being a Radiohead poster collector. One of those two things is true, so here it sits in the collection.

The Skull – Todd Slater, Camden, 2008

Artist: Todd Slater
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 12 x 23 ½
Event Date: 8.12.08
Venue: Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
Signed, numbered edition of 200

The colors on this one were a real surprise when I first saw one. I’m used to reds, browns, and blacks on Radiohead stuff (and Slater appears to agree usually), but this one broke the color mold. Now I’m a Slater fan from way back when I first saw his work in 2006, so when he makes a Radiohead poster I pay close attention. Todd has two other excellent RH prints that I like better, but the colors and general assembly and printing here make it a must-have.

The Digital Fountain – Todd Slater, Bristow, 2008

Artist: Todd Slater
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 24 x 32
Event Date: 5.11.2008
Venue: Nissan Pavillion – Bristow, VA
Signed, numbered edition of 200

This poster is pretty much perfect for its time. Radiohead had just surprise-released In Rainbows in an all-new pay-what-you-want model, prompting Slater to give us a digital fountain comprised of 1’s and 0’s to symbolize the groundbreaking digital distribution system. The split-fountain blue-green border puts this one over the top for me. Topical and impeccably printed. Well done, Todd.

Slater was busy in 2008

Project 9-6-1 – Unknown Artist, Atlanta, 2008

Artist: Unkown
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Lithograph
Size: 11 x 17
Event Date: 5.8.2008
Venue: Lakewood Amphitheater
Unsigned, unnumbered

I’m not sure what this is supposed to me. It looks like a lot of crayon doodles of the band and, well, other random stuff. Oh, and there’s Jonny playing the synthesizer.

I believe this is a promoter paster that was never fully explained to we poster nerds. It’s probably something to do with a radio station (Project 9-6-1?). Regardless of what it is, it’s an eyesore and let us never speak of it again.

The Shark That Ate San Francisco - Ames Design, Outside Lands Festival, 2008

Artist: Ames Design
Type: Festival Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 13 ¾ x 26
Event Date: 8.22-24.2008
Venue: Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, Ca
Signed, numbered edition of 1000

There are a lot of festival posters out there that are just so-so. but not this one. This is just about the perfect poster for a festival in San Francisco what with the giant shark devouring the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s also an Ames poster, an outfit most well-known for their Pearl Jam posters, and the only Ames Bros poster apart from the Naked McCrazyface from 2000 that can be considered a bona fide Radiohead poster.

When these first hit the market is was hard to find one at a reasonable price due to the popularity and solid lineup of this particular festival, but they did come down eventually. They don’t come up quite as often any more and, hence, they are on the rise again in terms of value. Great colors, too. If I lived in SF, it would hang proudly on the wall of my own cripplingly overpriced apartment.

The Party Dog – Justin Hampton, Lollapalooza, 2008

Artist: Justin Hampton
Type: Festival Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 18 x 24
Event Date: 8.1-3.2008
Venue: Grant Park, Chicago, IL
Signed, numbered edition of 150

This print was a little strange from the get-go what with the dog enjoying a tropical beverage in a baby pool and the weird color scheme. These sold for less than $50 a pop for a long time after the festival, but eventually these seem to have caught on and now sell at a premium due to their limited run and the notoriety of the festival itself. Plus, look at those headliners. Not bad at all.