The Dashboard View - Michael Laurence, 1998

Artist: Michael Laurence
Type: Tour Poster
Print: Lithograph
Size: 11 x 17
Event Date:
Venue: Multiple
Unsigned, unnumbered

This looks like a student photography project. It’s not ugly, but it is kind of dark and doesn’t make a lot of sense as a Radiohead poster.

But it says “Radiohead” on it, doesn’t it? Yep, so here it is.

The Engine – Unknown Artist, Hollywood, 2001

Artist: Unknown
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Lithograph
Size: 11 x 17
Event Date: 8.20.2001
Venue: The Hollywood Bowl – Hollywood, CA
Unsigned, unnumbered

Sadly little information is available for this poster which certainly had an artist of some kind design it. It doesn’t appear to be a promoter poster as those usually involve album artwork.

What I do know is that there are at least two versions: the true 11 x 17 version is on thin matte paper and the slightly larger version (closer to 12 x 18) is on thin glossy paper. The size difference between them is only a centimeter or two. These pop up on eBay now and again and rarely for very much. Have at it.

Into the Woods - Joshua Budich, St. Triphon, 2012

Artist: Joshua Budich
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 18 x 24
Event Date: 7.9.2012
Venue: Carrière des Andonces - St. Triphon, Switzerland
Signed, numbered edition of 295

Even though its four years old, this is one of the most recent Radiohead concert posters I have.

Now, I am a fan of Budich’s work in general. He’s got a boatload of great movie and pop culture prints available. And the image is beautiful, there’s no denying it. However, I feel like the connection with the band here is kind of lost on me. This one feels more like a Sigur Ros poster than a Radiohead one.

Also, I've seen the art for a horizontal version, but I don't know if they were ever printed.

The Embossed Aluminum – Emek, Santa Barbara, 2012

Artist: Emek
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Embossed Aluminum
Size: 12 x 24
Event Date: 4.12.2012
Venue: Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
Signed, numbered on the back in an edition of 50 distressed, 50 aluminum, and 20 copper

This one lives on the short list of my favorite posters of all time.

Emek is known for his unique print techniques and materials, and few posters of his posters are more unique than this one from the King of Limbs tour in 2012. Only 120 were made in three editions: aluminum, distressed aluminum, and copper.

When I first saw these I immediately fell in love with the distressed version and was lucky enough to find a fellow collector willing to trade his for my copy of Cyberman, another metal Emek print that I had laying around. Tree man for Cyberman - a solid trade.

For the frame job we (my framer and me) went with a black frame stacked with a metallic fillet (which are usually under the glass) and double metallic matting. The print itself is float-mounted a half-centimeter or so off another mat below. It hangs proudly in my living room where only one other poster collector (I’ve only ever met one other in person) has recognized it as the prize it is.

London Official – Stanley Donwood, London, 2012

Artist: Stanley Donwood
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 18 9/10 x 25 1/5
Event Date: 10.8-9.2012
Venue: Greenwich Peninsula - London, England
Signed, embossed, and numbered in an edition of 188

Seeing Radiohead in London should be a bucket list item for any fan. And Stanley Donwood, the artist-in-residence for the band, doing the poster for said show is about as official as you can get.

While all the Donwood posters for the North American tour are monochromatic on a field of black, this London poster is uncharacteristically colorful and printed on high-quality white paper. I like how “England” is printed in large, thick letters here.

These were printed in an edition of 188, a pretty large edition for Stanley but average for gig posters in general. Regardless of the larger edition, these do not come up for sale often; and I would image that if one does it’ll fetch well into the hundreds of dollars.

The Limbs of King – Tad Carpenter, Kansas City, 2012

Artist: Tad Carpenter, Vahalla Studios
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 18 x 24
Event Date: 3.11.2012
Venue: Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
Signed, numbered edition of 300

Literal interpretations were a lot more forgivable when the band was new and we only had Pablo Honey and The Bends to listen to; but after OK Computer there is no excuse.

It’s well-printed and I like the centered band name and font, but even the metallic gold and silver ink used here is not enough to save it. Still, it’s a Radiohead poster, so I have one.

The Urban Skyline - Emek, New York City, 2012

Artist: Emek
Type: Gig Poster
Print: Silkscreen
Size: 25 x 30
Event Date: 9.28-29.2012
Venue: Roseland Ballroom – New York City, NY
Signed, numbered edition of 99

This one has all the makings of a real wallet-buster: small edition, popular artist, legendary venue in a major city, and glow-in-the-dark inks to boot. Yet this poster is pretty available in several places online. Why?

Well, first there’s the “official” Stanley Donwood poster that was created for this show in an edition of only 44 prints by the band’s official artist, signed, numbered, and embossed. That’s heavy competition for “official” poster for the gig.

Second, the poster is a very non-standard size. I, like many collectors, keep my posters in a large art portfolio that measures 24 x 36. At 30 x 25, this poster is just barely too big to fit in it. So you really only have two options with this one: frame it or find a way to store it. I keep mine between two pieces of foam core held together with binder clips with my other larger prints. And I resent that fact – this thing should be displayed. I may end up selling just on principle.

Apart from that, the printing is excellent, the detail in the clouds is outstanding (“broken hearts make it rain” was still four years away, btw), and it’s spot-on thematically.