A concert can be a great idea for a Valentine's Day date. Over the years, there have been many great February 14th shows, and with them iconic concert posters. In this article, I'll show a few by some of the greatest musicians of all time.

The Grateful Dead on Valentine's Day

On February 14th, 1968, The Grateful Dead played a concert at The Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco. Legendary artist Stanley Mouse created the show's poster. Featuring Cupid, rows of hearts, and the words "Be Mine", the poster is designed to look like a classic valentine.

The poster also includes the concert's information, such as the date and venue. The Dead shared the bill that night with psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish, also named on the poster.

The poster is a somewhat unusual square shape, measuring 11"x11". The art was also partially used on a live album the Grateful Dead released of the concert, "Road Trips Volume 2 Number 2".

Although it may not be the most traditionally romantic Valentine's setlist possible, the show is highly revered by many fans as a great example of the raw sound of 1960's Dead.  Some standout parts include the "Morning Dew" opener, "China Cat Sunflower", "New Potato Caboose", and the second set "Alligator">"Caution (Do Not Stop on  Tracks)" jam. Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh is especially fond of this concert and even recreated the setlist in 2015 with his band Phil Lesh and Friends.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Meanwhile, on that same 1968 Valentine's Day, Jimi Hendrix played a concert at Regis College Field House in Denver, Colorado. The handbill art is a drawing of Hendrix, with all the important gig information around him (including the $3 ticket price and opening act, Soft Machine). For the most part, this design is light on valentine iconography, except for a heart surrounding the Feb. 14th date.

At the show, Hendrix played an eight-song set. It included favorites like "Fire", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Foxy Lady", and "Purple Haze".  You can listen to the entire show on the Hendrix website, through its official YouTube channel: https://www.jimihendrix.com/videogallery/jimi-hendrix-live-at-regis-college-denver-1968/ 

Paul McCartney

In 2015, Paul McCartney played a surprise Valentine's Day concert at Irving Plaza in New York City. Just a few hundred tickets (priced at $40) were available only at the box office the day of. Unlike the stadiums he usually plays, Irving Plaza provided the perfect intimate setting for a Valentine's McCartney show.

The concert's poster art is covered with rose petals and shows two hands creating a heart shape (slightly reminiscent of the Wings hand sign McCartney often holds up at shows). Behind the hands, the word "LOVE" in bold letters further cements the romantic theme.

With a large catalog of classic love songs, McCartney is one of the best acts to see for a romantic Valentine's Day date. "And I Love Her", "All My Loving", and "Maybe I'm Amazed" were all played. McCartney also performed his 2012 song  "My Valentine", which he originally wrote for his wife Nancy on Valentine's Day. Rose petals were dropped during the song, visually connecting the performance to the poster art.

Many celebrities attended the concert. According to McCartney's website, "Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Steve Buscemi, Chris Rock, David Blaine, Emma Stone, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Olivia Wilde and Gary Barlow" were all in the audience.

Valentine's Day With The Beatles

The Irving Plaza show was not McCartney's first Valentine's Day concert. In their early years, The Beatles played a few February 14th concerts - including one 1961 show at the Cassanova Club in Liverpool. The poster design makes it clear this is a Valentine's Day concert, with a large blue heart in the center.

At the time, The Beatles still had their original drummer, Pete Best instead of Ringo Starr. However, the poster also lists Rory Storm and the Hurricanes on the lineup. At this time, Starr was the drummer for the Hurricanes, meaning that all four Beatles did perform at the concert (if not at the same time).

This Valentine's Day poster is a great artifact from The Beatles' early days. However, there is one February 14th poster that has an even bigger place in Beatles history...

Bonus Poster - "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"

Though not technically a "concert poster", it is interesting to note that the circus poster that inspired John Lennon to write "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is for a show that also took place on February 14th. The 1843 poster is for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal performance in  Rochdale on Valentine's Day. Lennon purchased the antique poster in 1967 and used it to write the lyrics of the famous Beatles song.

Though not a Valentine-themed poster at all, it is still an important piece of music history with a connection to the day.

Music history through Valentine's posters...

Through these various posters, we can explore music history that has taken place on Valentine's Day. Some of the most influential musicians of all time have celebrated February 14th with iconic concerts, and the posters are great objects to commemorate and celebrate these historic Valentine's shows.