Welker Wrigley FieldEvery concert poster collector has a favorite poster artist. Some collectors follow these artists' work with as much devotion (and sometimes more) than the bands they create posters for. They monitor message boards and social media accounts for any information about the next poster for the next show. They arrive at the venue earlier than the average fan, waiting for the doors to open. Skipping the concessions these fanatic collectors head straight for the merch table like fiends mad with desire. Their eyes feverishly scanning the various wares on display behind the cashier. Not in search of a tour t-shirt, not in search of a hat. The object of their desire of course is the all-mighty concert poster. David Welker is one such artist.

I wanted to highlight some of Welker's most famed and sought after work. See for yourself why we stand in line for hours, and why Welker's detailed prints fetch up to $600.00 on the resale market.

Breaking on ThroughDavid Welker Bakers Dozen

Born in New York in 1964, David Welker graduated from Syracuse University and began building a gallery portfolio of paintings. After seeing the band Phish for a second time in 1992 at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, Welker reached out to the band to share his artwork. After corresponding with the band, Welker began creating artwork for the group's 4th studio album, Rift. The final result was a 3’x 6’ oil painting interpretation of the band's music and lyrics that ultimately became the album cover art. Welker cites this collaboration as the breakthrough that helped guide him to concert poster art and connected his art to a "broader audience".

Bakers Dozen

During the summer of 2017, Phish held a 13-night residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The band played 26 total sets of music without repeating a single song. Various poster artists, including Welker, were tapped to create exclusive prints for the event.

"Phish wraps up a historic 13 show residency at Madison Square Garden this weekend. I feel honored to share my work with 7 other excellent artists. Here's my five color stinky ink screen print with two metallics. I wanted to depict the intensity of the event in the midst of a hot summer in this giant city teeming with crazy energy, from the rooftops to the subterranean levels. Edition of 1300 over three nights" -Welker via Facebook.

David Welker FenwayPhenway

Phish’s 2019 summer tour featured a steamy 2-night stand at historic Fenway Park in Boston MA. I personally stood in line on a humid July Saturday at the Phish pop up shop outside Fenway Park, with hopes of snagging a coveted Welker print that featured a baseball motif crawling with lizards. A reference to Phish’s song “The Lizards”. The Fenway Welker print is currently listed on eBay for $575.00.

"The original pen and ink and hand-drawn supplemental layers are possibly the most detailed and balanced work I've ever done for a poster." -David Welker

Fare Thee Well

Welker has collaborated with many other bands to create concert posters, such as the Black Keys, Primus, and Foo Fighters. The Grateful Dead commissioned Welker in 2015 to commemorate their 50-year history for the 'Fare Thee Well' concert series at Soldier Field in Chicago. This was a dream come true that brought Welker’s career full circle from seeing the Grateful Dead at his first concert in 1977. Welker considers it “One of his greatest honors.”

If you'd like to see more of David's work check out his website: https://www.welkerstudios.com