Shepard Fairey (OBEY)
“Change Begins Within”
Paul McCartney • Radio City Music Hall
Signed & Numbered • 520/600

Screenprint on Cream Speckletone Paper • 18″ × 24″
Hand-Signed & Dated 2009 in Pencil by Shepard Fairey
David Lynch Foundation Benefit Concert • April 4, 2009
With Ringo Starr, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Donovan & More
Framed in Black

What You Are Getting

A hand-signed and numbered screenprint by Shepard Fairey (OBEY Giant), number 520 of 600. This is the official concert poster for “Change Begins Within,” the legendary David Lynch Foundation benefit concert held on April 4, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The poster features a striking image of Paul McCartney in Fairey’s signature high-contrast halftone style, fist raised triumphantly against a radiating red and pink sunburst. McCartney holds his bass guitar at his side, framed by elaborate Art Nouveau-inspired scrollwork in deep red and black. The text announces a once-in-a-generation lineup: Ringo Starr • Sheryl Crow • Donovan • Eddie Vedder • Ben Harper • Moby • Paul Horn • Bettye LaVette • Jim James. Two portrait medallions at the bottom corners depict David Lynch and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — the filmmaker whose foundation hosted the event and the meditation teacher who changed the Beatles’ lives in 1968. Hand-signed and dated “09” in pencil at lower right, numbered 520/600 at lower left. Measuring 18″ × 24″, presented in a black frame.

Print Details

About the Work

On April 4, 2009, two surviving Beatles stood on the same stage for the first time in years. Paul McCartney headlined and Ringo Starr joined him at Radio City Music Hall for “Change Begins Within,” a benefit concert for the David Lynch Foundation. The event raised funds to bring Transcendental Meditation to one million at-risk children, giving them tools to manage stress and trauma. It was a cause that traced directly back to a defining moment in rock history: in February 1968, the Beatles, along with Donovan and Paul Horn, had traveled to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh, India, to study meditation. That trip produced much of the White Album, reshaped Western attitudes toward Eastern spiritual practice, and catalyzed a cultural shift that is still unfolding. Forty-one years later, the surviving participants reassembled under David Lynch’s banner to carry the same message forward.

The poster Shepard Fairey created for the event is among his most visually elaborate concert prints. McCartney is rendered in Fairey’s signature high-contrast halftone, fist raised in the air, bass guitar hanging at his hip, backlit by a radiating red and pink sunburst — the same propaganda-inflected visual language Fairey had used just one year earlier on the Obama “HOPE” poster that made him the most famous political artist since Warhol. The image is framed by sweeping Art Nouveau scrollwork that evokes vintage rock posters of the 1960s psychedelic era — a deliberate visual bridge connecting the Beatles’ 1968 India journey to a 21st-century stage. At bottom, the full lineup is set in bold type: Ringo Starr • Sheryl Crow • Donovan • Eddie Vedder • Ben Harper • Moby • Paul Horn • Bettye LaVette • Jim James. Two portrait medallions anchor the lower corners: David Lynch on the left and the Maharishi on the right — the filmmaker and the teacher, the modern patron and the original source.

The concert itself was a once-in-a-lifetime event. McCartney performed “Drive My Car,” “Jet,” “Let It Be,” “Here Today” (his love letter to John Lennon), and “Band on the Run.” Starr played “It Don’t Come Easy,” “Boys,” and “Yellow Submarine.” They reunited for “With a Little Help From My Friends” — Starr’s signature vocal from Sgt. Pepper’s — and closed the show with the entire cast on “Cosmically Conscious” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” with archival images of the Beatles in India projected behind them. Eddie Vedder and Ben Harper performed “Under Pressure.” Donovan reprised “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” The evening was hosted by David Lynch and Laura Dern, with a surprise appearance by Jerry Seinfeld. It was, by every account, unrepeatable.

The print was issued in an edition of 600 — initially sold through the David Lynch Foundation and then through Fairey’s OBEY store — and sold out immediately. For collectors, this print sits at the intersection of several high-demand categories: Shepard Fairey limited edition screenprint, Beatles/McCartney memorabilia, concert poster art, and music history. The combination of Fairey’s signature and the event’s cultural significance — two Beatles on stage together, designed by the artist who had just made the most iconic political image of the decade — makes this one of the more desirable Fairey concert prints on the secondary market.

About the Artist

Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, SC) is an American contemporary artist, graphic designer, and activist who emerged from the skateboarding scene to become one of the most influential street artists of his generation. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Fairey launched the “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign in 1989, which evolved into the global OBEY Giant phenomenon. He achieved worldwide recognition in 2008 with his “HOPE” poster for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution, MoMA, LACMA, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. His limited edition screen prints are among the most actively collected works in the contemporary print market.

What Is Included

• Shepard Fairey “Change Begins Within” Paul McCartney screenprint — 18″ × 24″ on cream Speckletone paper
• Hand-signed and dated “09” in pencil by Shepard Fairey at lower right
• Numbered 520/600 in pencil at lower left
• Black frame as shown

Shipping

Ships via UPS with protective packaging and corner protection. Tracking included, fully insured. International buyers welcome — customs fees may apply upon delivery.

Questions? Message us anytime — happy to provide additional photos or details.