Been out of the live concert scene for a long time, but when I read comments on live music venues it always brings to mind the Fillmore East. It was in operation for less than three and a half years...but what a run. For those interested in some details, here you go........
Fillmore East years[edit]
The venue provided Graham with an
East Coast counterpart to his existing
Fillmore in San Francisco, California.
[3] Opening on March 8, 1968, the Fillmore East quickly became known as "The Church of Rock and Roll," with two-show, triple-bill concerts several nights a week. Graham would regularly alternate acts between the East and West Coast venues. Until early 1971, bands were booked to play two shows per night, at 8 pm and 11 pm, on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Notable acts[edit]
Among the notable acts to play the Fillmore East was
Jimi Hendrix. His album
Band of Gypsys was recorded live on New Year's Day 1970. British blues-rock trio
Cream played the Fillmore East when it was called the "Village Theater" on September 20 & 23, 1967.
[4] On February 21-22, 1969,
The Mothers of Invention,
Buddy Miles Express, and
Chicago played on the same bill.
The Kinks played October 17 & 18, 1969, supported by the
Bonzo Dog Band.
Ike & Tina Turner played on January 9 & 10, 1970, supported by
Fats Domino.
[5][6] John Lennon and
Yoko Ono sat in with
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the theater on June 6, 1971. The
Allman Brothers Band played so many shows at Fillmore East that they were sometimes called "Bill Graham's house band"; additionally, the
Grateful Dead played a total of 43 concerts at the theater from June 1968 through April 1971.
Jefferson Airplane performed six shows and
Taj Mahal played eight shows at the venue, while
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young did four shows in September 1969 and six performances in June 1970.
[7][8] Led Zeppelin made four appearances in early 1969, opening for
Iron Butterfly. Amateur film footage of their January 31 performance can be viewed at the Led Zeppelin website.
[9]
The Joshua Light Show, headed by
Joshua White, was an integral part of many performances, with its
psychedelic art lighting on a backdrop behind many live bands.
[10] From the summer of 1970, the Pig Light Show, under the direction of Marc L. Rubinstein, performed at the theater, becoming the de facto house light show.
National Educational Television taped a show on September 23, 1970, for broadcast. It featured
The Byrds,
Elvin Bishop Group,
Albert King,
Sha Na Na,
Van Morrison with psychedelic light show by Joe's Lights (what The Joshua Light Show became known as after Joshua left in 1970).
The Allman Brothers were also taped for broadcast but due to technical difficulties, the segment with them was not aired. The show, "Welcome To Fillmore East" was aired on
WNET channel 13 in NYC and simulcast on
WNEW-FM radio on October 10, 1970, at 10:00 pm in the NYC area. A thirty-minute clip from that show of the Allmans can be seen on YouTube.
[11]
mountainstage.org
