Fillmore East

February 1st, 2010 by David Gross | 9

How many nights were you at the Fillmore East? I cannot thank Bill Graham enough for all of the great music he brought to NYC. The music was what was important and the bills at the Filmore were put together to not only showcase headliners but to give new and exciting bands a chance to perform in front of an appreciative audience.

Originally opened in 1926 as the independently operated Commodore Theater, this movie house/Yiddish theater was taken over by Loew’s Inc. and later became known as the Village Theater. It can credit Lenny Bruce as appearing on its stage.In March 1968 it became the Fillmore East concert venue. Located on Second Avenue at East Sixth Street and known as the Village Theater for most of its previous existence, the venue had been a mainstay of the Yiddish-theatre circuit; it had also been a cinema and had fallen into disrepair before Graham’s acquisition. Despite the deceptively small marquee and façade, the theater had a capacity of 2,700 seats.

I remember Mondays at Eron Prep all of us discussing whether we went to the early show or late show the previous weekend and if we were planing on going the following weekend! It reminded me of when I was in grammar school and the morning after the Twilight Zone TV show aired we would all talk about the episode and if, for some reason, you didn’t see it, you just weren’t cool!

To enhance the “experience” the Joshua Light Show, created by Joshua White, one of the trailblazing liquid light shows renowned for its psychedelic art lighting became the backdrop behind many live band performances. Pretty heady stuff!

Here is a listing of every show at the Fillmore East. It would be great if those of you who were there would comment and share your remembrances.

1968 1969 1970 1971
March 8 Jan 10-11 Jan 1 Jan 8-9
Big Brother & Holding Company B.B. King Jimi Hendrix Buddy Miles
Tim Buckley Johnny Winter Voices of East Harlem Big Brother
Albert King Terry Reid – Sweetwater
March 22-23 Jan 17-18 Jan 2-3 Jan 15-16
Doors Buddy Rich Grateful Dead Hot Tuna
ARS Nova Grassroots Lighthouse Taj Mahal
Chrome Cyrcus Spirit Cold Blood Brethren
March 29-30 Jan 24-25 Jan 9-10 Jan 22-23
Richie Havens Blood, Sweat & Tears Ike & Tina Turner Mason & Elliot
Troggs Jethro Tull Mongo Santamaria Livingston Taylor
U.S.A. Gay Desperados Fats Domino Odetta
April 5-6 Jan 31- Feb 1 Jan 16-17 Jan 25
The Who Iron Butterfly Santana James Taylor
Buddy guy Led Zeppelin James Gang Victoria
Free Spirits Porter’s Preachers Cat Fish –
April 12-13 Feb 7-8 Feb 23-24 Jan 29-30
Butterfield Blues Band Canned Heat Quicksilver Spirit
Charles Lloyd Pentangle Eric Mercury Bloodrock
Tom Ruch Rhinoceros Country Joe & fish Cowboy
April 19-20 Feb 11-12 Jan 30-31 Feb 5-6
Mothers of Invention Janis Joplin Mountain Steppenwolf
James Cotton Band Grateful Dead Jack Bruce & Friends Ten Wheel Drive
– – – Luther Allison
April 26-27 Feb 14 Feb 6-7 Feb 11
Traffic Sam & Dave Delaney & Bonnie Taj Mahal
Blue Cheer Winter Wilbur Harrison Roberta Flack
Iron Butterfly Aorta Seals & Crofts Leon Thomas
May 3-4 Feb 15 Feb 11-13 Feb 12-13
Jefferson Airplane Chuck Berry Grateful Dead Chambers Brothers
Arthur Brown Winter Love Taj Mahal
– Savoy Brown Allman Brothers Spencer Davis
– Aorta – –
May 10 Feb 21-22 Feb 20-21 Feb 16-17
Jimi Hendrix Mothers of Invention Savoy Brown Faces
Sly and the Family Stone Buddy Miles Express Voices of East Harlem Savoy Brown
– Chicago Renaissance The Grease Band
– – Noonan –
May 17-18 Feb 28 Feb 22 Feb 19-20
Byrds Ten Years after Ravi Shankar Black Sabbath
Tim Buckley – – J. Geils Band
Foundations – – Sir Lord Baltimore
May 24 March 1 Feb 26 Feb 26-27
Ravi Shankar John Mayall Ten Years after Fleetwood Mac
– Slim Harpo Zephyr Van Morrison
– – – Freeway
May 25 March 7 Feb 27-28 Feb 28
Country Joe & the Fish Buffy Saint Marie John Hammond Gordon Lightfoot
Blue Cheer Ian and Sylvia Doug Kershaw Happy & Artie Traum
Pigmeat Markham – Ten Years After –
May 31 March 8 March 6-7 March 5-6
Moby Grape Vanilla Fudge Neil Young & Crazy Horse Quicksilver
– Amboy Dukes Steve Miller Band Eric Burdon & War
– Sirocco Miles Davis –
June 1 March 14-15 March 13-14 March 11-13
Fugs Procol Harum John Mayall Johnny Winter And
Gary Burton Quartet Pacific Gas & Electric B.B. King Allman Brothers
– Collectors Taj Mahal Elvin Bishop Group
– – Duster Bennett –
Jun 7-8 March 21-22 March 15 March 19-20
Electric Flag Credence John Mayall Cactus
Quicksilver Spirit Taj Mahal Humble Pie
Steppenwolf Ainsley Dunbar Retaliation Leon Thomas Dada
June 14-15 March 28-29 March 19-20 March 26-27
Grateful Dead Steppenwolf Moody Blues Richie Havens
Jeff Beck Group Julie Drisoll Lee Michaels Mark Almond
Seventh Sons Brian Auger Argent Paul Siebel
– John Hammond – Michael Grando
June 21 April 4-5 March 27-28 April 1-3
Vanilla Fudge Chambers Brothers Joe Cocker Santana
James Cotton Blues Band Hello People Ronnie Hawkins Ramsaan Roland Kirk
Loading Zone Elephant’s Memory Stone The Crows Tower of Power
July 19-20 April 9-10 April 3-4 April 5-6
Jefferson Airplane Ten Years After Quicksilver Cactus
H.P. Lovecraft The Nice Van Morrison Humble Pie
– Family Brinsley Schwartz Edgar Winter’s White Trash
– – – Tin House
Aug 2-3 April 11 April 5 April 8-10
Big Brother Blood Sweet & Tears Tom Paxton Elton John
Staple Singers Jethro Tull Fraser & DeBolt Sea Train
Ten Years After Albert King – Wishbone Ash
Aug 9-10 April 12 April 9 April 12-15
Joan Baez Blood, Sweat & Tears Pink Floyd Mountain
– Savoy Brown – Mylon
– – – T. Rex
Sept 13-14 April 16 April 10-12 April 16-17
Chambers Brothers Butterfield Blues Band Santana John Mayall
Blood, Sweat & Tears Foundations It’s A Beautiful Day Box Scaggs
Amboy Dukes Savoy Brown The American Dream Randall’s Island
Sept 20-21 April 19 April 16 April 20
Traffic Butterfield Blues Band Pink Floyd Ten Years After
Staple Singers Savoy Brown – J. Geils Band
Chrome – – –
Sept 27-18 April 25-26 April 17-18 April 23-24
Country Joe and the Fish Joni Mitchell Ray Charles Procol Harum
Ten Years After James Cotton Band Dizzy Gillespie Winter Consort
Procol Harum Taj Mahal – Teagarden & Van Winkle
Oct 4-5 May 2-3 April 23-26 April 25-29
Eric Burdon / The Animals Jeff Beck Group Incredible String Band Grateful Dead
Sly and the Family Stone Joe Cocker Stone Monkey Mime Group New Riders
Linn County NRBQ – –
Oct 11 May 9-10 May 1-2 Apr 30-May 1
Beach Boys The Band Mountain Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Creedence Cat Mother Ambergris White Trash
– – – Curved Air
Oct 12 May 16-18 May 7 May 4-5
Turtles The Who Jefferson Airplane Jethro Tull
Creedence Sweetwater Manfred Mann, Chapter III Cowboy
The NY R&R Ensamble It’s A Beautiful Day – –
Oct 18-19 May 23-24 May 8-9 May 7-8
Jeff Beck Group Sly and the Family Stone Mothers of Invention Poco
Tim Buckley Clarence Carter Insect Trust Linda Ronstadt
Albert King Rotary Connection Sea Train Manhattan Transfer
Oct 25-26 May 30-31 May 15 May 14
Moody Blues Led Zeppelin Grateful Dead Delaney & Bonnie
John Mayall Woody Herman New Riders Mott the Hoople
Rhioceros Delaney & Bonnie – Mandrill
Nov 1-2 June 5-6 May 16 May 15
Richie Havens The Who Guess Who Sha-Na-Na
Quicksilver Chuck Berry Cold Blood Mott the Hoople
McCoys Albert King Buddy Miles Mandrill
Nov 8-9 June 13-14 May 22-23 May 20
Steppenwolf Mothers of Invention Jethro Tull Leon Russell
Buddy Rich Chicago Clouds Taj Mahal
Children of God Youngbloods John Sebastian JF Murphy and Salt
Nov 22-23 June 20-21 May 29-30 May 21-23
Iron Butterfly Grateful Dead Nina Simone Leon Russell
Canned Heat Savoy Brown Mongo Santamaria Taj Mahal
Youngbloods Buddy Miles Express – Donny Hathaway
Nov 27 June 27-28 June 2-7 May 27-28
Incredible String Band Procol Harum Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Lee Michaels
– Byrds – Humble Pie
– Raven – Fanny
Nov 28-30 July 3 June 10-11 May 30
Jefferson Airplane Jeff Beck Group Traffic Laura Nyro
Buddy Guy Jethro Tull Fairport Convention Spencer Davis
Chuck Davis Dance Co. Soft White Underbelly Mott the Hoople –
Dec 6-7 July 4-5 June 12-13 June 5-6
Country Joe and the Fish Iron Butterfly Procol Harum Frank Zappa
Fleetwood Mac Blues Image Rhinoceros Hampton Grease Band
Kusama’s Self Obliteration Man Seals & Crofts Head Over Heals
Dec 13-14 July 11-12 June 17-20 June 9
Sam & Dave Review John Mayall Laura Nyro The Byrds
Super Session Preservation Hall Jazz Band Miles Davis McKendree Spring
Earth Opera Spooky Tooth – –
Dec 20-21 July 18-19 June 24-25 June 11-12
Creedence Creedence Ten Years After Bloodrock
Deep Purple Terry Reid Illinois Speed Press Alice Cooper
James Cotton Band AUM Catfish Glass Harp
Dec 27-28 Aug 1-2 June 26-27 June 18-19
Butterfield Blues Band Canned Heat Chicago B.B. King
Arthur Brown Three Dog Night Blodwyn Pig Moby Grape
Super Session Santana The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood Grootna
Sweetwater Sha-Na-Na – –
Dec 31 Aug 8-9 July 9-12 June 24
Chambers Brothers Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead Johnny Winter
Mother Earth Joe Cocker New Riders Edgar Winter
– Spontaneous Sound – –
Sept 4 July 24-25 June 25-27
Incredible String Band Hot Tuna FINAL SHOWS
– Leon Russell Allman Brothers
– Rig J. Geils Band
– – Albert King
Sept 5-6 July 31
B.B King Grand Funk Railroad
Albert King –
Bobby Bland –
Sept 7 Aug 1
Ravi Shankar Pacific Gas & Eectric
– Bloodrock
Sept 12-13 Aug 5
Ten Years After Jethro Tull
Mother earth Cactus
Flock –
Sept 14 Aug 8
Incredible String Band Blodwyn Pig
– Chicken Shack
Sept 19-20 Aug 10-12
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Santana
Lonnie Mack Voices of East Harlem
– Ballin’ Jack
Sept 26-27 Aug 14-15
Grateful Dead Procol Harum
Country Joe and the Fish Contry Joe McDonald
Sha-Na-Na Toe Fat
Oct 3-4 Aug 21-22
Chuck Berry Youngbloods
John Mayall Blues Image
Elvin Bishop Group Tim Hardin
Oct 10-11 Aug 28-29
Vanilla Fudge Savoy Brown
AUM Fleetwood Mac
Dr John the Night Tripper Fairport Convention
Oct 17-18 Sept 11-12
Spirit Byrds
Kinks Delaney & Bonnie
Bonzo Dog Band Great Jones
Oct 20-25 Sept 17-20
The Who Grateful Dead
– New Riders
Oct 31 Sept 23
Mountain N.E.T. Taping
– The Byrds, Elvin Bishop,
Albert King,Van Morrison
The Flock, Allman Brothers
Nov 1 Sept 25-26
Steve Miler Band Steve Miller
Steve Baron Quartet Mungo Jerry
– Clouds
Nov 7-8 Oct 2-3
Santana Johnny Winter And
Humble Pie Buddy Miles
Butterfield Blues Band Tin House
Nov 14-15 Oct 9-10
Johnny Winter John Mayall
Blodwyn Pig It’s A Beautiful Day
Chicago the Flock
Nov 21-22 Oct 12
Joe Cocker Rock Relics Auction
Fleetwood Mac Elvin Bishop, Edgar Winter,
Mungo Jerry, David Rea,
Jake and the Family Jewels
and Friends Jam
King Crimson –
Voices of East Harlem –
Nov 26-29 Oct 16-17
Jefferson Airplane B.B. King
Youngbloods Butterfield Blues Band
Joesph Edger’s Crossover Elvin Bishop
Dec 5-6 Oct 23-24
Jethro Tull Derek and the Dominos
Grand Funk Ballin’ Jack
Fat Matress Humble Pie
Dec 12-13 Oct 30-31
Ritchie Havens Lee Michaels
Nina Simone Cactus
Isaac Hayes Juicy Lucy
Dec 14 Nov 6-7
Incredible String Band Albert King
– NY R&R Ensamble
– Flying Burrito Bros.
Dec 19-20 Nov 10
Byrds Small Faces
The Nice Black Sabbath
Sons of Champlin If
Dion –
Dec 26-28 Nov 13-14
Blood Sweat & Tears Frank Zappa
Appaloosa Sha-Na-Na
Allman Brothers JF Murphy
Dec 31 Nov 16
Jimi Hendrix Grateful Dead
Voices of East Harlem Hot Tuna
Nov 18-19
Traffic
Cat Stevens
Hammer
Nov 20-21
Leon Russell
Elton John
McKendree Spring
Nov 25-28
Jefferson Airplane
Hot Tuna
Buddy Guy/Jr. Wells
Dec 1
Virgil Fox with Joe’s Lights
Dec 2-5
Kinks
Love
Quatermass
Dec 11-12
Canned Heat
Allman Brothers
Dreams
Dec 14
Virgil Fox with Joe’s Lights
Party – Association of College and University Concert Managers
Dec 18-19
Savoy Brown
Poco
Gypsy
Jo Mama
Dec 22-24
Laura Nyro
Jackson Browne
Dec 26-27
Mountain
Dec 30-31
Mylon
David Rea

The first time I went to a show was June 7, 1968 to see The Electric Flag featuing former Paul Butterfield Blues Band guitarist Mike Bloomfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service with the underrated John Cipolina on guitar (his brother Mario played bass for Huey Lewis and the News) and Steppenwolf. Leader John Kay, never seen without sunglasses in part due to the fact that he has been legally blind since childhood, escaped from East Germany to West Germany with his war-widowed mother in 1948. Ten years later he emigrated to Canada with his mother and stepfather. A gym teacher who could not pronounce “Joachim” informally rechristened him John; several years later he adopted the Kay surname.

I do not think this was the show that the bass player Rushton Moreve came on stage with bunny ears and a jock strap, but that is for another time!’

I was there when Humble Pie was  This was one fantastic show! Walk on Guilded Splinters to me, was more of a stand out than the ever popular I Don’t Need No Doctor. They weren’t even the headliners! The show was opened by Dada, who I unfortunately do not remember and the headliner was Cactus with former Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Tim Bogart on bass and Carmine Appice on drums.

One of the strangest billings I ever went to was opener If, a horn band from England, The Faces with Rod Stewart, and headlining Black Sabbath.

I got to see Procul Harem Savoy Brown Buddy Miles Ten Years After Sir Lord Baltimore Jethro Tull Edgar Winter John Mayall Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and many many others!

Because of changes in the music industry and exponential growth in the concert industry, Graham closed the Fillmore East. Its final concert took place on June 27, 1971, with the billed acts: The Allman Brothers Band, The J. Geils Band, Albert King, and special guests — Edgar Winter’s White Trash, Mountain, The Beach Boys, and Country Joe McDonald — in an invitation-only performance. The concert was broadcast live by WNEW-FM with between-set banter by many of the station’s then-trendsetting disc jockeys — Alison Steele (“The Nightbird”) and Scott Muni among them. The Allman Brothers Band set was released as the second disk of the deluxe edition/remastered version of their Eat a Peach album.

Then and now

 
This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 7:00 am and is filed under 1960's, 1960's Music, 1960's Television, Bass Players, British Invasion, Christmas, Cream, Humble Pie, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, Los Angeles, Music, New York, Rhinocerous, San Francisco, The Allman Brothers, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 Comments

  1. nancy strakosch gross
    February 1 10 at 8:24 am

    In the late 80′s the Fillmore was The Saint, myself and friends threw a huge benefit for Covenent House.We turned the club into a circus, with guests like Robert DeNiro, Thompson Twins etc. They did an article about my friend Catherine and I in the Daily News and the party got mentioned in WWD and Interview, what was the great after hours club around the block????

  2. Richard Torrence
    February 1 10 at 7:56 pm

    I was Virgil Fox’s manager, and the producer of the two Heavy Organ concerts, December 1 and 14, 1970. Thanks for mentioning them. The published book about the Fillmore East doesn’t list the second concert, but it does list me as the producer of the first.

    Great, great concert hall. Strangely enough, Virgil said (walking to Ratner’s after his first rehearsal), “I’m home!”

    RT

  3. David Gross
    February 1 10 at 9:02 pm

    Thanks Richard! I remember listening to the Heavy Organ LP’s. Great to have you onboard!

  5. steve arthurs
    February 14 10 at 3:13 pm

    Hey david! never had the chance to go to Fillmore East, but I feel like I did! Humble Pie is still my favorite band, and probably always will be! Stevie Marriott and I were dear friends from 1980 until his passing in 1991. Stevie, Frampton and Jerry Shirley have all told me that was their favorite place to play. Please tell me more about their performances! Thanks.

  6. David Gross
    February 15 10 at 9:09 am

    Hi Steve,

    It was their launching pad so I am certain that could have been a major reason for their feelings about it! I was managed by Leiber Krebs during the last days of Humble Pie so I ran into him at the office occasionally.
    Being a Small Faces fan, when As Safe As Yesterday came out, I went to the record store and picked it up. Down in the West Village there were a few import shops so I picked up Town and Country. I wish they would re-release the first A & M record just called
    Humble Pie

  7. David Fulton
    February 26 10 at 5:56 am

    What a trip – down memory lane – such as it this. I certainly need a four drive these days. I am having an argument with a friend that maybe you can help with. I could have sworn I saw KISS at the Fillmore about the same time that Renaissance was there – at least as I remember it. Could that be or am I still halucinating

  8. Rod Salmons "Sal"
    March 31 13 at 12:34 pm

    I had the Samsara Restaurant at 324 E. 6th Street just down from the Cauldron, Jan 70-June 71 (something like that). I lived on the same block, so spoiled by the Fillmore that I didn’t go EVERY weekend. About 50 yds from my apt.

  9. Gerry Rich
    March 31 13 at 12:45 pm

    I saw Jefferson Airplane play Fillmore East in 1970 (?). As I recall, John McLaughlin & the Mahavishnu Orchestra were supposed to open for them, but were unable to catch their flight to NYC, so Hot Tuna played instead. According to the concert list, JA & HT only played Fillmore East together (w/ Buddy Guy/Junior Wells) 11/25-11/28/70, so I suppose I must have been at one of those 4 shows, but could HT have subbed for McLaughlin all 4 nights? If anyone can clear this up for me, please e-mail me at DepthWish2000@hotmail.com. Thanks.

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