Fillmore East, New York City
When it comes to iconic live classic rock shows, this venue is up there with the best. There is a huge endorsement through live albums. So many of the best-ever live classic rock albums were recorded there. Humble Pie - Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore, the Allman Brothers - At Fillmore East, Frank Zappa and the Mothers - Live at the Fillmore East, to name just three.
If you ever list the best live albums, someone will always pop up and suggest one from that venue that you have missed off.
It was opened up by rock promoter Bill Graham in 1968, but like many such venues, it became too small to host the huge rock bands. With a capacity of around 2,650, it was closed in 1971. The building was later demolished, although some of the frontage remains. It’s now the entrance to a bank with apartments above.
Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA
Like the Fillmore East above, this venue was part of a chain of venues across the US led by Bill Graham, several of which remain. It was slightly larger than its East Coast partner, holding a crowd of around 3,000 people.
The trend towards larger venues and arenas for concerts led to the closure of both the East and West locations. While New York City in the East took the live album plaudits, Fillmore West was a favored venue of many bands until its 1971 closure.
It ended its time with a five-day run of music, including local San Francisco names like the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Santana. The site was later a car dealership for many years. It reverted to a music venue in 2018, but is likely to be the site for a skyscraper next.
Winterland Ballroom/Arena, San Francisco, CA
Live albums aren’t the complete measure of a great venue, but they do feature strongly. The Winterland Arena had a few, perhaps most famously Frampton Comes Alive, the majority of which was recorded there. It ran as a music venue from 1966 to closure in 1978 after hosting an amazing list of top rock bands, too many to list really.
One iconic moment was the first live performance of “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin there. Another would be the last live performance of The Band, The Last Waltz, on Thanksgiving Day 1976. With a capacity of around 5,400, it took over from many smaller venues, Bill Graham started to rent out the venue after closing Fillmore West.
Although hugely successful in audience and band terms, it was a huge undertaking to maintain, and the building was becoming unsafe. The owner pulled the plug, and it closed in 1978. There is now a block of apartments there.
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