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34-607: The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham 's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street on the Lower East Side section of Manhattan , now called the East Village , in New York City . The venue was open from March 8, 1968, to June 27, 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music of that time. The Fillmore East was a companion to Graham's Fillmore Auditorium , and its successor,
68-410: A brand out of their own personalities and the parties they host, marketing the events under a consistent name, style, type of program, and social experience that downplays the branding of the venue or artist. They may develop a loyal clientele that will follow them from one location to another. In cosmopolitan cities with large affluent populations, there are upscale venues that employ the services of
102-900: A cottage industry , with companies operated by one or several well-connected charismatic individuals, often working part-time. However, with the rise of corporate ownership of live entertainment assets, several large companies have emerged in the field. There are often disputes over money in the promotions industry because it is largely cash business with a history of corruption and uneven recordkeeping . In addition there are many accounting complexities to manage, particularly for large events: revenue, expenses, and oversight of parking , coat checks , concession vendor sales (e.g., CDs and t-shirts ), box office so-called " convenience fees ", in kind trades, promotional give-away items used to lure guests (e.g., free drinks), costs for insurance , cleaning staff, and so on. One area of frequent contention are quid pro quo cross-promotions , where
136-539: A concert presenting Bachman-Turner Overdrive . On December 31, 1974, the Ike & Tina Turner Revue headlined a bill that included Quicksilver Messenger Service and Hidden Strength. It operated through 1975, but was renamed the "Village East", supposedly due to objections from Bill Graham over the use of the Fillmore name. From 1980 to 1988, the renovated venue was home to The Saint , an early gay superclub . As of 2013,
170-543: A signed, professional act, rent the Fillmore East for rehearsals on December 24-30, 1973. The band returns to perform a press event to promote the new band on January 8, 1974. According to then manager Bill Aucoin, they were just trying to gauge the press reaction to the new shock rock band. On December 7, 1974, Barry Stuart (Stein), reopened the venue as the NFE Theatre ("NFE" stood for "New Fillmore East") with
204-585: A six-disc set featuring the Allman Brothers Band's early and late shows at the Fillmore East from March 12 and 13, 1971, including their performance on the venue's final night of June 27, 1971, was issued as The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings . On November 17, 1972, the Fillmore East reopened as Villageast with "Virgin: A New Rock Opera Concert by The Mission". After a short run the Rock Opera closed and on December 15, 1972, Jerry Fuchs presented
238-499: A special event, such as a large New Year's Eve party in a hotel ballroom. They may also engage freelance hosts for their social influence; these amateur promoters market the events to their circle of friends and/or social media followers, in exchange for special treatment and/or free admission to the event and at times, and may form or be included in street teams that promote events at other live venues. Minimally, an event promoter manages publicity and advertising . Depending on
272-464: A special kind of promoter called an image promoter. The role of the image promoter is to bring celebrities or fashion models to high end venues and host them at a VIP table. In order to entice models and celebrities to come to the venue, the image promoter is provided with a VIP table and complementary alcohol. High end venues use the presence of models and celebrities to market their venue to an affluent clientele which may often only obtain admittance to
306-614: The Fillmore West , in San Francisco . The theatre at 105 Second Avenue that became the Fillmore East was originally built as a Yiddish theater in 1925–26, designed by Harrison Wiseman in the Medieval Revival style, at a time when that section of Second Avenue was known as the " Yiddish Theater District " and the "Jewish Rialto " because of the numerous theatres that catered to a Yiddish-speaking audience. Called
340-618: 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. Led Zeppelin made four appearances in early 1969, opening for Iron Butterfly . Amateur film footage of their January 31 performance can be viewed at
374-560: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation unveiled a historic plaque on the building at a ceremony featuring Joshua White of the Joshua Light Show and critic/guitarist Lenny Kaye . Live Nation resurrected the Fillmore East name by rebranding the renovated Irving Plaza as "The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza" on April 11, 2007, with English pop music singer and songwriter Lily Allen as
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#1732772714848408-405: The "door policy" used by bouncers to decide who will be admitted and at what price. To deal with these complexities event contracts can become quite long and detailed. Whether written or not, these arrangements tend to favor the party with the greater sophistication or the more control over the production of the event. Even the most detailed, professionally written and negotiated contracts can become
442-601: The Commodore Theater, and independently operated, it eventually was taken over by Loews Inc. and became a movie theater , the Loews Commodore. It later became the Village Theatre, owned by Roger Euster, with on-site management by Ben Barenholtz . When Bill Graham took over the theatre in 1968, it was unused and had fallen into disrepair. Despite the deceptively small front marquee and façade,
476-919: The Led Zeppelin website. 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. 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,
510-614: The arrangement, they may also handle security , ticket sales , event admission (door policies), decorations, and booking of other entertainers. Many promoters are DJs or musicians themselves, and may perform at their own events. Some bloggers and individuals with a large following on social media may consider themselves as promoters and charge fees promotional service via their social media platform(s), or through their efforts. Many musicians and artists act as de facto promoters for their own concerts, either directly or through their manager or booking company . Historically, promotion has been
544-412: The audience was a big part of what we did...There was no question about where to record a concert. New York crowds have always been great, but what made the Fillmore special was Bill Graham. He was the best promoter rock has ever had and you could feel his influence in every little single thing at the Fillmore. It was just special. The bands felt it and the crowd felt it and it lit all of us up. The Fillmore
578-404: The business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view and similar, events, such as music concerts , gigs , nightclub performances and raves ; sports events; and festivals . Promoters are typically engaged as independent contractors or representative companies by entertainment venues, earning a pre-arranged fee, or a share of revenues (colloquially known as a "cut" and "share of
612-560: The former lobby building is owned by Apple Bank , which has a branch at street level, and the rest of the interior of the auditorium has been demolished and replaced with an apartment complex, Hudson East, with its entrance at 225 East 6th Street . The building at 105 Second Avenue is now part of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District , created in October 2012. In October 2014,
646-408: The house"), or both. A share of revenues is often a simple percentage of admission fees (called "the door") and/or food and drink sales, with many variations possible, such as minimums or maximums, allowances for various expenses, or limitations (such as only alcohol sales after midnight). Other promoters operate independently, renting venues for a fixed fee, or under a revenue sharing arrangement with
680-410: The increased prevalence of arena and stadium bookings, Graham closed the Fillmore East after only three years. The final concert took place on June 27, 1971, with three billed acts, The Allman Brothers Band , The J. Geils Band , Albert King , and special surprise guests Edgar Winter's White Trash , Mountain , The Beach Boys , Country Joe McDonald in an invitation-only performance. The concert
714-407: The late sixties. Because of its excellent acoustics, the enthusiastic and attentive audiences and Graham's innovative way of handling the concert environment, the hall became a favorite spot for the recording of many live albums. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts, on why they recorded their first live album there: 'We realized that we got a better sound live and that we're a live band...And we realized that
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#1732772714848748-427: 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. On Saturday, February 15, Chuck Berry took the stage as headliner with Johnny Winter (billed simply as “Winter”), British blues-rock band Savoy Brown, and Aorta as
782-472: The opening act. However, in May 2010 Live Nation conceded that the new name had not caught on and due to "unrelenting demand" the name "Irving Plaza" was restored beginning on June 23, 2010. Notes Promoter (entertainment) A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in
816-610: The opening night of concerts with a performance featuring Bloodrock , Elephants Memory , and Trapeze. On December 16, 1972, the bill was Bloodrock, Foghat and The Fabulous Rhinestones. Fuchs went on to present several other concerts at Villageast, including the New York Dolls and Teenage Lust on December 23, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley on December 27, Steve Miller Band and Seatrain on December 28, and Roy Buchanan and Crazy Horse on December 30 and 31, 1972. The band KISS, in preparation for their first "official" show as
850-420: The promoter or some other party connected with the venue will obtain a favor (for example, a price discount) in exchange for giving a future favor to the vendor. If the existence of the scheme, or the relationship between the parties, is undisclosed this may become a form of bribery . Another opportunity for misunderstanding are the various "lists" of guests who will be admitted for free or with VIP treatment, and
884-560: 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 . 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,
918-656: 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. As the Bill Graham's original Fillmore Auditorium on the West Coast , the Fillmore East quickly became an important venue on the fledgling rock music circuit in
952-1138: The subject of lawsuits over interpretation. Because nightclubs are often associated with drug and alcohol consumption, rowdiness, and other late-night behavior, promoters may become entangled in various criminal disputes as well. Promoters bring crowds through a variety of methods. The most direct are guerrilla marketing techniques such as plastering posters on outdoor walls, flyposting , and distributing handbills on windows of cars parked in entertainment districts. Promoters also keep mailing lists, usually email lists , of their preferred guests and their wider list of potential customers. Many promoters have taken advantage of online technology such as social networking services and event listing sites to handle publicity, invitations, mailing lists, and so on. Clubs and promoters are among leaders in SMS text message advertising to their own lists as well as sponsored snippets on third-party lists for daily content to subscribers. Many fans promote events, products through their Facebook/Twitter/Myspace on their own free will. Promoters often build
986-407: The supporting acts. It was a treat for New Yorkers to see the legend at their beloved Fillmore East. The evening’s shows were noteworthy not only for Berry’s knock-’em-dead sets, with Reality Sandwich, a NYC rock band, superbly laying down the beat, but also for the rare four-act bill. The following weekend, February 21-22, 1969, The Mothers of Invention , Buddy Miles Express , and Chicago played on
1020-661: The theater had a substantial capacity of almost 2,700. The venue provided Graham with an East Coast counterpart to his existing Fillmore in San Francisco, California. 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. Among
1054-562: The venue holder, thus keeping larger profits from successful events. One common arrangement for small venues is for the promoter to earn all of the admissions fees, while the venue retains all food and drink revenue. Some venues have exclusive arrangements with a single promotion company, others work with multiple promoters on a rotating schedule (one night per week, for example), or on an event-by-event basis. Promoters often work together — either as equal partners, or as subcontractors to each other's events. Several promoters may work together for
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1088-952: The venue through agreeing to spend a certain amount of money on alcohol at the establishment. The Joshua Light Show The Joshua Light Show , created by Joshua White , was a liquid light show . It was known for its psychedelic art and served as a lighting backdrop behind many live band performances during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Joshua White studied electrical engineering, theatrical lighting, and magic lantern techniques at Carnegie Tech and also film making at University of Southern California. Performances were held every weekend. The light shows used multiple image-making devices including film projectors, slide projectors, overhead projectors, color wheels, watercolors, oil colors, and glass crystals. These all would be arranged on two levels for their performances. The Joshua Light Show based their shows on four elements; projection of pure color, concrete imagery, variety of color effects and shaping of
1122-475: Was simulcast live by New York City radio stations WPLJ and WNEW-FM , with between-set banter by many of New York City's then-trend-setting disc jockeys, including WPLJ 's Dave Herman and Vin Scelsa and WNEW-FM 's Scott Muni and Alison Steele . The Allman Brothers Band set was released as the second disc of the deluxe edition/remastered version of their Eat a Peach (1972 and 2006) album. In 2014,
1156-541: Was the high octane gig to play in New York - or anywhere else, really...It was a great sounding room with a great crowd...The Fillmores were so professionally run, compared to anything else at the time. And he would gamble on acts, bringing in jazz and blues...and he had taken a chance on the Brothers.' The list includes: Because of changes in the music industry and large growth in the concert industry, as exemplified by
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