Highly sought-after Fillmore East concert program, 5.5 x 8.5, 36 pages, for the legendary venue's farewell shows on June 25-27, 1971, featuring the Allman Brothers Band, J. Geils Band, and Albert King. The program is filled with ads (most of them relating to the Fillmore's closing) as well as photos of the staff, and photos and biographies of the artists. In fine condition, with light handling wear. These historic shows also had special appearances by Mountain, Edgar Winter's White Trash, Country Joe McDonald, and the Beach Boys, and they fittingly went till daylight. The Fillmore East was only open from 1968 to 1971, and Bill Graham would admit years afterward that he regretted closing this New York gem.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the closing of the now legendary Fillmore East. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Derek and the Dominos, the Allman Brothers Band and so many more performed at the Fillmore, most on several occasions. Unlike its counterpart the Fillmore West in San Francisco, which was a ballroom (it was a former dance hall) like most music venues were at the time, the Fillmore East was a theatre and it was a totally different experience for both the artist and the audience. Going to the Fillmore East was going to the theatre... a theatre that was built originally for vaudeville shows, which was perfect acoustically and seating wise for rock concerts. With the addition of a custom-made sound system and the visually mesmerizing Joshua Light Show (Joe's Light's later), it was a concert experience like no other. The Fillmore East itself is gone now, though its legend lives on and anyone who was ever fortunate enough to perform or attend a concert there can attest to the magic that occurred in that much missed theatre.
