Eleven New Fillmore Venues Planned By Live Nation
Beginning April 11, Live Nation will be rebranding eleven existing venues as Fillmore franchises. Reflecting the Victorian hippie decor of Haight-Ashbury, when Live Nation opens doors at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza it will be with a new face decorated with chandeliers similar to ones at the San Fran venue, a new coat of bordello deep red paint, hundreds of vintage posters, handbills and photographs of Fillmore perfs as well as past Irving Plaza acts.
Summer plans include restructuring the balcony to improve sight lines, plus improving sound and light systems. Fillmore Auditorium was one of the first U.S. venues to cater to live music and its fans. Along with owner and promoter Bill Graham, the Fillmore helped launch the careers of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers.
While Live Nation will not bring back the Graham days of hosting acid tests, it is keeping old traditions such as having a staff greet people and a large bin of complimentary apples at the entrance.
