%201967%20ava.jpg)
The Fillmore (also known as Fillmore Auditorium, or Fillmore West) is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by Bill Graham . Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods. In 1968 the venue was moved to a location at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue; the original Fillmore location became The Elite Club. The Market St. venue closed due to earthquake damage in 1989. In 1994 the original Geary Boulevard location re-opened as The Fillmore.
As of 2008, The Fillmore is leased and operated by Live Nation.
In the mid-1960s, The Fillmore became the focal point for psychedelic music and counterculture in general, with acts such as The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Cream, King Crimson, The Nice, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Doobie Brothers, and Big Brother and the Holding Company performing at the venue.[1]. Besides rock, Graham also featured non-rock acts such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Charles Lloyd and Otis Redding as well as poetry readings. The venue was legendary for its ambience as well as the stellar performances, with swirling light-show projections, strobe lights and uninhibited dancing. At the end of the evening, Bill Graham often stood next to a huge bin of fresh apples at the front exit saying good night to the patrons and handing out apples, and handing out free posters custom designed as souvenirs for each show by poster artists who would become as famous as The Fillmore itself.
After a few years there, because of a deteriorating neighborhood, in July 1968 Bill Graham moved from the original Fillmore at Fillmore Street and Geary Blvd to the Carousel Ballroom at the corner of Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue (now the location of a Honda car dealership), which was called Fillmore West (in contrast with Graham's Fillmore East auditorium in New York City).