The Fillmore Collection 2

 

                                     

                                  

 

The original Fillmore location became a private club called The Elite Club. For several years in the early 1980s, punk promoter Paul Rat booked punk rock shows at this venue. Punk bands that performed at The Elite Club include Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Dead Kennedys, TSOL, Flipper, Gang of Four, and Public Image Ltd. [1]

The Fillmore reopened under Graham's management by the late 1980s, but it was damaged and closed by the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 1989. After Graham died in a helicopter crash in 1991, those close to him decided to carry out his final wish to retrofit and reopen the original Fillmore. The Fillmore re-opened in 1994 with the band The Smashing Pumpkins playing the first show. The Fillmore has once again become a San Francisco hotspot with frequent shows. For a standard show, the capacity of the Fillmore is 1,250 guests.

The Fillmore is also well known for its psychedelic concert posters by designers including Wes Wilson and Rick Griffin. Copies of these posters are given to fans free of charge as they exit selected, sold-out shows. A large collection of these posters dating back to the early days is on display in the upper level of the auditorium today.

Other traditions are carried on to this day. One is a large tub of free apples for concertgoers positioned near the entrance. Another is a "greeter", a staff member who welcomes each guest as they enter.

Live Nation has recently begun a campaign to expand the Fillmore "brand" by changing the names of a number of established clubs it owns around the U.S. to "The Fillmore____." This includes clubs in Detroit, Philadelphia (Fillmore at the TLA), New York (Fillmore at Irving Plaza), Denver, and Miami Beach (Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theatre). Plans underway to construct a Fillmore in the Washington, DC suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland have been met with opposition.