GETTING THEIR FILLMORE Local Touches Make the Seven Concertvenues Distinct Withinthe Livenation Chain

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PHOTO CREDIT HERE TK THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE, NC | CAPACITY 2,000 The Fillmore Charlotte is housed in a historic textile mill, which gives it a unique ambience, feel and tradition. Vintage posters recall legendary live music performances, and the stadium-style tiers create better sightlines from anywhere in the venue. GETTING THEIR FILLMORE Local touches make the seven concertvenues distinct withinthe LiveNation chain. New Orleans, opening this month, and Minneapolis, to open early nextwill have year, their own personalities as well. 60 PHOTO CREDIT HERE TK T more Charlotte; the Fillmore Silver Spring in the Washington, D.C., area; and the the and area; D.C., Washington, the in Spring Silver Fillmore the Charlotte; more Fill- the Beach; Miami Fillmore the Detroit; Fillmore the Denver; in Auditorium he time,” said. for some space to 3,000-capacity 2,000- clubs. new opening by later and U.S., the around it clubs owned ofthe ofanumber names the changing by community.” Fillmore ofthe part are DNA but unique own have each They their that. not are Fillmores the reside and wherever they same the are Brands community. each in identity own have each They their cutter. cookie not are Fillmores The clubs. ofthe evolution the “We’re Philly,” about excited said. and Bension really New Orleans like towns music WELCOME TO THE TO WELCOME There are seven Fillmores at the moment: the Fillmore San Francisco; Fillmore Fillmore Francisco; San Fillmore the moment: at the Fillmores seven are There the club in pre-eminent the being as Fillmores the on focusing “We have been 2007, over it in took since rst chain Fillmore the expanding been has Nation Live great in ’n’ Fillmores rock the we’re and screams roll, putting Fillmore “The Live Nation’sLive division. Theatres and Clubs of CEO Bension, Ron halls, music ofintimate chain the ofgrowing charge in man the said abrand, not acommunity, are Fighters. Foo the by Feb. open aperformance 15 with will which New Orleans, more The latest addition to the community will be the 2,200-capacity Fill- 2,200-capacity the be will community to the addition latest The KEEP THEIR OWN IDENTITIES VENUES MAINTAIN CONTINUITY BUT FILLMORES TO A CHAIN WHERE LIVE NATION ADDING BY BRAD WEISSBERG FEBRUARY 2019 TWO MORE 61 61 PHOTO CREDIT HERE TK THE FILLMORE DETROIT DETROIT | CAPACITY 2,750 As you walk through the grand lobby of the building, a circa-1925 movie theater, you are greeted the by famous chandeliers, hung 80 feet in The the venue air. is on Woodward Avenue in the city’s district. entertainment FEBRUARY 2019 FEBRUARY 62 THE FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH at JACKIE GLEASON BEACH THEATER at JACKIE MIAMI FILLMORE THE MIAMI BEACH, FL | CAPACITY 2,713 The story of the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater began in the 1950s, when Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Jack Benny were regular visitors. The venue was reborn when in 2007, it underwent a multimillion-dollar transformation. FILLMORE AUDITORIUM DENVER | CAPACITY 3,600 Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Fillmore Au- ditorium is the largest indoor venue for general admission seating in the state. The building opened in 1907 as a roller rink but has been hosting concerts under diﬀerent names 1960. since THE FILLMORE THE FILLMORE PHILADELPHIA SAN FRANCISCO | CAPACITY 1,200 PHILADELPHIA | CAPACITY 2,600

The San Francisco Fillmore grew to represent the pinnacle of cre- The Fillmore Philadelphia features an intimate club within the club ative music making in the late 1960s, hosting the most signiicant called The Foundry, a “LIVE” sculpture based on Robert Indiana’s musical talent of the day, including Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters “LOVE” sculpture, and an American lag made out of a collage of and The Who. Fillmore posters.

Fillmore Philadelphia. The Fillmore New Orleans will be No. 8, Bension and his team look rst for the right environment, and No. 9 is under construction in Minneapolis near Target Field building and location when looking for new cities to grow the and is scheduled to open early next year. Fillmore chain. Describing how a fan would be able to tell one Fillmore from “We need a space where we can incorporate the Fillmore style another, Bension rst pointed out the similarities: lots of chande- seamlessly,” Bension said. “We’d love to open one a year if we liers, red velvet curtains, and an emphasis on sightlines, sound nd the right location and right markets.” and concessions. Dave Fortin, senior vice president of marketing and business “They all have a lounge-like feel; the restrooms are gorgeous; development for Live Nation’s Clubs and Theatres division, said and every one of them has unique appeal that’s really cool,” he the company is “always looking at cities across the country to said. nd properties where a new venue would make sense. When we “We believe the Fillmore experience is added value. We want nd an opportunity there is an internal look at the space, and we the best fan experience. We want people to come away thinking, discuss whether it should be a Fillmore or if it should be a House of Blues or something else.” The House of Blues clubs and Live “Every community is distinctive and Nation’s assorted theaters are also under Bension and Fortin’s watch. so are the Fillmores in them.” “As we grow as a division, we’re always looking to serve every size — RON BENSION room,” Fortin said. “Typically, a House of Blues capacity tops out at around 900 in the main rooms. The Fillmores ‘That was a great environment; that was a really cool show; we hold 2,000-3,000. After that we look to program our amphithe- had great food; we had a great time.’” aters and our arena and stadium partners.” As for the di¥erences, “Every community is distinctive and Building new Fillmores is a “no-brainer” to Fortin. “If a band so are the Fillmores in them,” he said. “They all have unique can play Houston or Dallas and is looking to head east, and the features and are designed to incorporate the traditional elements next right room isn’t available in a market, they will skip the of the look of the environments they are in.” market. We’re always looking to have strategic cities with a great Bension pointed out The Fillmore Philadelphia’s American live music scene available, so markets don’t get skipped. We want ¦ag formed by a collage of Fillmore posters and a take on Robert to bring fans’ favorite bands to as many markets as possible.” Indiana’s classic “LOVE” sculpture, spelling out “LIVE” in giant After a location is chosen, Live Nation looks at how to get the letters, and New Orleans’ 10- by 25-foot collage of Fillmore post- most out of it. “We bring in state-of-the-art technology. We look ers of Louis Armstrong as examples of their individual style. at how much space is between seats, how high should the risers “All of the decor in New Orleans is very voodoo with a French should be, where to put VIP areas and how to best serve the fans Quarter vibe,” Bension said. “There is a ¦eur-de-lis at the top of in that space,” he said. the stairs. It’s a symbol of New Orleans.” The Fillmore name rst became associated with concerts

FEBRUARY 2019 63 COURTESY LIVE NATION GETTY IMAGES The Fillmore Auditorium on host to went numerous 1960s coun- Bension said Live Nation “has international aspirations and we’re been part “I’ve Liveof Nation Fortinand years,” House 25 for Blues of was“He a survivor in and every Bill way, put out apples the out at end what“That’s the Fillmores built were on and what carry we and it’s are“We all about honoring the past in contemporary way.” THE FILLMORE SILVER SPRING SILVER FILLMORE THE SPRING,SILVER MD | CAPACITY 2,000 The Fillmore Silver Spring uses the facade of a 1940s-era J.C. Penney storeand sits in the community’s Arts and Entertainment District. when Charles Sullivan started booking performers San at Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium in 1954. In December 1965, Sullivan began letting future rock impresario Bill Graham book shows there. terculture icons. The Grateful Dead 51 played concerts the at venue. The Doors, Je¥erson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Who there.played looking other at countries. Where makes it sense, would have to we love a Fillmore.” said. “There is a sense of underlying community and family associated with theFillmores and comes it from Bill Graham and who was. he He escaped from Europe during II War and World was put in foster care. wouldHe sneak out of his foster home in France steal to apples. of his shows because wanted he everyone home with go to a full belly.” what theFillmore became,” Fortin said. was “It a real scene the at start with Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin and Santana and was it all family a with a great communal vibe, and try we honor to that in the run we way it. That history is a really cool piece of what makes a Fillmore a Fillmore. The New Orleans location, shown in a rendering, opens this month. The design will feature a voodoo and French Quarter vibe. — Brad Weissberg opening this

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“Harrah’s has had the NOLA space for the last Harrah’s is the landlord and will have no say The lease is for 20-plus years. Live Nation did “We have our own entrance oﬀ Canal Street, Live Nation picked New Orleans for its eighth “We thought a (general admission) space would The Fillmore New Orleans’ capacity is 2,200. It’s The Foo Fighters will play the irst shows Feb. Concessions are being handled in-house. “We’ve taken great care make to sure the food, THE NEW ORLEANS FILLMORE,

WITH ITS NAME ON IT ON NAME ITS WITH month, will ill 35,000 square feet of prime space on the second loor of Harrah’s Casino in the downtown area. said18 years,” Dave Fortin, senior vice president of marketing and business development for Live Nation’s Clubs and Theatres division. “The space has always been earmarked for live entertainment but has never had an entertainment partner.” in howthe venue is run or who is booked. The Philadelphia branch of EwingCole, which works on many of the Fillmore projects, designed the space. not revealthe cost of the project. which will allow us put to on shows for age, any including under-21 fans who couldn’t go inside the casino,” Fortin said. Fillmore primarily because it saw a gap in the marketplace. be a perfect opportunity serve to he the market,” said. “The 2,000- 2,500-capacity to venue is our sweet spot. The last three Fillmores have fallen into that range.” divided the into music hall, a lobby bar that holds 300 people, and the VIP room, called BG’s Lounge honorto original Fillmore impresario Bill Graham, which can accommodate 200 people. 15 and 16. Almost 30 shows have been booked, including Duran Duran, Willie Nelson, the Avett Brothers, Bob Weir and Jason Isbell. Ticket prices range from $25 $75, to and VIP will carry an addi- tional charge. “The Live Nation team has created a unique New Orleans-based menu that will include charcuterie boxes, cheese boxes, chicken pressed wraps, the Impossible Cajun Burger, poutine and Creole Fortinshrimp,” said. the atmosphere and the look will have the underlying sense of the NOLA he added. community,” “This ills a really nice spot in the live entertainment landscape of one of the country’s most vibrant cities.” NOLA GETS A FILLMORE 64