San Francisco. The place with a history of flourishing during the 1960s counterculture, and overwhelmed when I found band posters spread all over the walls.
A historic Rock club in San Francisco. Space is a little large, so it might be more accurate to call it a concert venue. Although it has a strong image of being popular during the counterculture of the 1960s, it is still an important music venue in the San Francisco area.
A brief history : The building opened in 1912, and in 1954 it named “The Filmore Auditorium” and began hosting bands. In the mid-1960s, psychedelic bands started playing there due to the influence of counterculture. “Greatful Dead” and “Jefferson Airplane”, representing San Francisco, which was the center of the counterculture, were also performing. The “Greatful Dead” has played 51 times.
“The Filmore Auditorium” moved to other locations in San Francisco. Since 1968, this original location has operated under the name “The Elite Club”, then reopened in the mid-1980s under the name of “The Filmore”, but closed due to the 1989 earthquake (known in Japan as the San Francisco Earthquake). Afterwards, restored and reopened in 1994, where it remains today.
The building is large and old. A large building that resembles an old department store, 3rd stories. There is a small store on the first floor. Entrance is on the side of the building. Once inside, go up the stairs. When going up to the second floor, there are photos on the wall in front of the venue entrance.
There are photos of many artists who have performed at this venue, including “Janis Joplin”, “Jerry Garcia”, “Willy Nelson” and “Billy Idol”, on the wall. In front of the photo is a sturdy rest room, with a man on the left and a woman on the right. There is also a cloakroom next to the entrance to the women’s restroom.
There are posters on the wall leading to the rest room. These are concert posters or band posters. This poster is also on the third floor. Go up the stairs in front of the venue entrance. There is a large room on the third floor with tables. The room is probably 30m x 10m, with about 20 tables, and can order food and drinks at the counter in the back.
When entered this room, I was surprised to find that the entire wall was with posters. The height of the room is 7-8 meters, and posters covered entire wall. I am sure it belongs to an artist who performed at this venue, but just looking at this poster is fun. There were many visitors admiring this poster while drinking. It is a wonderful space where feeling the history.
There is another room on the third floor. This room, which is on the left facing the stage and overlooking the stage, also has walls covered with posters. By the way, I counted the number of posters on the wall on the third floor. It was as follows.
3rd floor main room : 440 pieces
3rd floor stage side : 267 pieces
Around the stairs : 135 pieces
Total : 842 pieces
A large photo is on the wall on the way up to the third floor, where the walls covered with posters. A photo of “Jerry Garcia” from the “Greatful Dead”. The Greatful Dead is a band that is a symbol of the hippie movement and counterculture in San Francisco, and “Jerry Garcia”, a core member of the Greatful Dead, is an indispensable figure when talking about San Francisco’s history. By the way, Haight Ashbury, which became the center of the hippie movement, is about 2km away from this location.
Now, on the second floor where the stage locates, there is a bar counter on the left side facing the stage. The area is partitioned. In the foreground is a space where merchandise is sold. Benches are along the wall to the right of the stage. There is a small table attached to the bench, and visitor can sit freely. PA in the rear. The stage is 30m x 10m. The audience space is 30m x 50m, the height is 10m, and the stage height is about 1.5m. Capacity is 1315 people. It may be a little big for the club house category.
I can look down on the stage from the section on the third floor where the walls with posters. It is a nice view. There is also a chandelier-like light fixture hanging from the ceiling. The inside of the building was lit in suspicious colors. This area may be influenced by San Francisco, which favors a psychedelic atmosphere.
The band when I visited was “Helmet”, an alternative metal band that was active mainly in the 90s. The opening act was “Cro-Mags”, a hardcore band active in New York. Many of the attendees were older, there were people who looked like in their 60s or 70s. This point always impresses me when I visit Rock Clubs in the US. During both the opening and main acts, a mosh started in front of the stage midway through the performance. Although 30 years have passed since its heyday, the culture where moshing naturally begins is amazing. I am so jealous.
This place is a wonderful place where visitor can feel the history of this place while looking at the artist’s posters that cover the walls. Please visit.
Visited in 2024
Basic Information
■ Name : The Filmore
■ Address : 805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA, USA
■ Homepage : https://www.livenation.com/venue/KovZpZAE6eeA/the-fillmore-events
■ Performed musician :
Grateful Dead, the Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Who, Cream, Pink Floyd
