On March 8, 1968, music promoter Bill Graham opened Fillmore East in NYC’s East Village. The original Fillmore in San Francisco was an important stop for the major bands of the day—Grateful Dead, Santana, Jefferson Airplane. Both Fillmores closed in the early 1970s when rock groups began favoring larger stadiums. Graham initially criticized the production quality possible in the big venues; then he stepped in to figure out a way to make it better.
