50 years ago today - goodbye to the original clubhouse
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Lance minimum goad Newberry
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I just noticed that the Grateful Dead played their final show at the Carousel Ballroom/Fillmore West on July 2nd 1971. It was their 59th performance there, tying it for 2nd with Winterland for most performances at one venue (Oakland Coliseum is 1st at 63) which is pretty amazing considering they only played in that room for three and a half years. It was literally their clubhouse, and then Bill Graham turned it into their home base.
It's a funky old building that as a total venue nerd has fascinated me for decades. It's right around the corner from the SF Jazz venue I'm at often and I drive right past it every time I'm leaving the downtown area of SF. I have tried & failed to get inside that room for years, being rebuffed when it was used as the work area for the Honda dealership, then I was psyched to get inside for some odd company benefit event a few years ago after Honda left, but they moved that to some other venue at the last minute, rebuffed again! Then I was really psyched to see King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard there a couple of years ago, but I hurt myself a few days before the show and I could barely stand up, let alone walk, rebuffed AGAIN!
Now there is some type of fancy "Van Gough immersive exhibit" happening there for a month or two, and despite having very little interest in the exhibit itself I'm planning on going, as that could be my last chance to get inside that legendary room, touch the walls and feel the ghosts, as the building is slotted to be torn down at some point soon.
Anyway, from 1968 to 1971 that little room saw every band that existed during those amazing years. For fans of rock 'n roll in general and the Grateful Dead in particular that place is hallowed ground, and the final time they played there was 50 years ago today.
https://archive.org/details/gd1971-07-02.sbd.unknown.18289.flac16
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: .44 Smokeless
>> I just noticed that the
>> I just noticed that the Grateful Dead played their final show at the Carousel Ballroom/Fillmore West on July 2nd 1971. It was their 59th performance there, tying it for 2nd with Winterland for most performances at one venue (Oakland Coliseum is 1st at 63) which is pretty amazing considering they only played in that room for three and a half years. It was literally their clubhouse, and then Bill Graham turned it into their home base.
They went out on a high note too - That's It for the Other One dedicated to Owsley (in jail) and a ripping NFA/GDTRFB/NFA - portions of the July 2, 1971 show were just released on the 50th anniversary of Skull & Roses deluxe package.
Since it came up, here are the updated Grateful Dead concert totals for these venues. All per Jerrybase.com and filtered to only include GD (no side project) public (no rehearsal dates or canceled shows):
1. Oakland Coliseum Arena (2/17/79 - 2/26/95) 66 shows
2. Fillmore West/Carousel Ballroom (CB: 1/17/68-3/3/71) (FW: 8/20/68-7/2/71) 60 shows (43 Fillmore West + 17 Carousel)
3. Winterland (3/3/67 - 12/31/78) 59 shows
4. Henry J. Kaiser/Oakland Auditorium (OA: 6/28/67-12/31/82) (HK: 2/18/85-2/7/89) 58 shows (34 Kaiser + 24 Oak Aud)
5. Spectrum (12/6/68 - 3/19/95) 53 shows
6. Madison Square Garden (1/7/79 - 10/19/94) 52 shows
7. Fillmore Auditorium (12/10/65 - 12/21/69) 49 shows
8. Nassau Vets Memorial Coliseum (3/15/73 - 3/28/94) 48 shows
9. Fillmore East (6/14/68 - 4/29/71) 42 shows
10. Shoreline Amphitheatre (10/2/87 - 6/4/95) 39 shows
11. Avalon Ballroom (5/19/66 - 4/6/69) 31 shows
12. Greek Theatre (10/1/67 - 8/19/89) 29 shows
13. Berkeley Community Theater (1/13/67 - 9/24/94) 24 shows
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: long live the dead
Pigpen closing out the shower
Pigpen closing out the show with love light
And leave it on
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: long live the dead
I believe I saw the three
I believe I saw the three kings in that room as well
and there was no incense and myher
The Fleetwood Mac two weeks after Peter Greene lost his shit if I vaguely remember I think Boz skaggs was on the guitar
Irreplaceable
wait that means I'm kind of old
You're only pretty as you feel
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Cannot wait to see your pics.
Cannot wait to see your pics. Enjoy
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Greasyheart
When it was a Honda
When it was a Honda dealership for years--SF Honda, used to get my car serviced there--inside was virtually the same accept cars and desks
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
Cool beans Lance, amazing. 50
Cool beans Lance, amazing. 50 years.
The wife was out doing errands today and decided to stop at the "new" clubhouse, TXR for maybe a beer and something to eat, at about 3.
The girl at the door goes "Phil is here and is going to play, do you want to go to the show?"
She says yes, and had a wonderful time. Her first show out after her hospital/rehab stay.
Everyone at TXR was great; Phil walked up and greeted her before the show, that was really nice.
Big thanks to the staff at TXR for treating her so well.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
Thanks for posting that Terry
Thanks for posting that Terry.
Only saw shows at 5 of those venues.
But I did see a lot of them, which was nice.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Buncha' dishwashers.
>>>Big thanks to the staff at TXR for treating her so well<<<
Buncha' dishwashers.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: krab
Saw almost 100 shows at these
Saw almost 100 shows at these 5: Oakland Aud/Kaiser, Spectrum, MSG, Nassau, Greek
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mr. Sunshine State
Another great GD thread...
Another great GD thread... that room doesn't look very sound-friendly?
My only financial and otherwise participation would be MSG and The Spectrum.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Too bad it's being torn down.
Too bad it's being torn down. Were there any shows after King Gizzard played there?
I was 6 in 1971, so I never saw a show there, but I saw the GD at seven of those venues (Oakland Coliseum, Kaiser, Spectrum, MSG, Nassau, Shoreline and The Greek), eight if you count the '94 Phil & Friends acoustic show at the BCT. I also saw Robert Hunter at the old Fillmore Auditorium.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
Was really glad to get there
Was really glad to get there to see a show at a "shrine" and feel the vibes, but only made it once. Saw a Ratdog show (ducks) 10-23-2000. Wish I had another purple sticker.
A few months later I asked Jocko about finding a copy of the show, he said to try a site called the PhilZone and do an "ISO" and the rest is history.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Cool thread, Lance. I took
Cool thread, Lance. I took this as a cue to pull McNally's A Long Strange Trip from the shelf and reread Chapter 20: Independence and Its Price (1/1/68 - 6/30/68), which seems very appropriate for this 4th of July weekend.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
McNally wasn't a DH till the
McNally wasn't a DH till the 70's. Curious as to how he knows or anyone remember's what happened in 1968??
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
McNally is a scholar. He
McNally is a scholar. He researched what he didn't experience first-hand. Considering his professional relationship with the band, I'm sure he had access to documents, like contracts, and interviewed the principal players.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
And like they say!
And like they say!
If you remember it you weren't there!
At least the 60's
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Do you remember anything from
Do you remember anything from the 60s, doolittle?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
I first walked into Fillmore
I first walked into Fillmore West the week I graduated high school in June 69- Iron Butterfly- Cold Blood- Sanpaku.
To this day it was the coolest venue I ever entered. So many great nights and great shows there- don't know where to begin.
It also became VERY crowded almost every night in the years to come, My sister once said.."I refuse to pay Bill Graham $3.50 for one square foot of floor space ! ". In a way she was right - but it was usually worth it.
Never caught the Dead there- I was still a year away from my first actual Dead show in Berzerkely.. but I made up for it with all those years at Winterland.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
Scholar!......... Pfffft!
Scholar!......... Pfffft!
LOLOLOLOLOL!
Get it
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
At UMass, McNally wrote a
At UMass, McNally wrote a biography on Jack Kerouac for his PhD dissertation, doolittle. You write stuff like "Pfffft!" on the black screen. I'll take McNally's judgment over yours.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
50 years ago today, July 3,
50 years ago today, July 3, 1971, goodbye to Jim Morrison.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>that room doesn't look
>>>that room doesn't look very sound-friendly<<<
I'm sure the floor wasn't cement when it was a ballroom, and Graham had fabric hangings to lower the ceiling. From what I've heard the main problem with the place was what Klondike said, it was always packed (not much has changed over the years with GA venues). Otherwise most of what I've heard is that it was a better room than the old Fillmore, which is a pretty good room.
My mom thought it was the best of the ballrooms in the 1940s, with the Avalon second (she met my father on the steps of the Avalon in '47, which I've always thought was very cool). She didn't like the Majestic (later known as the Fillmore Auditorium). She thought it was trashy. Little did she know what was to come.
>>>Were there any shows after King Gizzard played there<<<
Unfortunately no. The lease on the building is held now by a special events company. The room was rented by Goldenvoice (AEG) as a one-off for the King Gizzard shows, and from what my friends told me, it was a trainwreck as a venue for those two shows; no ventilation, no amenities, a half-assed stage, a half-assed sound system and horrible sound.
But the pandemic hit about six months later, so if those shows made money I suppose there's a chance they'll do something there again. I hope so. I'd rather see a show there, even a bad one, instead of a multi-media Van Gogh exhibit with partitions & projections all over the floors & walls. That sounds cool enough, but not what I'm looking for as a "pilgrimage".
As for remembering the '60s, I remember lots from those times. But I was nine when '69 clicked over to '70, so most of my recollections of the '60s are of pretending to be Superman, Batman and Ringo Starr. I didn't start destroying brain cells for about seven more years.
And Slickrock, do you still talk with Jocko? If so tell him Lance Newberry says hi, and... GO NINERS!!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
>>>>Do you remember anything from the 60s, doolittle?
Yes. Kindergarten!
And big moths for the year we lived in Swannanoa in 68. Dad had a years training in Asheville from Hughes Aircraft in SoCal.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: long live the dead
I think it was cool that it
I think it was cool that it was packed
I clearly remember my friend standing next to me as the last few notes and the scream leave it on as love light ended soared in the room
Steve passed out but could not fall down it was that packed
One of the most impactful moments and memories of my rock 'n' roll fan career
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
>>>Steve passed out but could
>>>Steve passed out but could not fall down it was that packed<<<
Sounds like the Grate Room.
Maybe that's why Phil has said more than once that the Grate Room reminds him of the Carousel.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mr. Sunshine State
Need some shots of the room
Need some shots of the room from the heyday... I can't even find any. Help.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
AND LEAVE IT ON!!!!!!!!!!
AND LEAVE IT ON!!!!!!!!!!
I bet that is still echoing around the old place.
The wife has been talking about this Van Gogh thing for a while now but I was clearly only
half-listening when she said where it was. (She did tell me, I just wasn't focused).
"I hate the idea of the thing but I love Van Gogh so I'm going."
Which means I'm going also. Looking forward to it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
Oh, and Lance, as you well
Oh, and Lance, as you well know:
No Food=No Dirty Dishes=No Dishwashers.
I hope for their sake they can get the kitchen and bar up and running again soon.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
Hey Lance --Go Giants !
Hey Lance --Go Giants !
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Wait a minute Klondike... you
Wait a minute Klondike... you're Jocko???
If so, is that something I should have known??
Sneaky bastard.
Hey Jockomo!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
Busted! LOL. He kept that a
Busted! LOL. He kept that a secret quite a while, Lance. Back to LK, Jocko?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz
Now there is some type of
Now there is some type of fancy "Van Gogh immersive exhibit" happening there for a month or two, and despite having very little interest in the exhibit itself I'm planning on going, as that could be my last chance to get inside that legendary room, touch the walls and feel the ghosts, as the building is slotted to be torn down at some point soon.
I went to the Van Gogh exhibit as much to get into the old Fillmore West as to see the Van Gogh Immersive experience. It is well worth seeing in addition to getting into "the" room!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
White Bird
White Bird
7-1-71
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Of7TDL2kFM
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
Have another hit
Have another hit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EacQEhrbBQ