Located on Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, the original Fillmore Auditorium saw itself at the forefront of the burgeoning counterculture scene. Opened and run by concert promoter Bill Graham, the auditorium saw bands such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience play shows to packed audiences, making the venue one of the places for bands to play. In addition to its reputation for hosting artists and musicians, the Fillmore created posters for every show at the venue. These posters contributed to the notion of the Fillmore as a key player in the counterculture scene.
In 1968, due to the slow deterioration of the original Fillmore Auditorium, Graham moved his music venue to the site of the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco, renaming it Fillmore West. At the time, Graham had opened the Fillmore East in New York, with hopes of creating a nationwide brand of venues. The Fillmore West continued the tradition of the original Fillmore by bringing in a variety of popular concert acts. It would close in 1971 to a show featuring Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Allen Ginsberg. This show was chronicled in the film "Fillmore." Graham closed the venue due to his belief that the Bay Area music scene was dying, leaving for Greece to determine what to do next.
While Graham had shut the Fillmore name down in San Francisco, the original venue on Geary and Fillmore saw new life in the early 1980s. Reopened and renamed the Elite Club, the former Fillmore site saw a renewed interest under the lead of promoter Paul Rat. Attaching itself to the punk movement that was rising to prominence in the 80s, the Elite Club saw bands such as Black Flag play private shows to eager audiences.
By the mid eighties, Billy Graham had become a major concert promoter, overseeing and promoting major concerts such as Live Aid. Seeing an opportunity, he took over the Elite Club, replacing the name with The Fillmore. From there, the venue became one of the major destinations in Graham's venue empire, bringing a number of bands both old and new to packed audiences. The Fillmore maintained its link to the counterculture days by continuing to produce posters for specific shows.
The Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco in October of 1989, causing severe damage to numerous areas of the city including the Fillmore. Bill Graham shut down the venue, initiating major repairs in a hope to continue the Fillmore tradition. Tragedy struck in 1991 when Bill Graham, returning from a benefit in Concord, California, was killed in a helicopter crash, putting an end to repairs at the Fillmore. His son and a group of employees from Bill Graham Presents kept control of the company, continuing the remodeling of the Fillmore. In 1994, the Fillmore reopened to a secret show featuring The Smashing Pumpkins and Primus.
The Fillmore stands today as a major part of San Francisco's cultural history. Currently owned by concert promoter Live Nation, the Fillmore name is being placed on several venues throughout the nation in an effort to take advantage of the brand name.