Welcome to The Fillmore?

After years of planning and millions of dollars spent on construction, The Fillmore opened its Fishtown doors in October with a concert featuring Philadelphia’s own Hall & Oates.   

Our Chris Malo spoke to people connected to and possibly affected by the complex with a 2,500-person main room and a 450-person space called The Foundry. 

“The Fillmore was a fantastic experience and a great addition to Philadelphia entertainment scene.” – Daryl Hall

“It’s cool. Philadelphia is our spot considering it’s where we’re all from. We’re excited to be the first ones to do an official show in there… It’s cool to be a part of something new for Philadelphia.” – Pat Troxell from Creepoid (the first band to play The Foundry)

“While it’s exciting to witness such burgeoning growth in the Fishtown neighborhood, this is just another step in the cultural cycle that every major city is a part of.

Believe it or not, when I first moved here, most of the punks and artists lived in Old City. That was where First Friday originated. The area flourished artistically, which attracted more corporate businesses and investors. All of the artists moved from Old City to the warehouses of Northern Liberties and the same cycle occurred. You can witness the same thing happening in Fishtown.

My ‘inner punk rock kid’ hates it when corporations enter an artistic area but having an opinion about The Fillmore is a moot point. These changes are an inevitability. If not The Fillmore, then it would have been another type of venue.

On the plus side, it gives the area a large capacity music venue. I mean, shit. It could have been Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.” – John Redden (owner of The Barbary, across the street)

“The Fillmore and the other national chains coming to our small, unique and cool area destroys a vibrant and growing mixed-use residential community that is filled with wonderful small venues like Johnny Brenda’s and Kung Fu Necktie. I would encourage lovers of the Philly music scene to take your business elsewhere and join us in opposing this poorly sited megaplex.” – Jethro Heiko (neighbor)

“It’s great to have a new room in the city. I have some friends at the Live Nation office in Philly and I’m happy for them. I was only there for a few hours on opening night but it seemed pretty cool. They have a slightly different approach than we do with our venues but I’m sure this will be a wonderful addition to Philly.” – Sean Agnew (R5 Productions)

“This had to go through zoning and the community had to vote on it. The community voted overwhelmingly to allow this to happen. There are concerns because it is right across the street from where residents live on Allen Street and Richmond Street but there were also concerns when Sugarhouse [Casino] came in because residents are there.

This seems to be setting up as an entertainment district area going down Frankford Avenue. I know our Economic Development Department is really happy about that. I think it’s all good.” – Sandy Salzman (executive director of New Kensington Community Development Corporation)

“I am excited to have a new live music venue in the city. I continue to work with The Fillmore to be a good community partner to the near neighbors and create a positive atmosphere for the patrons and the residents alike.” – Mark Squilla (First District City Councilman)

“It’s an honor to have the keys to such an amazing venue. The economical impact to the neighborhood that The Fillmore is able to accomplish is something we are very proud of. Having one of the most flexible venues in the music business will ensure that the city has a new ‘Entertainment Complex.’

The Fillmore is the only venue in the city to find a great selection of food, while seeing your favorite artist and having the opportunity to hang out before the show in the Ajax Hall.” – Jason Bray (Live Nation Philadelphia market general manager)

“I was there when there was no roof on the building and we were talking with Live Nation from the get-go, which is nice to be in on the ground level of the whole plan. They wanted it to be the best amongst their venues and in Philly.

The Fillmore in Philly is not only the debut of the Fillmore itself but also a new system from us. That is the main left-right array system. It’s very powerful and clear, with a nice emphasis on clarity on the mid and high frequencies with a big, full, punchy low end. It is a (sound) system that will work for any style of music and covers the main music hall very well with distributed speaker systems throughout the venue.” – Josh Sadd (vice president and chief engineer for Clair Brothers)