Fillmore Auditorium (Denver, Colorado)
Encyclopedia
The Fillmore Auditorium (often known as The Fillmore Denver) is a concert venue located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. Since opening in 1907, the venue has hosted numerous functions both private and public. It holds the title of the largest indoor venue for general admission seating in Colorado.
In 2006, local newspaper Westword
, awarded the venue the "Best Place to Run into a Hippie
turned Yuppie
". The venue also houses a office for the Bill Graham Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides music grants.
closed in the Spring of 1910, the building was occupied by the Fritchle Automobile & Battery Company. During its tenure as a manufacturing plant, the venue produced nearly 500 vehicles, the first being purchased by Titanic survivor, Molly Brown
. The plant closed in October 1917.
The building remained unoccupied for several years until it was purchased by Irving Jacob and became the city's first recreational center. Now known as Mammoth Garden Roller Club, the center offered ice skating
, hockey
, basketball
, ice polo
, boxing
and wrestling
. During this time, it also became the home venue for the Mammoth Garden Dodgers (which was a part of the Colorado Roller Hockey League) and a professional basketball team before the construction of the Denver Coliseum
.
The venue also served as a temporary wedding hall before and during the World War II
. It also housed the famed "Skating Vanities" during its 1945–46 season. The venue also hosted the first hockey event broadcast on Armed Forces Radio Services
. Every Thursday, games from the venue were broadcasted by KLM at Lowry Field. It also hosted the US National Indoor Figure and Speed Championships in 1950, 1952 and 1954. In 1960, the venue hosted its first concert by soul singer, James Brown
.
As business began moving to the Denver Coliseum, the venue closed and became a warehouse for the Colorado Mercantile Company for five years, closing in 1967. The building was purchased in 1968 by concert promoter
Stuart Green and shortened the name to Mammoth Gardens. The venue was concert from an ice rink to a nightclub
. His hopes was to compete with Bill Graham
and his Fillmore franchise
. The venue with closely with Barry Fey
to bring national touring acts to the Denver scene. Although only in business for eight months, the club hosted concerts by the decade's leading artists including Jimi Hendrix
, The Doors
, The Who
, The Grateful Dead and Joe Cocker
. The most remembered show was performed in April 1970 by Jethro Tull
. During the show, a patient escape from nearby hospital, St. Luke Medical Center
, entered the kitchen area and began stabbing himself in the chest. Tainted as "bad juju", the club closed in October 1970 as a push by city officials to have the venue closed to improve the surrounding neighborhood. The building reopened briefly in 1976 as a farmers' market
, known simply as The Market however, this only lasted four months.
In 1981, the venue was reopened under the "Mammoth Gardens" moniker to host sporting and music events while also service as a private meeting room and banquet hall. After 14 months, the doors closed once again due to dispute amongst its partners. Four years later, the venue was purchased by Manuel and Magaly Fernandez. After a few renovations, the club became the Mammoth Events Center. During this reinvention, the venue became the main site for Denver's Latin music scene, only hosting every few popular acts. During its 12 year run, the venue hosted concerts by Rick James
, Cypress Hill
, Fugazi, Sublime
, Dream Theater
and Green Day
. It also hosted sporting events from the Ultimate Fighting Championship
and Pro Wrestling America
and World Championship Wrestling
.
Ironically, the venue was purchased in February 1999 by Bill Graham and Chuck Morris to be opened as The Fillmore Auditorium. This was met with quite a controversy amongst the Colorado audience. Many felt Denver had an ample amount of music venues. The Magness Arena
, Ogden Theater
, Paramount Theatre
, the Music Hall at LoDo and the Gothic Theatre were already claiming fame to Denver's mid-size concert scene. With its many changes, many promoters saw the venue as a failure and were not easily persuaded to host a concert at the venue. Barry Fey eventually grew to hate the venue, as he noted the venue was like attending a concert in Hilter
's bunker. He stated the acoustics were spotty and horrible at times, naming it the worst auditorium in America acoustic wise. He also stated the venue had a poor layout with its stage in an awkward location.
The building was heavily renovated in 1999 to fix the staging and acoustics. The inaugural concert was performed by the Trey Anastasio Band
on May 19, 1999. Despite its criticism, the Fillmore has grown to become a prominent force in Denver's music scene. Since its 1999 opening, the auditorium has hosted concerts by Rise Against
, Umphrey's McGee
, Sound Tribe Sector 9
, Marilyn Manson
, Joss Stone
, Nelly Furtado
, James Blunt
and Erykah Badu
as well as Five Iron Frenzy
's final performance.
In 2006, local newspaper Westword
Westword
Westword is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Denver, Colorado.Westword was established independently in 1977. In 1983 it was bought by New Times Media. In 2005, New Times acquired Village Voice Media, and changed its name to Village Voice Media...
, awarded the venue the "Best Place to Run into a Hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
turned Yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
". The venue also houses a office for the Bill Graham Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides music grants.
History
In the 1907, the venue opened as the Mammoth Roller Skating Rink becoming a prominent after-school hangout for the nearby East High School. After the roller rinkRoller rink
A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...
closed in the Spring of 1910, the building was occupied by the Fritchle Automobile & Battery Company. During its tenure as a manufacturing plant, the venue produced nearly 500 vehicles, the first being purchased by Titanic survivor, Molly Brown
Margaret Brown
Margaret Brown was an American socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous due to her involvement with the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, after exhorting the crew of lifeboat 6 to return to look for survivors. It is unclear whether any survivors were found after life boat 6...
. The plant closed in October 1917.
The building remained unoccupied for several years until it was purchased by Irving Jacob and became the city's first recreational center. Now known as Mammoth Garden Roller Club, the center offered ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, ice polo
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
. During this time, it also became the home venue for the Mammoth Garden Dodgers (which was a part of the Colorado Roller Hockey League) and a professional basketball team before the construction of the Denver Coliseum
Denver Coliseum
Denver Coliseum is an indoor arena, owned by the City and County of Denver, operated by its Theatres and Arenas division and is located in Denver, Colorado...
.
The venue also served as a temporary wedding hall before and during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It also housed the famed "Skating Vanities" during its 1945–46 season. The venue also hosted the first hockey event broadcast on Armed Forces Radio Services
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
. Every Thursday, games from the venue were broadcasted by KLM at Lowry Field. It also hosted the US National Indoor Figure and Speed Championships in 1950, 1952 and 1954. In 1960, the venue hosted its first concert by soul singer, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
.
As business began moving to the Denver Coliseum, the venue closed and became a warehouse for the Colorado Mercantile Company for five years, closing in 1967. The building was purchased in 1968 by concert promoter
Tour promoter
Tour promoters are the individuals or companies responsible for organizing a live concert tour or special event performance. The tour promoter makes an offer of employment to a particular artist, usually through the artist’s agent or music manager. The promoter and agent then negotiate the live...
Stuart Green and shortened the name to Mammoth Gardens. The venue was concert from an ice rink to a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. His hopes was to compete with Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
and his Fillmore franchise
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
. The venue with closely with Barry Fey
Barry Fey
Barry Fey is an American rock concert promoter based out of Colorado who is best known for bringing prominent music acts to the United States for the first time.- Career :...
to bring national touring acts to the Denver scene. Although only in business for eight months, the club hosted concerts by the decade's leading artists including Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Grateful Dead and Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
. The most remembered show was performed in April 1970 by Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
. During the show, a patient escape from nearby hospital, St. Luke Medical Center
Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center
Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center is a hospital in the City Park West neighborhood of Denver. In speech and in writing, the hospital is referred to informally by its initials: P/SL.-History:...
, entered the kitchen area and began stabbing himself in the chest. Tainted as "bad juju", the club closed in October 1970 as a push by city officials to have the venue closed to improve the surrounding neighborhood. The building reopened briefly in 1976 as a farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
, known simply as The Market however, this only lasted four months.
In 1981, the venue was reopened under the "Mammoth Gardens" moniker to host sporting and music events while also service as a private meeting room and banquet hall. After 14 months, the doors closed once again due to dispute amongst its partners. Four years later, the venue was purchased by Manuel and Magaly Fernandez. After a few renovations, the club became the Mammoth Events Center. During this reinvention, the venue became the main site for Denver's Latin music scene, only hosting every few popular acts. During its 12 year run, the venue hosted concerts by Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
, Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
, Fugazi, Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
, Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
and Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
. It also hosted sporting events from the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
and Pro Wrestling America
Pro Wrestling America
Pro Wrestling America is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the 1980s and early 1990s. Founded and promoted by retired wrestler Eddie Sharkey, a longtime veteran of the American Wrestling Association and owner of the Pro Wrestling America Training...
and World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
.
Ironically, the venue was purchased in February 1999 by Bill Graham and Chuck Morris to be opened as The Fillmore Auditorium. This was met with quite a controversy amongst the Colorado audience. Many felt Denver had an ample amount of music venues. The Magness Arena
Magness Arena
Magness Arena is a 7,200-seat multi-purpose collegiate sports arena in Denver, Colorado. It was built from 1997 to 1999 as part of the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness, a $84 million, sports complex at the University of Denver. It is home to the University of Denver Pioneers ice...
, Ogden Theater
Ogden Theater
The Odgen Theater is a music venue and former movie theater in Denver, Colorado, United States. Located at 935 E. Colfax Avenue in the neighborhood of Capitol Hill, it was built in 1917 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.- History :...
, Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre (Denver, Colorado)
The Paramount Theatre is a concert venue in Denver, Colorado, located on Glenarm Place, near Denver's famous 16th Street Mall. The venue has a seating capacity of 1,870, but is a popular destination for large acts looking for a smaller concert setting...
, the Music Hall at LoDo and the Gothic Theatre were already claiming fame to Denver's mid-size concert scene. With its many changes, many promoters saw the venue as a failure and were not easily persuaded to host a concert at the venue. Barry Fey eventually grew to hate the venue, as he noted the venue was like attending a concert in Hilter
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's bunker. He stated the acoustics were spotty and horrible at times, naming it the worst auditorium in America acoustic wise. He also stated the venue had a poor layout with its stage in an awkward location.
The building was heavily renovated in 1999 to fix the staging and acoustics. The inaugural concert was performed by the Trey Anastasio Band
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
on May 19, 1999. Despite its criticism, the Fillmore has grown to become a prominent force in Denver's music scene. Since its 1999 opening, the auditorium has hosted concerts by Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
, Sound Tribe Sector 9
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Sound Tribe Sector 9 is an instrumental band known for their live performances. The band’s genre-blending sound is based heavily on instrumental rock and electronic music crossed with elements of funk, jazz, drum and bass, psychedelia, and hip hop...
, Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
, Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
and Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
as well as Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
's final performance.