The Night the Allman Brothers Band Recorded 'At Fillmore East'
- edgarstreetbooks
- May 30
- 2 min read
‘New York Rock & Roll History: The 1970s’ Book Excerpt
Frank Mastropolo
Regarded as one of the greatest live albums, At Fillmore East was recorded by the Allman Brothers Band on the final two nights of a three-night stand March 12–13, 1971 at Bill Graham’s iconic rock venue.
“There’s nothing too complicated about what makes Fillmore a great album,” guitarist Dickey Betts told Classic Rock. “The thing is, we were a hell of a band and we just got a good recording that captured what we sounded like.”
The band’s first two studio albums, their self-titled debut and Idlewild South, had yet to click with fans when the band arrived in New York.
“We simply realized that we were a better live band than studio outfit because we were always ready to experiment — off-stage as well as on,” said keyboardist Gregg Allman.
“And the audience was a big part of what we did up there, which is something that couldn’t be duplicated in a studio. A light bulb finally went off; we need to do a live album.”
Tom Dowd was the album’s producer. “The Allmans have always had a perpetual swing sensation that is unique in rock,” said Dowd.
“They swing like they’re playing jazz when they play things that are tangential to the blues, and even when they play heavy rock. They’re never vertical but always going forward, and it’s always a groove.”
The band stretched out with extended jams on “You Don’t Love Me,” “Whipping Post,” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” Other highlights include “Statesboro Blues” and “Stormy Monday.” By the fall, At Fillmore East became the Allmans’ first gold record.
“All of a sudden, here comes fame and fortune,” said Gregg Allman. “In a three- or four-week period, we went from rags to riches; from living on a three-dollar-a-day per diem to, ‘Get anything you want, boys.’”
Frank Mastropolo is the author of New York Rock & Roll History: The 1970s. For more on the New York Rock series, visit Edgar Street Books.
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