At Fillmore East During this time, the group began struggling with drug addictions. Everyone in the group, with the exception of the brothers, was also struggling to make a living (vocalist Gregg Allman received more money from royalty payments and Duane more from session work). In one incident, tour manager Twiggs Lyndon stabbed and killed a promoter for not paying the band; he later claimed temporary insanity. Their fortunes began to change over the course of 1971, where the band's average earnings doubled. The Allman Brothers Band had first played Fillmore East in December 1969, opening for Blood, Sweat & Tears for three
At Fillmore East Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album five out of five stars and stated, "[it] remains the pinnacle of the Allmans and Southern rock at its most elastic, bluesy, and jazzy". Mark Kemp of "Rolling Stone" gave it five stars in a 2002 review and commented that "these shows [...] remain the finest live rock performance ever committed to vinyl", and the album "captures America's best blues-rock band at its peak". "At Fillmore East" was one of 50 recordings chosen in 2004 by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. "Rolling Stone" included at number 49