At Fillmore East the band was paid $1250 each show. The shows were typical performances for the band, and regarded as slightly above average by drummer Jai Johanny Johanson. Ads for the shows read: "Bill Graham Presents in New York — Johnny Winter And, Elvin Bishop Group, Extra Added Attraction: Allman Brothers." While Winter was billed as headliner, by the third night the Allman Brothers were closing the show. Tom Dowd produced "At Fillmore East"; he had previously worked on their second studio album, "Idlewild South". He had recently returned from Africa from working on the film "Soul to Soul", and stayed in
At Fillmore East led to what I suppose are inevitable comparisons to the Dead in its better days." In a less enthusiastic review for "The Village Voice", Robert Christgau gave "At Fillmore East" a "B–" grade and said the songs "sure do boogie", but ultimately found it musically aimless: "even if Duane Allman plus Dickey Betts does equal Jerry Garcia, the Dead know roads are for getting somewhere. That is, Garcia (not to bring in John Coltrane) always takes you someplace unexpected on a long solo. I guess the appeal here is the inevitability of it all." In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor