East Village, Manhattan St. Marks Place. On June 27, 1967, the Electric Circus opened in the same space with a benefit for the Children's Recreation Foundation whose chairman was Bobby Kennedy. The Grateful Dead, The Chambers Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone, and the Allman Brothers Band were among the many rock bands that performed there before it closed in 1971. On March 8, 1968, Bill Graham opened the Fillmore East in what had been a Yiddish Theatre on Second Avenue at East 6th Street in the Yiddish Theater District. The venue quickly became known as "The Church of Rock and Roll", with
At Fillmore East Phil Walden explained to executives that the band were less of a studio band and that live performances were most important to them. In all, the album featured seven songs spread over four vinyl sides. The album received strong initial sales. While previous albums by the band had taken months to hit the charts (often near the bottom of the top 200), the record started to climb the charts after a matter of days. "At Fillmore East" peaked at number thirteen on "Billboard" Top Pop Albums chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America that October.