The Fillmore at the TLA in Philadelphia recently underwent a name change, part of Live Nation’s cross-country re-branding of several of its theaters. The venue has quietly returned to its original name, Theatre of the Living Arts aka TLA.
Other Live Nation owned Fillmores include the Fillmore at Irving Plaza in New York, the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre, Fillmore Detroit (formerly State Theatre), the Fillmore in Denver, CO, and the original theater in San Francisco, CA.
Live Nation did not only change the building’s moniker, it also changed the interiors to reflect the vibe of promoter Bill Graham’s original Fillmore Auditorium that were located in San Francisco and later New York as the Fillmore East.
The Fillmore re-branding was curious at best when initially rolled out. It made sense perhaps in Miami Beach where there are a lot of transported New Yorkers from the late 1960’s. But it made no sense in Philadelphia where the Electric Factory was the equivalent of the Fillmore.
