Lily Allen to Play Inaugural Concert at Newly Re-Named Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza

Live Nation Expands Fan-Centric Fillmore Music Venue Concept to New York

City

    LOS ANGELES, March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When doors open to Lily
 Allen's highly-anticipated New York City concert on April 11th, fans will
 notice a difference. Upon entering the venue, there will be fresh apples
 for hungry live music aficionados and a greeter to let them know about
 upcoming shows. The walls will be painted a deep red hue and the
 refurbished chandeliers will shine light on vintage posters, pictures and
 newspaper articles recounting legendary live music performances. After the
 show, a collectible poster commemorating the evening will be distributed to
 concert goers, a tradition that will continue for select shows throughout
 the year.
     To devotees of the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, one of
 contemporary music's most respected and enduring live concert venues, these
 traditions will seem familiar. So while it's no easy task to improve upon
 Irving Plaza, New York music fans will undoubtedly appreciate the new
 traditions and aesthetic that will infuse the reconfigured club, which upon
 Lily Allen's christening concert, will be known as The Fillmore New York at
 Irving Plaza.
     "The Fillmore is a highly regarded music venue whose impact on music
 resonates far beyond the walls of the actual building itself," says Bruce
 Eskowitz Live Nation's Chief Executive Officer of North American Music. "By
 adapting some of the Fillmore traditions to one of the crown jewels in our
 venue portfolio, Irving Plaza, we hope to make the concert going experience
 even better for New York music fans."
     Along with the change in d�cor, the club has improved sightlines in its
 upstairs balcony area with additional improvements to come. Flat screen
 televisions are being placed in key locations throughout the club. Bathroom
 facility renovations are scheduled for this summer, as are upgraded sound
 and lighting systems. Behind the scenes, artist dressing rooms have been
 overhauled and upgraded.
     With the launch of The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza and The
 Fillmore Philadelphia, which is planned for late April, Live Nation hopes
 to establish a live music brand to complement its 11 House of Blues clubs
 across the country. Along with the Fillmore San Francisco, Denver's
 Fillmore Auditorium is one of the company's most successful mid-size
 venues.
     It's fitting that the ultra-hot Lily Allen will open the improved club.
 The Fillmore, both in its San Francisco location and in its three and a
 half year incarnation as The Fillmore East (1968-1971) in lower Manhattan,
 has a rich history of importing cutting edge new artists from England. Led
 Zeppellin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath and many other UK artists
 played either the Fillmore in San Francisco or the Fillmore East in the
 beginning of their careers. Of course the storied venues were host to
 seminal American music artists as well, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis
 Joplin, Grateful Dead, Santana and The Allman Brothers to name a few.
     But what makes the 40 year-old Fillmore Auditorium such an enduring
 live music brand is the fact that it has also played a role in the career
 of such important artists as The Ramones, X, Prince, Tom Petty, Coldplay,
 The Strokes and The White Stripes, to name a few, and continues to identify
 cutting edge talent on their way up through the touring ranks.
     Irving Plaza has an esteemed history itself as one of New York City's
 premiere music venues. Converted into a musical venue after years as a
 Polish dance hall, it has hosted such superstar artists as U2, Dave
 Matthews Band, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
 continues to be a major stepping stone on the career path of hundreds of
 artists every year, including such important new bands as My Morning Jacket
 and The Arcade Fire.
     "The bottom line is that The Fillmore means something to artists and to
 fans," said original Fillmore East house manager and longtime Bill Graham
 associate Jerry Pompili. "It was more than just a building. It was a new
 concept in the presentation of Rock n' Roll. There is no better venue in
 New York City to carry on the traditions we started 40 years ago than
 Irving Plaza. It's a beautiful thing."
     The opening evening at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza will kick
 off at 8:00 p.m., featuring DJ Aaron LaCrate and the Los Angeles-based duo
 The Bird and the Bee followed by Lily Allen.
     About Live Nation
     Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is
 to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest
 promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment
 venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We
 create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours
 for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones,
 Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have
 booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues,
 including House of Blues(R) music venues and prestigious locations such as
 The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and
 London's Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most
 popular entertainment/event websites in the United States, according to
 Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host
 theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events.
 In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers
 at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world.
 Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New
 York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV."
 
 

SOURCE Live Nation