just announced: (the following is the press release I just got from LiveNation)

When doors open to Todd Rundgren’s Philadelphia concert on April 27th, 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. On top of the significant renovations that the venue underwent last year, hardwood floors are being installed, the walls will be painted a deep red hue and three large 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 the Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia music fans will undoubtedly appreciate the new traditions and aesthetic that will infuse the reconfigured club, which upon Todd Rundgren’s christening concert, will be known as The Fillmore Philadelphia.

“The Fillmore is a highly regarded music venue whose impact on music resonates far beyond the walls of the actual building itself,” said Bruce Eskowitz Live Nation’s Chief Executive Officer of North American Music. “By adapting some of the Fillmore traditions to such a strong venue, we hope to make the concert experience even better for Philadelphia music fans.”

With the launch of The Fillmore Philadelphia and The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, which opens its doors on April 11th, 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 Pennsylvania native son, Todd Rundgren, will open The Fillmore Philadelphia. The Fillmore San Francisco has a rich history of supporting local artists. In the 60s, the venue and its founder, Bill Graham, nurtured the development of many local artists including Grateful Dead, Santana, and Jefferson Airplane. The Fillmore exposed these soon-to-be superstars to thousands of San Francisco music fans, providing the bands with a community venue that played an integral role in launching their careers.

The Theatre of Living Arts, a South Street institution, has been everything from a late night cinema to Counter Culture reparatory theater to, most recently, an acclaimed live music venue. Known to Philadelphians as the TLA, the venue has been a catalyst in the careers of several local Philadelphia artists including The Roots, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, and G. Love & Special Sauce. The TLA has also become a major stop for up-and-coming bands and superstar acts for nearly 20 years, with historic shows from Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, The Arcade Fire, Paul Simon, Jane's Addiction, Justin Timberlake, Radiohead, Nickelback, Norah Jones and John Mayer to name just a few.

“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.”

A number of highly acclaimed artists are scheduled to play the The Fillmore Philadelphia including Chris Cornell on April 22nd, Peter Bjorn & John on May 3rd, Amy Winehouse on May 6th, and Air on May 8th.

Doors open at 8pm for the inaugural event at The Fillmore Philadelphia. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 6th.

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REFLECTIONS OF A ROCK LOBSTER

Lame. They should call it CBGB Deux or TGI Fridays.

This blows. The Fillmore was legendary in its day and the TLA was a unique Philadelphia institution. Now, they're diluting the former and eradicating the latter.

Why does everything have to get turned into a franchise? I eagerly await the eventual debut of the Fillmore Spokane, the Fillmore Boise and the Fillmore Albany.

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"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." — Woody Allen

(Avatar stolen from this nifty project.)

I guess they feel it is necessary to compete with the House of Blues, the Hard Rock, etc.

I kind of feel the same as Winston, but it sounds like they already have an upgraded calendar-the upcoming bands look more like electric factory shows, as TLA's monthly calendar was beginning to look a bit weak. Might just be my personal choice in music, though.

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Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

i agree completely with Winston but refuse to admit it because it implies i agree with alesis!
goodbye local institution, hello, fake other local institution remade brand

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SITUATION: MOISTURIZED
thor must be failing -

that's just a damn shame. see you at the air concert...hehe

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Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

Try to keep an open mind folks; it may actaully be an improvement. Someone is investing their own $$ to try something new. If you are predisposed not to like it, stay home. The rest of use will give it a shot and just maybe it will be more popular than TLA (or possibly not). If it wasn't for change you's bed watching rock bands at ye olde blacksmith forge and disco with an outhouse in back.

That actually reminds me of music festival I went to, and you're right: Listening to music without intensive investment and corporate involvement is a travesty against mankind. Just think about those horse and buggy days when people could just play music anywhere. Oh the lost service charges and merch sales alone turn my stomach.