The Long-Gone But Not-Forgotten 1970s Music Venues of the East Village: Walking Tour

Join Ann McDermott and travel back to the East Village of the 1960s and ‘70s, when the music was rocking, apartments were cheap, and you had to show up in person to buy a ticket! Visit 11 venues, including the Fillmore East, the Bottom Line, and CBGBs, where careers were launched, and stars were born.

We’ll visit the sites of the legendary Fillmore East, the long-gone CBGBs, and the Bottom Line, places that launched the careers of some of the biggest names in music. We’ll also walk to some lesser known, but no less significant, sites where artists honed their craft and first gained a following, places like Club 82, On the Rocks, and Great Gildersleeves. We’ll talk about the Village Voice, the bible for the music fans of the 1970s, and how the music industry of the era showcased new artists. Were you at The Bottom Line in 1975 when Bruce Springsteen first blew the socks off the music world with Born to Run?  Or did you see Patti Smith at CBGBs in 1976 after the release of Horses?  What a show!  We’ll also revisit some of the legendary shows of The Who and Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore East, as well as the New York Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center.

Along the way, we’ll dip our toes into the world of disco at the site of Infinity, a dance club destroyed by fire in 1979. We’ll also pay homage to the landmark Tower Records store that, for a few brief years, became the destination for every music-lover in New York.