With 2 stages, The Fillmore Philadelphia set to open

“It was stupid.”

That’s how Ron Bension bluntly describes Live Nation’s previous attempt at bringing the Fillmore music brand to Philadelphia in 2007.

It was eight years ago when South Street’s Theatre of Living Arts suddenly had a new name thanks to its owners, Live Nation: The Fillmore at the TLA.

The ham-fisted Fillmore push lasted only one year before the Theatre of Living Arts got its name back, much to the delight of offended fans.

The Fillmore brand left town in 2008 and will make its much-ballyhooed return Thursday night when The Fillmore Philadelphia opens its doors for the first time, hosting a sold out kick-off show featuring Philadelphia’s own Hall & Oates.

This time things will be different for Fillmore and Philadelphia, promises Bension, CEO of Live Nation’s House of Blues Entertainment division, who oversees 57 theaters and clubs nationally.

“That was just slapping the brand on something and that’s wrong. That was a storied name in music and it was something you shouldn’t do,” he says, looking over his new venue as construction crews finished their work. “Live Nation made a mistake, but if you walk in here, you’ll go, ‘This works.’”

The new venue is in an area that straddles the city’s up-and-coming Fishtown and Northern Liberties neighborhoods – a place that already has a healthy roster of smaller music venues like Johnny Brenda’s, Kung Fu Necktie, The Fire and The Barbary.

The Fillmore Philadelphia is actually two clubs in one. The club’s main hall holds up to 2,500 standing and 1,200 seated. A smaller, 450-person club on its top floor, The Foundry, will host music showcases, local acts and developing artists.

It’s part of a $32 million entertainment complex that is transforming the once desolate area into a hive of activity with a 24-lane bowling alley and Philadelphia Distilling also opening on site, across from the SugarHouse Casino.

While the The Fillmore Philadelphia is not “slapping the brand” on an existing venue, it is an existing building. The venue is housed in the completely refurbished former Ajax Metal Co., a metalworking complex first opened in 1907.

With the artistically-inclined Fishtown and Northern Liberties neighborhoods surrounding the new venue, the Fillmore’s new Philadelphia home is a more proper fit, organizers say. This is the sixth Fillmore-branded theater in the House of Blues portfolio, leaning on a brand that was developed in the 1960s by famed concert promoter Bill Graham, who died in 1991.

“This is not McDonald’s. It’s a small, selective footprint. It has a great music lineage from the Fillmore East and the Fillmore West to the San Francisco Fillmore, which is still there,” Bension says. “Philadelphia is a wonderful music market and that heritage fits. And there’s a soul to this place. We wouldn’t just plop this down anywhere.”

Even before The Fillmore Philadelphia, Live Nation was the biggest player in the city’s concert business, already presenting its shows at venues like Wells Fargo Center, Susquehanna Bank Center, Tower Theatre, Theatre of Living Arts, the Festival Pier and even Jay Z’s annual Made in America festival.

With plenty of competitors out there from the Electric Factory, Union Transfer and World Cafe Live to smaller venues like Johnny Brenda’s, Boot & Saddle and North Star Bar, some see a glut of stages even as Philadelphia’s music scene gets national attention, especially in the indie rock world.

World Cafe Live founder Hal Real isn’t sure every room will survive, but he says the city “desperately needed” a proper 2,500-person venue, looking past the rough-around-the-edges Electric Factory.

“None of us have a crystal ball, but like any business in a capitalistic society, some will make it and some won’t,” Real says. “But it’s a great addition to the Philadelphia music scene. You look at the prime time music calendar in Philadelphia now and there can be five or six shows you want to check out. And that’s awesome. I’ve always said that should be our goal – to have that kind of a scene.”

For his part, Bension dismisses concerns of an over-saturated market, saying more shows means more fans.

“We’ve heard this before. At first there’s grumbling, but ultimately the market settles everything down. It tends to grow the market,” he says. “The more bands we can bring in and the more shows we have, the more people will have an opportunity to see live music. I don’t think this is a zero-sum game.”

Live Nation is touting The Fillmore Philadelphia as a showcase venue for the entertainment giant, offering customer-centric perks like VIP seating, small batch liquors, craft beers and a food menu that includes everything from Philly favorites like cheesesteaks to more refined options like cheese plates and charcuteries.

A high-end cocktail lounge called Circle Bar will be located on the second floor with its own VIP service and private entry.

“We want to provide a full evening of entertainment. I don’t view an evening out on a roller mat, showing a concert and sending people on their merry way,” Bension says. “We want people to relax and lounge around.”

IF YOU GO

Venue: The Fillmore Philadelphia, 1100 Canal St., Philadelphia. (215) 625-368. thefillmorephilly.com.

History: The Fishtown rock club is housed within the transformed Ajax Metal Co, which dates back to 1907.

Stages: The main hall has a capacity of 2,500 (general admission/standing) or 1,200 (seated). The top floor houses The Foundry, a separate, smaller club. Its seated shows can hold 250 with 450 standing. Foundry includes four bars with food service, more than 15 TVs showing a stream of the show and in-seat VIP service.

Food and drink: Small batch liquors, local and national craft beers and wine will be available. A full menu will also be offered with everything from bratwursts and hamburgers to cheesesteaks and cheese plates.

Lounge: The Fillmore will also include an upscale lounge called Circle Bar on the second floor. Expect VIP service, private entry, cocktails and craft beers.

Upcoming show highlights: Hall & Oates (Thursday), Brandi Carlile (Oct. 11), Joe Walsh (Oct. 12), Tove Lo (Oct. 17), Disclosure (Oct. 19 and 20), Aer (Oct. 24), Cold War Kids (Oct. 28), moe. (Oct. 30 and 31), Gary Clark Jr. (Nov. 1), AWOLNATION (Nov. 10), The 1975 (Dec. 5) and The Arcs (Dec. 16).