The original Electric Factory was a converted tire factory located at 2201 Arch Street in Philadelphia, that opened with a performance by the Chamber Brothers on February 2, 1968. At the time, music was being played on commercial radio for the first time and small music venues were opening in major cities around the country, filled with small-time performers hoping to be discovered.
Brothers Herbert, Allen, and Jerry Spivak purchased the building and converted it to a 4,5000 seat music venue with the idea of bringing the music revolution of the 60s to Philadelphia. They brought in Larry Magid to handle booking and the Electric Factory was born. Featuring psychedelic light shows popularized in San Francisco venues and refurbished using jungle gyms and coffins to add Philadelphia flare, the Electric Factory soon became the center of the counterculture scene to Philadelphia
Considered a neighborhood nuisance and charged by police commissioner Frank Rizzo with “corrupting the youth,”it was closed in 1970 before being reopened at its present day location on 7th St, twenty-five years later. In its short two year run, this small venue would host a veritable who’s-who of music legends, including the Allman Brothers, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Who and the Grateful Dead. It was a favorite venue stop for Premier Talent, a booking agency who represented superstars including Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk, Tom Petty, Van Halen, and U2.
While these headliners filled the seats, local artists gained opportunity for national recognition as openers, including American Dream, The Nazz, Woody’s Truck Stop, Edison Electric, and Elizabeth. Other unknown acts that gained name recognition here include Whole Oats, who would later become Hall and Oates, and one of the first US performances by Elton John.
Here are accounting records from some of the most memorable performances in the Stagedoor Collection.
The Chamber Brothers headlined at the opening night of the original Electric Factory. Their act included a longer version of “The Time Has Come Today.”Card from the first of several Grateful Dead performances at the Electric Factory, This was a weekend booking with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. According to concert archives, Amboy Dukes and Beymont performed as well as Edison Electric.Jimi Hendrix headlines with local favorites “Woody’s Truck Stop.” Set-up for the show included an entire wall of AMPs. Reportedly, only some of them were plugged in. Soft Machine was supposed to be included in the line-up but had to cancel their first show due to the late arrival of their organElton John headlines for American Dream and Lighthouse. This was his third show played in the US, and he brought down the house as an unknown mystery act.Velvet Underground and The Nazz, a group founded by guitarist and principal songwriter Todd Rundgren before he went solo. Before Nazz, Rundgren was a guitarist with Woody’s Truck Stop, another frequent Electric Factory performer.Record from spectacular performance by Blood Sweat and Tears performing with American Dream and Danny SarobinVan Morrison played the final two shows at the original Electric Factory location with local hometown favorite Edison Electric as the opening act.Fleetwood Mac performance with original band members Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. Rick Vito, who joined the band as a guitarist in 1987, attended the concert as an audience member.Memorable performance with B.B. King opening for Delaney & Bonnie and Eric ClaptonRecord from the first live performance of the full version of “Tommy” by The Who. This was their last small venue performance before making it big.
American Dream and Ten Years After opened for Jeff Beck with lead vocals by Rod Steward, before he left Beck to join Small Faces.Big Brother and the Holding Company performed here while Janis Joplin was still the lead singer. Set list included “ Summertime” and “Piece of My Heart,” both tracks from their new hit album “Cheap Thrills”Sales card from Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce in one of their last performances as Cream Though not indicated on the card, this show was rescheduled for the next weekend, April 19-21. Clapton’s style was heavily influenced by other Electric Factory performers including Crosby Stills and Nash, B.B. King, John Mayall, and Muddy Waters. Clapton got his start in music performing as lead guitarist for Mayall’s Bluebreakers, where he established electric guitar as the instrument of Rock and Roll.Alice Cooper terrified the audience with a staged fake hanging in the middle of his act. He often performed this gimmick during concerts, but the close setting and coffin seating of the Electric Factory made this an especially creepy show.Pink Floyd performed in September of 1970. Link to a recording of the show can be found here. Blubrry PowerPress Player
At the time of closing, the Spivak brothers and Larry Magid had already become major players on the Philadelphia entertainment scene. The promotional firm Electric Factory Concerts had branched out to include shows at the Spectrum, Academy of Music, JFK Stadium, the Bijou cafe, as well as numerous other small venues in the Philadelphia area. In 1995 the Electric Factory opened its second location on 7th St, which they later sold to AEG and Bowery in 2018.
