The Fox Theatre

• 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta GA
• Opened: 1929, as a "movie palace"
• Capacity: 4675
• Note: In 1974, a massive campaign saved the building from demolition. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

The "Fabulous" Fox Theatre

1971

• Grateful Dead - March 18
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - August 4

1972

• "Live entertainment on a regular basis is projected for the Fox Theater under plans announced today. The first offering under this new format will be rock concerts by both Humble Pie and the J. Geils Band." --Atlanta Journal, by Scott Cain, Friday, October 27, 1972
• "Cin-A-Rock Show" - motion picture Free, with live music - Dr John with The Meters, Wet Willie, Buckwheat - November  29-December 5
• Humble Pie, J. Geils Band, Marc Benno - December 14

1973

• America, "introducing John David Souther" - March 1
• Procol Harum, Doobie Brothers, Tranquility - April 26
• Johnny Winter, Foghat - May 16-17
• The Dells, The Detroit Emeralds, Jackie Moore - July 26
• Clint Holmes, Southside Movement, The Bacchanal, Bro' Malcolm & The Peoples - August 31
• Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, Dalton & Dubarrie - November 2
• Steve Miller Band - November 30
• Blue Oyster Cult, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - December 7
• Jo Jo Gunne, REO Speedwagon, Montrose - December 27

1974

• New Riders of The Purple Sage, Commander Cody - February 15
• Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - March 1
• Genesis - March 8
• Gregg Allman, Cowboy, Boyer & Talton - March 19-20
• Hawkwind & Man present "1999 Party," Liquid Len & The Lensmen (lightshow), DJ Andy Dunkley - March 29
• Todd Rundgren's Utopia - April 25
• War - April 29
• James Taylor - May 16
• Mott The Hoople, Queen - May 17
• David Bowie - July 1
• Mountain - August 23
• Hawkwind - October 4
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Charlie Daniels Band, Bob Seger - October 8
• Marshall Tucker Band, Cowboy, Boyer & Talton - October 11
• Billy Joel, Roger McGuinn Band - October 18
• America - November 1
• Graham Central Station, Mother's Finest - November 9
• Dickey Betts American Music Show, Elvin Bishop - November 19
• Todd Rundgren's Utopia - November 21
• La Belle - November 23
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band; Souther, Hillman & Furay - November 27
• Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge, Billy Swan - November 30
• Gregg Allman, Cowboy, Boyer & Talton - December 31

The Allman Brothers & The Grateful Dead

Several acts from the 1969 July 4th weekend Atlanta International Pop Festival stayed in town to participate in a free concert Monday, July 7th, in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. (These included Spirit, Chicago Transit Authority, It's A Beautiful Day, and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.) Macon's Allman Brothers Band had not performed at the pop festival, but joined the roster for the Monday concert. The Grateful Dead, also not at the festival, played the free concert, too. It was the first meeting of the two bands, and, by the end of the day, their first jam together. The history of both bands would come to include their shared propensity for extensive jams. The Allmans, in July 1969, were already familiar with The Dead, having seen them at the December 1968 Miami Pop Festival. The Allman Brothers Band formed in early Spring of 1969, and by July they drew substantial crowds for their spontaneous Sunday performances in Piedmont Park. Their local following had become well-rooted, and the band commuted weekends from Macon to Atlanta to showcase what they'd worked on during the week. Their eponymous first album would be released in November that year by Phil Walden's Capricorn Records.

Jerry Garcia, photo by Bill Fibben
The Great Speckled Bird,
Vol, 3, No. 20, May 18, 1970

May 10, 1970, the Grateful Dead were booked to perform at Atlanta's Sports Arena. Their equipment was stuck in Boston, the fault of their airline. The Allman Brothers generously loaned them their gear to ensure The Dead could fulfill their engagement. (The ABBs had played the Georgia Tech coliseum the night before.) It helped that the two bands were of a similar configuration. One photo, taken by Bill Fibben of The Great Speckled Bird, confirms the story. The Allman Brothers Band was not on the bill, but Duane, Gregg, Berry Oakley, and Butch Trucks joined The Dead in a legendary jam to close out the show, including "Will The Circle Be Unbroken."

The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers continued to cross paths and share stages for years.