Here a blast from the past that we just came across and blew us away. Amalie R Rothschild was the in house photographer at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East in New York in its heyday, and captured all the important visitors to the venue, against the background of the incredible light shows that were projected on the screen. These swirling psychedelic light shows formed the backdrop to the musical performances and defined psychedelia in visual terms.
The Joshua Light Show, and later, Joe’s Lights, the pioneering light shows that deservedly received separate billing on the Fillmore East marquee, were the best in the business. As Amalie reflects, "These light shows were performances in their own right. The people behind the scenes who manipulated film, overhead and slide projectors, colour organs, strobe lights and a wealth of other equipment were just as much performers as the musicians onstage."
This is one of our favourite pieces – a montage presented in contact strip format of many different psychedelic lightshow effects. The concentrated bolts of colour and designs are a joy. Behold…..
You can check out Amalie’s other photographs here
