Eastown Theatre

Eastown Theatre, 8041 Harper Avenue, Detroit, MI

Originally a movie theater that operated from 1930 until 1967, it was also a big concert venue from 1969 thru 1973 seating 2,500 people. It was forced to shut down in 1973 by the city of Detroit, cited for failing to meet health and safety codes. In 1975, it reopened as a jazz venue, which remained in operation for about a year. After this, it was used for a short time for performing arts and live theater, but again closed down. In 1980, the Eastown began to show adult films under a new name, the Showcase, but closed again in 1984. From 1984 until 1990, the Eastown was again home to a performing arts group. During the mid-90s, the Eastown hosted raves, and later housed a church. Today, the building is closed, abandoned and for sale.

May 29, 1969: SRC / Teegarden & Van Winkle / Savage Grace / Catfish "Grand Opening Night"

June 6-7, 1969: MC5 (6-7) / Illinois Speed Press (6-7) / The Stooges (6) / Up (7)

June 13-14, 1967: The Bonzo Dog Band (13-14) / Smokestack Lightning (13-14) / Wilson Mower Pursuit (13) / Frijid Pink (14)

June 27-28, 1969: The Buddy Miles Express / The Amboy Dukes / Rush

July 6, 1969 Eastown Theater, Detroit, MI (The Stooges)

July 11-12, 1969 Eastown Theater, Detroit, MI (Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thorton, Head Over Heels)

July 13, 1969: The Stooges / MC-5 / Up "Legal Self Defense Presents The People Of Michigan Salute John Sinclair for his Heroic Work in the Community"

July 18-19, 1969: Howlin' Wolf / SRC / 20th Century Zoo

July 25-26, 1969: Grand Funk Railroad / Howlin' Wolf (unconfirmed)

August 1-2, 1969: Sweetwater / Head Over Heels/ The Früt

August 8-9, 1969: Alice Cooper / Savage Grace / All the Lonely People

August 13, 1969: Terry Reid

Eastown closes until mid-September after this above gig......

September 19-20, 1969: B. B. King / Albert King / Savoy Brown

September 26-27, 1969: Eric Burdon & War / Mountain / The Flock

October 3-4, 1969: The Steve Miller Band / Pacific Gas & Electric / Head Over Heels

October 10-11, 1969: Savage Grace / The Stuart Avery Assemblage / Carousel / Shiva

October 17, 1969: Sly & The Family Stone / Lee Michaels

October 18, 1969 Eastown Theatre, Detroit, MI

October 24-25, 1969: The Chambers Brothers / Lighthouse / Aum

October 31, 1969: Spirit / Blodwyn Pig / Canned Heat

November 1, 1969: Spirit / Blodwyn Pig / Taj Mahal

November 11-12, 1969: Jefferson Airplane / The Sons / King Crimson

November 28-29, 1969: Chicago

December 5-6, 1969: Fleetwood Mac / The Buddy Miles Express / Eric Mercury

December 12-13, 1969: The Litter / Love Sculpture / Valhalla / All the Lonely People

December 19-20, 1969: Terry Reid / Zephyr / Head Over Heels / Catfish

December 26-27, 1969: The Flock / The Stooges / Savage Grace

December 31, 1969: Grand Funk Railroad / Savage Grace / Head Over Heels /Bobby Franklin Insanity

January 2-3, 1970: Alice Cooper / The Flamin' Groovies / SRC

January 9-10, 1970: MC5 / Kaleidoscope / Mr. Clean First night the MC5 set cut short by fire! and the second night was canceled due to previous night's fire (MC5 played at Grande Ballroom instead).

January 16-17, 1970: Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (16-17) / The Tea (16) / Head Over Heels (16-17) / Jack Burningtree (16-17) / The Früt (17)

January 23-24, 1970: Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes / Cold Blood / Steve Booker

January 25, 1970: MC5 / Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels / The Rationals / The Bob Seger System / Wilson Mower Pursuit / Commander Cody / All the Lonely People / Speakers: Ed Sanders, Skip Taube "Free John Sinclair Fund Benefit"

January 30-31, 1970: Alice Cooper / The Stooges / The Früt

February 6-7, 1970: Chuck Berry / The Flamin' Groovies / The Woolies

February 13-14, 1970: Jack Bruce & Friends (13-14) / Savage Grace (13) / The Tea (13-14) / Steve Booker (13-14) / Teegarden & Van Winkle (14)

February 20, 1970: Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes / The Frost / Brownsville Station

February 27-28, 1970: Savoy Brown / Renaissance (with Keith Relf) / Southwind

March 6-7, 1970: Ten Years After / Pig Iron / Fiddler Crab

March 13-14, 1970: War (with Eric Burdon) / Family / Shiva

March 20-21, 1970: Joe Cocker / Mountain / Stone The Crows

March 27-28, 1970: John Mayall (27) / Savage Grace (27-28) / Rose (27-28) / The Rationals (27-28) / Taj Mahal (28)

April 3-4, 1970: Rod Stewart & The Faces / Zephyr / Argent

April 10-11, 1970: Lee Michaels (10-11) / Ronnie Hawkins (10-11) / The Bump (10) / Savage Grace (11)

April 24-25, 1970: Pink Floyd / The Frost

May 1-3, 1970: Rod Stewart & The Faces (1-3) / Hard Meat (1-2) / Justice (1-2) / The Tea (1) / Richmond (2-3) / Savoy Brown (3)

May 8-9, 1970: Blue Cheer / Troyka / John Drake's Shakedown

May 15-16, 1970: Savage Grace / Fairport Convention / Cradle

May 20, 1970: Mountain / Savage Grace

May 22-23, 1970: Lee Michaels / Cold Blood / Sky

May 29-30, 1970: Jethro Tull / Mott The Hoople / Shorty (with Georgie Fame) / Clouds

June 5-6, 1970: Traffic (5-6) / The Third Power (5) / Steve Booker (5-6) /Justice (6 and maybe 5 too)

June 12-13, 1970: Dr. John / Gypsy / Catfish

June 19-20, 1970: Ten Years After / Ambergris / Salvage

June 26-27, 1970: Procol Harum / Brethren / Cradle

July 3-4, 1970: The Stooges / Blodwyn Pig / John Drake's Shakedown

July 10-11, 1970: Leon Russell / Savage Grace / All the Lonely People

July 14, 1970: Jethro Tull / Cactus / Justice

July 17-18, 1970: Cactus / The Frost / The Up

July 23-25, 1970: Procol Harum / Silver Metre / Everlon Nevermore

July 31 and August 1, 1970: Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes / Toe Fat / The Rationals

August 7-8, 1970: closed due to the Goose Lake Pop Festival...

August 14-15, 1970: Johnny Winter / Alice Cooper / Tin House

August 21-22, 1970: The Frost / Savage Grace / Chicken Shack / Justice

September 4-5, 1970: Fleetwood Mac / The Stooges / Springwell

September 11-12, 1970: Savoy Brown (11-12) / Illusion (11-12) / The Frost (11) / Justice (12)

September 18-19, 1970: Mountain / Mylon / Cradle / Humble Pie / Magic Veil

September 25-26, 1970: Cactus (25-26) / The Bob Seger System (25) / Universal Family (25-26) / Frijid Pink (26)

October 2-3, 1970: Lee Michaels / Catfish / Hard Meat

October 9-10, 1970: Alice Cooper / Cradle / Mutzie / Chicken Shack (unconfirmed)

October 16-17, 1970: Rod Stewart & The Faces / Mungo Jerry / Haystack's Balboa

October 23-24, 1970: Steve Miller Band / Brethren / Lights by Magic Veil

October 28, 1970: Jethro Tull

October 30-31, 1970: Leon Russell / Clouds / Ballin' Jack

November 6-7,1970: Procol Harum (6) / Mylon (6-7) / May Blitz (6-7) / Power of Zeus (6-7) / Traffic (7)

November 13-14, 1970: Mott The Hoople (cancelled) / The Stooges / Skid Row / Illusion / Allman Brothers Band

November 20-21, 1970: The Edgar Winter Group / The Frost

November 25-26, 1970: Savoy Brown / Black Sabbath / Quartermass

November 27-28, 1970: Elton John / If / Catfish / Jam Band (unconfirmed)

December 3, 1970: Derek & The Dominoes / Toe Fat / Damnation of Adam Blessing

December 4-5, 1970: Van Morrison / The Siegel-Schwall Blues Band / David Rea

December 11-12, 1970: The Kinks / Quartermass / The Bob Seger System

December 18-19, 1970: Mountain (18-19) / Mutzie (18) / Milan (18-19) / Humble Pie (18-19; unconfirmed) / Elephant (19)

December 25-26, 1970: Love / Alice Cooper / The Früt

December 31, 1970: Illusion / Sweetwater / Catfish / Mutzie / Head Over Heels / Elephant

January 8-9, 1971: Free / The Siegel-Schwall Blues Band / Hammer

January 15-16, 1971: Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band / Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes / Ry Cooder

January 22-23, 1971: Lee Michaels / Brethren / Salvage

January 29-30, 1971: Canned Heat (29) / Butterfield Blues Band (30) / MC5 (29-30) / The Third Power (29-30)

February 5-6, 1971: Mylon / Spencer Davis & Peter Jameson / Cradle

February 26-27, 1971: The Allman Brothers Band / The J. Geils Band / Mutzie

March 5-6, 1971: Cactus / The J. Geils Band / The Sunday Funnies

March 12-13, 1971: Fleetwood Mac / Black Sabbath / Sir Lord Baltimore

March 19, 1971: Eric Burdon & War / Badfinger / Wishbone Ash

March 20, 1971: Mountain / McKendree Spring / Wishbone Ash

March 26, 1971: Canned Heat / John Lee Hooker / Dada

March 27-28, 1971: Hunble Pie / Johnny Winter / Dada

April 2-3, 1971: The Kinks (2-3) / Mylon (2-3) / Zephyr (2-3) / Bob Seger (3; unconfirmed)

April 9-10, 1971: Butterfield Blues Band / T-Rex / Tower of Power

April 16-17, 1971: Procol Harum / The J. Geils Band / Trapeze

April 23-24, 1971: Emerson, Lake & Palmer / Curved Air / Crowbar / Sweathog

April 30 and May 1, 1971: John Mayall / Mandrill / Randall's Island

May 7-8, 1971: Mott The Hoople / The Siegel-Schwall Blues Band / Swallow

May 14-15, 1971: Lee Michaels / Boz Scaggs / Mason Proffitt

May 21-22, 1971: The Stooges / Illusion / Fanny

May 28-29, 1971: Buddy Miles (28-29) / Teegarden & Van Winkle (28-29) / The Third Power (28) / Mutzie (29)

June 4-5, 1971: Alice Cooper / The Flamin' Groovies / Wild Man Fischer / Glass Harp

June 11-12, 1971: The Allman Brothers Band / The J. Geils Band / Cowboy

June 18-19, 1971: Edgar Winter's White Trash / Mott the Hoople / Sweathog

June 25-26, 1971: The Rascals / Rita Coolidge & The Dixie Flyers / Cradle

July 2-3, 1971: no shows due to the "Detroit Rock Roll Revival" at the State Fairgrounds...

July 9-10, 1971: Bloodrock / The Hampton Grease Band / Suite Charity

July 16-17, 1971: Savage Grace / Humble Pie / Soft Machine / Yes

July 23-24, 1971: Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes / Blue Scepter (formerly SRC) / Glass Harp / The Früt

September 3-4, 1971: Savoy Brown / The Atomic Rooster / Skid Row

September 10-11, 1971: Chuck Berry / The J. Geils Band / The Woolies

September 17-18, 1971: Cactus / Savage Grace / Boomerang

September 24-25, 1971: Mountain / David Rea / Mutzie

October 8-9, 1971: Traffic / Fairport Convention

October 15-16, 1971: Fleetwood Mac / Angus / Tucky Buzzard

October 23-24, 1971: Grateful Dead / New Riders of the Purple Sage

October 26, 1971 Eastown Theatre, Detroit, MI (Pink Floyd)

October 29-30, 1971: Lee Michaels / Mylon LeFevre & Holy Smoke / Rory Gallagher

November 6, 1971 Eastown Theatre, Detroit, MI (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

November 12-13, 1971: Procol Harum / King Crimson / Blues Project

November 15-16, 1971: Emerson, Lake & Palmer / Yes

November 18-19, 1971: "Jesus Christ Superstar"

November 20, 1971 Eastown Theatre, Detroit, MI (The Doors, The Wackers)

November 25-27 (25 not confirmed), 1971: Savoy Brown / Atomic Rooster / Potliquor

December 2, 1971: James Gang / Jake Jones / Julia

December 3-4, 1971: King Crimson / Sweathog / Rock 'N Foo / Wylie

December 9-10, 1971: Humble Pie / The J. Geils Band / The Früt

December 11, 1971: Mountain / Belle Arc / Cradle "last show of venue's original run"

December 13, 1971: Mayor Gribbs makes Detroit safe for Democracy by shutting down the Eastown on this date...

December 17-18, 1971: Dr. John / Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes / Flower Travelling Band "cancelled with love by the City of Detroit..."

July 19, 1973: Joe Walsh / REO Speedwagon / Estus "the Re-Opening of the Eastown..."

August 3-4, 1973 Eastown Theatre, Detroit, MI (Bloodrock, Mahogany Rush)

September 21-22, 1973 Eastown Theatre, Detroit, MI (Quicksilver, White Witch, Marcus)