Mothers of Invention, April 1968, Fillmore East
Artwork by Helen Hersh

The Mothers of Invention played the Fillmore East with the barely veiled threat, “Last NY Appearance ‘Til Peace.” The Fillmore East scheduled Friday and Saturday night shows at 8 and 11:30pm, and the original plan was to clear and clean up the theatre in between shows. The schedule soon evolved into an opening band set that started closer to 9pm. The headline group appeared on stage around 11:30 followed by the second band, and the opening band closed the show. On this timetable, concerts frequently lasted until 3am. The new arrangement allowed the promoter to sell two shows but mix the audiences, and according to lightshow extraordinaire Joshua White, “Nobody seemed to object.” The Mothers of Invention, at this juncture of their career, were gearing up for the release of We’re Only in It for the Money, the satirical masterpiece that makes fun of hippies.

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