Electrified:  50 Years of Electric Factory

Paul Peck Alumni Center Gallery - Drexel University

32nd and Market streets, Philadelphia  19104

Friday, December 8th at 2 pm

TTN member: $10 & TTN non-member guest: $15

Don't miss our guided tour of this major exhibition celebrating the impact of Philadelphia-based Electric Factory and Electric Factory Concerts, from the late 1960s to the 2010s.

When the original Electric Factory opened on Arch Street in February 1968, and its impact was immediate, with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Cream appearing in its first three months. Electric Factory Concerts (EFC) began shortly afterwards, mounting the three-day Atlantic City Pop Festival in 1969, just before Woodstock. 

With Larry Magid, as promoter, and Allen Spivak as business manager, EFC became the major concert producer on the east coast, managing thousands of concerts at the Spectrum and other venues. It co-produced Live Aid, partnering with Bob Geldorf, Bill Graham, and Harvey Goldsmith in London, and twenty years later Live 8. In 1995, the second Electric Factory opened in Old City.

This unmissable exhibition includes original posters, photographs, and concert apparel.  An American invention, the electric guitar is the signature instrument of rock.  Visitors will be drawn to Bruce Springsteen’s Fender Telecaster, played in Philadelphia more than any other celebrated guitar; the 6-string bass Jack Bruce used to record Fresh Cream, painted in psychedelic colors for Cream’s 1968 European and US tours; and a late 1950s Gibson Les Paul, regarded by some as the holy grail of electric guitars, played by Mick Taylor at the Spectrum during the Stones’ tour in 1972.

The exhibition includes sections on the early years of Electric Factory, Live Aid, concert sound systems (with a scaled-down stage), the 2nd Electric Factory, and the psychology of rhythm which underlies so much music. An interactive section closes the show, inviting guests to decorate guitars virtually.

Note:  Cancellations will be accepted through December 1.  Should you need to cancel before that date, a credit will be applied to your TTN account for future use.