Bowery presents its purchases from the Philadelphia Power Plant – Variety

Tuesday night, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, on the second date of his "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" farewell tour, Elton John said it was "48 years to the day after playing for the first time in Philadelphia." ".

The first electric plant, located at 22nd and Arch Streets, opened from 1968 to 1970 and was part of a legendary American circuit like Fillmore East (in New York) and Bill Graham's West (San Francisco), Boston Tea Party and Great Detroit. Chicago's Ballroom and Kinetic Playground have contributed to the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Cream, The Who, the Velvet Underground and Led Zeppelin.

Larry Magid, co-owner of Electric Factory, not only took the name of the place (and his anti-establishment attitude) for his independent promotional company, but in 1995 he opened a new electric factory on 7 and Willow, who hosted Erykah Badu, Childish Gambino, St. Vincent and, photo above in 2015, ZZ Top.

But Wednesday, Magid and his partner, Adam Spivak, have announced that they have sold Bowery Presents' 2,200-seat space – and with a new owner, a new name. Bowery Presents is owned by AEG, but the Electric Factory name is controlled by AEG's main competitor, Live Nation. Live Nation representatives did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment.

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The announcement reads: "The use of the legendary name of the electric plant was denied by Live Nation, the former owners of the site. As such, The Bowery Presents has temporarily named the North Seventh site and is turning to Philadelphia's robust music community to create a new permanent nickname.

The Naming Contest is already accepting submissions and will remain open until September 30, 2018. For more information, visit www.NorthSeventhPhilly.com.

"What a race it was," Magid said in a prepared statement. "We would like to thank the hundreds of thousands of fans who attended the more than 2,500 shows at the power plant, from its birthplace to its rebirth in 1995. A special thank you to all the employees, old and new, who worked Over the years and the great acts that marked our scene, we had the privilege of working with you. "

When asked if the current staff of the site would stay, Magid said, "Everyone stays, except someone looking for other opportunities. It's as usual. Keeping the staff was an informal part of the agreement and we thank AEG for that.