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A club now destroyed was permanently placed in Ann Arbors rich music history on August 15th 1967 when Jimi Hendrix played a one night only show there.
50 YEARS OF THE WHO
Day One of The Who's first ever US tour and we kick off in Ann Arbor, Michigan where the group play the Fifth Dimension Club. Commenting on the gig, one fan said, “The finale was 'My Generation' which devolved into that incredible climax of feedback and equipment destruction. This particular crowd had no way to know what was happening - this was The Who’s first tour in the US. I recall the owner of the club picking up this spewing smoke bomb - it was the size of a juice can - and running outside with it. Townshend’s guitar was smashed and rammed through an amplifier, Entwistle threw down his bass on the floor (that explains the chunk missing, I thought at the time) and the entire band disappeared from the back of the stage.
Fifth Dimension was a bowling alley, Twentieth Century Lanes. It was converted into a concert venue designed by Rich Ahern. The building later became a restaurant (The Whiffle Tree).
Additional information on the 5th Dimension and the history of Ann Arbor music during this period is available in the June 20, 1975 issue of Ann Arbor Sun available through the Ann Arbor District Library.
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More information
Ugly Things – a national magazine covering “the overlooked music of the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s & beyond” – has published an article by Frank Uhle about The Fifth Dimension, a downtown Ann Arbor teen nightclub that operated from 1966-1968.
- Jimi Hendrix 5th Dimension poster from allposters; photo Wilson Lindsey
- Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll By David A. Carson
You gotta make it to the Fifth Dimension, man, really. Michigan's most talked about teen club. In person tomorrow night and Friday, by popular demand, the all girl group - how's this for a name - the Pleasure Seekers. I'm gonna go out there! Headlining is Bob Seger's Last Heard, all appearing in a fantastic show. The Fifth Dimension, featuring three exciting stages, carpeted sitting mound, fifty-foot bar and a boutique with mod fashions. The new world of the Fifth Dimension, so make it a date, tomorrow night and Friday, at eight o'clock! The Fifth Dimension, 218 West Huron, downtown Ann Arbor.
