On this day in 1966, The Doors began their residency at the legendary LA venue the Whisky a Go Go

The Doors formed in mid-1965 and set about recording their first demo in September, which earned them their first residency at a sleazy Los Angeles venue called London Fog. They stayed at the Fog from February to May 1966, and that’s where actress Ronnie Haran, who doubled as talent booker for the Whiskey a Go Go caught one of their shows, and organised for them to audition at the venue. The Whiskey a Go Go had opened in 1964 and was already gaining a reputation as the place to go to see exciting up and coming acts.

Their audition on May 9th caught the eye of the owner, Mario Maglieri and he immediately signed them to be the house band, starting on the 23rd. Over the next three months, The Doors played host to a number of legendary moments, one of them being opening for Van Morrison’s band Them during their two weeks of shows at the Whiskey. On the final night, The Doors joined Them on stage to perform In the Midnight Hour and an extended 20 minute jam of Gloria. Famed frontman for The Doors Jim Morrison also developed his skills extensively over the course of the residency, turning from a sometimes standoffish singer into a charismatic and flamboyant performer.

The residency was going well for both The Doors and the Whiskey a Go Go, with the band drawing huge crowds of fans to see the exciting new band perform. They played two sets almost every night, with their set list including future hits like Light My Fire and Break On Through, as well as their famous closer The End. However, ironically enough it was The End that would finish the band’s residence, on August the 21st. After a rocky night that saw Morrison miss the first set (as he was reportedly tripping on LSD at the Tropicana Hotel), the band began their second set ordinarily enough. Shortly after, Morrison and the band decided that they would mix up their setlist, and play The End early on, with Morrison adding a number of strange vocal ad-libs throughout the brought the venue to a standstill. Towards the end, the adlibs got stranger and included a profanity-riddled take on Oedipus Rex that shocked the crowd, and they were fired by Maglieri as soon as they left the stage.

Fortunately for The Doors, just three days earlier a representative from Elektra Records had attended the show and offered the band a deal, which they’d accepted, allowing them to graduate to making their own albums and touring. Regardless, the bands residency is remembered fondly as being instrumental to the formation of the band, and solidifying the reputation of the Whiskey a Go Go as a place where the next big acts get their start.