What was your first music festival? How was it?

[steve(thelil)]

I posted this on the Alley because for some people it would be a jazz festival and for some a rock festival, and for some it was a macarena festival. OK, maybe not.

I think my first one was Watkins Glenn (which was officially called "Summer Jam" I think)

My parents didn't allow me to go to Woodstock, which was crushing. When the movie came out the next year, what I wanted more than anything else was the chance to attend something like that. I remember having a fight with my girlfriend for not feeling the same way and suggesting that it was something that maybe i should do with my friends.

I wasn't even planning to go to Watkins Glenn (3 years after Woodstock I think). But I remember listening to Alison Steele on WNEW late in the night on Thursday (the Fest was Saturday) and hearing her say that the (hippie) tribes were all heading en masse for Watkins Glenn and I drove to my friend Jeff, threw rocks at his window, woke him up, and we were off.

I had a great time, even thought we brought NO food, no change of clothes and I had a bum LSD trip (my first LSD) and I guy with a REAL bum trip tried to strangle my friend Jeff.

Good times!

[stonemonkts]

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[steve(thelil)]

I was there too. We camped for several days nearby before attending it. I was inebriated and stoned 24/7. Strongest memory I have from the experience was kissing Karen Porpurro, a girl who barely acknowledged my existence before that weekend.

How about after that weekend?

[BFrank]

Probably Montreux in '78.

Never been much of a festival fan, though. Although I make an exception for SXSW, which I've been going to for the past several years. But that's because it's a different format than your typical 'outdoor multi-stage large field' event.

[stonemonkts]

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[Jazzooo]

Lol, steve.

Mine was a Love-In on Mother's Day. I was 12 or 13. Santana, Grateful Dead, Lee Michaels, a group called Tarantula. First ever tongue kiss and also first sucking of a nipple when I led the lovely Georgia K, who was completely smashed, over to the San Diego State College music building to play her a new tune I've written. Awesome day!

[Monte Smith]

I have yet to make a music festival and I expect it will suck.

[John L]

My father took me to what may have been the first large rock festival, before Monterey Pop, Woodstock and all that: The Magic Mountain Rock Festival up on Mount Tamalpais - Summer of 67.

Light My Fire was hot on the charts, and I saw the Doors do it live there.

[hornplayer]

My father took me to what may have been the first large rock festival, before Monterey Pop, Woodstock and all that: The Magic Mountain Rock Festival up on Mount Tamalpais - Summer of 67.

Light My Fire was hot on the charts, and I saw the Doors do it live there.

But John, Light My Fire was made famous by Jose Feliciano. The Doors covered it.

My first festival was the very first Playboy Jazz Festival in Chicago, Summer of either 59 or 60. I worked a temp job at Playboy, filling orders for the tickets, and in addition to making the rather high sum of (I think) $5 an hour, they also offered us free tickets to our choice of festival concerts. I remember hearing Ella Fitzgerald with a trio that included Count Basie on piano. (I don't remember who played bass and drums. ) also Dave Brubeck.

Here's a link I uncovered about the festival. It was 1959. http://la-confidential-magazine.com/liv ... l-35-years

[Douglas]

Although not really in the same spirit, the Banlieues bleues festival round Paris was probably my first festival, where in the good hands of John L my horizons were exploded right open. Seeing Cecil Taylor for the first time was a highlight, then ICP etc. The programming was excellent.

[Jazzooo]

Festivals in Southern CA in the '60s were amazing opportunities for a musical sponge like me. Another one, shortly after the first, was called the Gnurl Festival: Chicago (the week of their first album, so they were basically unknown in my neck of the woods), Country Joe and the Fish, and I think Santana again.

Also Newport Pop Festival in '68 with Eric Burden and the New Animals (they did Sky Pilot), Arthur Lee, Jefferson Airplane, Blue Cheer...those are the only acts I remember. I was 13! Look at how Wikipedia describes it--come to think of it, I do remember the Chamnbers Brothers and Steppenwolf too:

"The first Newport Pop Festival was held at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, on the weekend of August 3–4, 1968. It is believed to have been the first pop music concert attended by more than 100,000 paying concertgoers.
The 1968 event was originally scheduled to be held inside the Orange County Fairgrounds in an outdoor pavilion. The fairgrounds are on Newport Boulevard just a short distance from Newport Beach, thus the name. The 1968 event advance ticket sales were triple what was expected and it became evident that there was no place inside the fairgrounds that a stage could be set up where even over 25,000 people could see the show let alone the near 100,000 now expected. In the last three days before the show it was moved to one of the adjoining parking lots of the fairgrounds. Fencing, staging, sanitation, and food concessions had to be organized in just a three-day period. None of the commercial concessionaires were prepared for the event and they all ran out of food and drink half the way through the first day. Water was provided throughout the event by garden hoses from inside the fairgrounds but attendees had to give up their viewing spot to go for the water and provide their own containers. There were plenty of porta-pottys available at the rear of the hastily-assembled "grounds". There was no shade in the primary viewing area and partiers were sunburned. The weather was a typical August sunny Southern California day. Those without hotel reservations had no place to stay. Fortunately, City officials helped to alleviate some of the problems by designating a 32-acre (130,000 m2) area of the fairgrounds as an emergency camp site. They also brought in portable toilets and water tanks. This particular event inaugurated some of the problems rock festival promoters would face in the future.
Harvey "Humble Harve" Miller, one of Los Angeles Top-40 disc jockeys (on 93 KHJ-AM) was used by the promoters to promote the show and hosted the event with Wavy-Gravy. Wesco productions (West Coast productions) consisted of Mark Robinson, Gary Schmidt and Al Schmidt although Humble Harv was used on advertising for promotional purposes. Tom Neito of Scenic Sounds Productions also assisted in securing the fairgrounds and was paid a fee and received some promotional billing. Mark Robinson had been involved with Bob Blodget in staging a much smaller similar weekend festival in 1967 in Los Angeles.[1] There never was a 2nd edition of this event and its prominence faded from memory until, on August 4, 2008, Jeff Overley penned a feature article for the Orange County Register [2] that commemorated the 40th anniversary of the event.
The big hits with the crowd were Tiny Tim, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe McDonald, The Chambers Brothers, and Steppenwolf."

[Jazzooo]

Hoy crap--google is turning up the POSTERS from these festivals I attended! I forgot: Canned Heat lead the bill with the Dead and Santana on Mother's Cay; and POCO--my favorites--were on the bill with Chicago.

Amazing times, and all that music for about $4.