47th Anniversary of Monterey Pop Festival

 
 This week marks the 47th Anniversary of the Monterey International Pop Festival. It was held June 16th - 18th, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, in Monterey California in 1967. It was the "summer of love" in America. It was all about drugs, sex, peace, individualism, civil rights, equality,  rebellion and great music. Vietnam was gaining disapproval by the country, mostly the youth. Protests and riots were common on school campuses and in front of governmental buildings. With all this chaos going on, there was one thing that was common among this generation, it was the music.

 200,000 people attended the Monterey Pop Festival over it's three day run. That was the most people at a music festival at the time. They played the fairgrounds, concession stands all around. Many big name musicians who didn't play the festival were in attendance also. The bands that played were The Association, The Paupers, Lou Rawls, Beverly, Johnny Rivers, Eric Burdon and The Animals, Simon and Garfunkel, Canned Heat, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Country Joe and The Fish, Al Kooper, Butterfield Blues Band, Electric Flag, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band, Moby Grape, Hugh Masekela, The Byrds, Laura Nyro, Jefferson Airplane, Booker T and The MG's, Mar-Keys, Otis Reding, Ravi Shankar, Blues Project, Group With No Name, Buffalo Springfield (with David Crosby), The Who, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Scott McKenzie and The Mamas and The Papas. Talk about a stacked bill! These bands were the chart toppers, the best of the best. There was no moshing around, no fighting, no violence, period. People sat or stood holding hands, cheering, singing along, and showing the world that large groups of people can get together and enjoy something without any violence or prejudices.

The two performances that stick out to most people, are The Who and Jimi Hendrix. The Who and Jimi both wanted to end their set with a bang. This was The Who's first big US show, and it put them on the map. In Who like fashion, Pete Townshend at the end of "My Generation" smashed his Fender Stratocaster and Super Beetle Amps to smithereens while Keith Moon kicked his drum set all over the place. Jimi Hendrix ended his set with "Wild Thing", and ended up setting his guitar on fire, and hovering over it like a medieval sacrifice. 

 I am 23 years old, and I feel robbed. I feel robbed because my generation has never had anything close to a Monterey Pop Festival or a Woodstock. I know there is plenty of others that feel the same way, and I think because young generations such as myself feel this way, Monterey will always be relevant and celebrated and viewed as a important document of rock n roll history and will never not hear about the festival. Many of those who played the festival have long since passed away, but will never be forgotten. - Tate Thompson