Before there was Woodstock, there was the Atlantic City Pop Festival in New Jersey. The iconic summer of ’69 is known for several things – the Stonewall Riots began (June 28th), Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon (July 20th), the Manson murders made headlines (August 8-9), the Miracle Mets began a comeback that would lead them to the World Series (August 14th), and from August 15th-18th, one of the world’s most storied music festivals took place on a farm in Bethel, New York. That festival was Woodstock.
Woodstock is LEGENDARY.
Woodstock Whisperer/Wikipedia Over 400,000 people attended the free concert featuring over 32 musical acts including Joan Baez, Santana, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix.
The festival was packed and plagued by problems.
Mark Goff/Wikipedia Issues included lighting, local traffic, bad weather, food shortages, drug use, and poor sanitation. Things got so bad that the county the festival was in declared a state of emergency.
Still, the festival is considered a defining moment in both music and counterculture history.
Derek Redmond/Wikipedia In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine listed it as number 19 of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.
In contrast, the Atlantic City Pop Festival has been called “the festival that nobody remembers.” Well, we remember it!
Sort of Natural/Flickr The festival took place between August 1-3 at the Atlantic City Racetrack. Over 100,000 guests attended.
The festival was EPIC, but there are few photos and videos of the event.
WhoKnowze/Wikipedia Performers included Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Santana, Little Richard, and Iron Butterfly.
It was the FIRST major music festival on the East Coast.
Mark Gibson/Corbis Documentary Collection/Getty Images Fans came from across the country and even Canada to attend. The event was well-managed but does draw comparisons to Woodstock’s “anything goes” attitude. Drug use, especially marijuana, meant that the audience was practically guaranteed a contact high and Joni Mitchell walked offstage crying, claiming no one was listening to her. Fans climbed light towers, there was theft, and on-and-off rain… Still, security kept things from descending into complete chaos. The festival ended on a high note, with Little Richard bringing down the house.
If you attended the event or are familiar with stories, please share with us in the comments! The Atlantic City Pop Festival deserves attention (and maybe a documentary or two, if any producers are reading). Though the festival didn’t get as much media coverage as it deserved, Rolling Stone DID call Janis Joplin’s performance at the event one of her best ever. You can see a short clip in the video below from YouTube user CraZyFranK:
Woodstock Whisperer/Wikipedia
Over 400,000 people attended the free concert featuring over 32 musical acts including Joan Baez, Santana, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix.
Mark Goff/Wikipedia
Issues included lighting, local traffic, bad weather, food shortages, drug use, and poor sanitation. Things got so bad that the county the festival was in declared a state of emergency.
Derek Redmond/Wikipedia
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine listed it as number 19 of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.
Sort of Natural/Flickr
The festival took place between August 1-3 at the Atlantic City Racetrack. Over 100,000 guests attended.
WhoKnowze/Wikipedia
Performers included Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Santana, Little Richard, and Iron Butterfly.
Mark Gibson/Corbis Documentary Collection/Getty Images
Fans came from across the country and even Canada to attend. The event was well-managed but does draw comparisons to Woodstock’s “anything goes” attitude. Drug use, especially marijuana, meant that the audience was practically guaranteed a contact high and Joni Mitchell walked offstage crying, claiming no one was listening to her. Fans climbed light towers, there was theft, and on-and-off rain… Still, security kept things from descending into complete chaos. The festival ended on a high note, with Little Richard bringing down the house.
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