Newport Pop Festival

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The Newport Pop Festival took place on August 3rd and 4th, 1968 in Costa Mesa , California . It is considered the first music festival to have more than 100,000 paying visitors. From June 20-22, 1969, Newport 69 (also known as the "Newport 69 Pop Festival") was a new edition in Northridge (Los Angeles) with an estimated 200,000 visitors.

Newport Pop Festival 1968

The Newport Pop Festival was organized by Mark Robinson, Gary Schmidt and his father Al Schmidt at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The well-known DJ Harvey "Humble Harve" Miller was won as a presenter, who led through the program together with Wavy Gravy .

Originally planned in a hall, due to the enormous demand for tickets, an outdoor area was used that otherwise served as a parking area. Nobody was prepared for such an onslaught; there were supply and disposal problems and no shade for the visitors. An area of ​​the fairgrounds was converted into a campsite for overnight stays.

Saturday 3rd August 1968

Alice Cooper , Canned Heat , The Chambers Brothers , Charles Lloyd Quartet, Country Joe and the Fish , The Electric Flag , James Cotton Blues Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band , Sonny and Cher , Steppenwolf , Tiny Tim .

During the presentation of the Charles Lloyd Quartet started a local band called Super Chief on another stage the song Hello by Lee Michaels to play. The audience was enthusiastic, Charles Lloyd's music obviously didn't meet the audience's taste.

Sonny and Cher came by helicopter and were later booed off the stage.

Sunday 4th August 1968

Blue Cheer , Eric Burdon and the Animals , Grateful Dead , Illinois Speed ​​Press , Iron Butterfly , Jefferson Airplane , Quicksilver Messenger Service , The Byrds , Things to Come.

Contemporary witnesses reported performances by some bands that were not listed in the program, including The Lovin 'Spoonful , Rhinoceros , Sky Pilot and The Turtles .

Newport 69

With an estimated 200,000 visitors, this festival set a new attendance record. The organizer was Mark Ronson, who litigated with his two partners from the previous year, Gary and Al Schmidt, over the naming rights to the "Newport Pop Festival"; in the end he wasn't allowed to use the name like that.

While the Newport Pop Festival made a profit in 1968, Newport 69 was a losing business. The fee for Jimi Hendrix alone was $ 50,000; The entire festival of the previous year hadn't cost that much in fees.

Friday June 20th 1969

Ike & Tina Turner , Albert King , Edwin Hawkins Singers , The Jimi Hendrix Experience , Joe Cocker , Southwind , Spirit , Don Ellis & His Jazz Orchestra, Taj Mahal .

Saturday June 21, 1969

Albert Collins , Brenton Wood , Buffy Sainte-Marie , Charity, Creedence Clearwater Revival , Eric Burdon and War , Friends of Distinction , Jethro Tull , Lee Michaels , Love , Steppenwolf , Sweetwater .

Sunday June 22nd 1969

Booker T. & the MG's , The Chambers Brothers , The Flock , The Grass Roots , Johnny Winter , Marvin Gaye , Mother Earth , Jimi Hendrix with Buddy Miles , Eric Burdon and Mother Earth , Poco , The Byrds , The Rascals , Three Dog Night .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Newport Pop Festival 1968/1969 on 3fach.ch
  2. ↑ Newport Pop Festival 1969 at concerts.fandom.com (English)
  3. ↑ Dave Swanson: How the Newport Pop Festival brought together a diverse lineup on ultimateclassicrock.com, August 3, 2015 (English)
  4. ↑ The Newport Pop Festival 1968 on djtees.com (English)