It’s finally September 1st, so that means that the summer season is finally at a close and so is Festival Fridays. From gigs that failed so hard that they didn’t even happen to performances that would end up being highlights of some artists’ career, I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about some of theContinue reading “(Final) Festival Friday- Honorable Mentions”
Category Archives: Festival Fridays
Festival Friday: The Glastonbury Fayre 1971
While the Glastonbury Festival is certainly not an overlooked event by any means, its origins have become somewhat obscured over the years. After the success of the Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival in 1970, promoters Andrew Kerr and Michael Eavis and their team decided to hold a free festival in 1971, then called theContinue reading “Festival Friday: The Glastonbury Fayre 1971”
Festival Friday: The Stones in Hyde Park 1969
Stones in The Park In what is definitely the shortest festival that we’ve covered here, The Stones in The Park was a one-day free event at Hyde Park on July 5th, 1969 that featured many progressive rock groups like King Crimson, Third Ear Band and Family as well as of course, The Rolling Stones. HydeContinue reading “Festival Friday: The Stones in Hyde Park 1969”
Festival Fridays: The Mar Y Sol Festival
The Mar Y Sol Festival 1972 The Mar Y Sol Festival, which took place about thirty miles outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico, seemed cursed right from the beginning. Set up to be the first rock festival to take place in Puerto Rico, five promoters attempted to start the planning stages in 1971, but productionContinue reading “Festival Fridays: The Mar Y Sol Festival”
Festival Friday: The Big Sur Folk Festivals (1964-1971)
Running on the opposite coast from Newport from 1964-1971, The Big Sur Folk Festival was a different beast entirely. Starting off as a series of workshops and impromptu sets by Joan Baez, Mimi & Richard Fariña and some of their contemporaries, The Big Sur Folk Festival was intentionally kept a small, intimate event withContinue reading “Festival Friday: The Big Sur Folk Festivals (1964-1971)”
Festival Friday: The 1968 Newport Folk Festival
The 1968 Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, isn’t obscure by any means; in fact, it’s a rather historic and culturally relevant event that still continues (very successfully) today. In terms of the individual yearly events, the ones you mainly hear most about include the 1965 festival where Dylan notoriouslyContinue reading “Festival Friday: The 1968 Newport Folk Festival”
Festival Friday: The 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music
The 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music, held at the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England from June 27th-29th, was a truly progressive event indeed. A lineup that included a diverse assortment of heavy hitters from the likes of Pink Floyd, Hot Tuna and Dr. John drew a crowdContinue reading “Festival Friday: The 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music”
Festival Friday: Kralingen Music Festival 1970 (The Holland Pop Festival)
Europe had its fair share of phenomenal rock festivals during the late ’60s and ’70s, from the Isle of Wight to Rome and Rotterdam, Holland. From June 26th-28th, 1970, 100,000 people gathered to hear sounds as diverse as Santana, Soft Machine and Pentangle to name but a few. The Kralingen festival went so smoothly andContinue reading “Festival Friday: Kralingen Music Festival 1970 (The Holland Pop Festival)”
Festival Friday: The (Second) Atlanta International Pop Festival
The Atlanta International Pop Festival When you hear anything about The Atlanta Pop Festival, it’s very likely about the second one, from 1970. The 1969 Festival included the likes of Led Zeppelin, Dave Brubeck and Janis Joplin. The larger, more storied second incarnation at Byron, Georgia is what I’ll be covering, though. Promoted by AlexContinue reading “Festival Friday: The (Second) Atlanta International Pop Festival”
Festival Friday: Summer Jam at Watkins Glen
Summer Jam at Watkins Glen 1973 On the week of July 28th, 1973, The Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway at Watkins Glen, New York, saw what was at the time the largest gathered audience in recorded history (yes, even bigger than Woodstock). The estimated 600,000 people that made it through the endless traffic jams andContinue reading “Festival Friday: Summer Jam at Watkins Glen”
Record Crates United 