A 40-Year Memory: Pre-Woodstock

August 1 - 3 - The Atlantic City Pop Festival is held at the race track in Atlantic City, NJ featuring many of the same rock musicians that will be at Woodstock two weeks later. There were 110,000 in attendance.

No, it isn't my ticket. I wish I had mine. Yes, I was there! And yes, it was only $15 for the weekend.

According to Wikipedia (and my somewhat hazy memory) here is the line-up and some notes:

o American Dream
o Aum
o Booker T. & The M.G.s
o Tim Buckley
o Paul Butterfield Blues Band
o The Byrds
o Canned Heat
o The Chambers Brothers
o Chicago Transit Authority
o Joe Cocker
o The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
o Credence Clearwater Revival
o Dr. John
o Cass Elliot
o Iron Butterfly
o Jefferson Airplane
o Janis Joplin
o Lighthouse
o Little Richard
o Lothar and the Hand People
o Hugh Masekela
o Buddy Miles
o Joni Mitchell
o [Tracy Nelson] & Mother Earth
o Procol Harum
o Buddy Rich
o Biff Rose
o Santana
o Sir Douglas Quintet
o Three Dog Night
o BB King
o Frank Zappa

o Biff Rose was the MC and filled in for Joni Mitchell when she started to cry and ran off stage in the middle of her 3rd song when the crowd was not paying attention to her performance. It seems she was placed in the rotation directly after Mother Earth featuring Tracy Nelson and the crowd wasn't ready to hear her mild act.

o Crosby, Stills & Nash were originally on the lineup but ended up as a no-show, Nash supposedly had polyps on tonsils (but sang at Woodstock two weeks later). The Chambers Brothers were a last-minute substitute.

o Moody Blues were scheduled but weren't there.

o Johnny Winter was present but did not perform because his equipment did not show up.

My memory was- and is- that it was a remarkable program- and a lot more comfortable than Woodstock would be a few weeks later. It was the three days before my 21st birthday but my roommate and two other friends and I were there for one purpose- the music. We all loved the music. We argued about whether Janis Joplin was really all that great (but I loved her version of Summertime. Frank Zappa kept us entranced with a 30-minute jam.

But two unknown groups stole the show for me:

• Chicago Transit Authority (later known simply as Chicago) and
• Santana

As I remember it these were the first real big shows for both and their albums were not out yet. But when they took the stage they took over. Chicago's album had been released a few month's earlier and this was a great kick in the pants for a trumpet player like me to see them.

But Santana. Their album was a couple weeks from release and got a big push from Woodstock. I remember, though, the excitement their music brought to the place. As it still does. Just watch Woodstock and you begin to get the feel. I bought the album as soon as I could and was not disappointed!

That isn't to ignore the other great performances, both famous and otherwise. It was a remarkable weekend. In many ways far less of an EVENT than Woodstock was to become, but just as powerful and exciting a weekend for those of us who were there. As many have called it, it was the great festival that no one has ever heard of.

--E-Rockworld
--Atlantic City Pop Festival 40th Anniversary