Danny Hutton and Michael Allsup of Three Dog Night in the deep mud of Pocono Raceway
UPI reported the Long Pond Pennsylvania concert was "the biggest and most peaceful rock festival since Woodstock" with more than 200,000 people braving the elements to see some of the biggest rock acts in the world. Because of the rain, the concert schedule got pushed back. Edgar Winter got on at 11PM but Emerson Lake and Palmer took the stage at 4 AM . Faces with Rod Stewart appeared at 5 AM. Three Dog Night took the stage in the bright morning sunshine. Michael Allsup writes in his online autobiography:
As I recall, weather caused slow turnover time between bands and the rain made it unsafe to perform. The concert went way into the night. In fact, we didn't go on until about 6 or 7 in the morning. There was a sea of people that "stayed the course" and spent the entire night camping there. Kind of a "Woodstock" feel to it. A huge audience.
Tickets cost $11. Both Black Sabbath and Badfinger cancelled.
At 16, I was there for the entire concert, rain, cold, and great camaraderie and atmosphere for those that stayed through the night. If anyone has footage of the Rod Steward and the Faces set, I would be very interested in communicating with you. Email me at joe@topspinpr.com Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI was there! One fantastic time, which I shall never forget!
ReplyDeleteIncluding me there were two carloads of guys who went up to the Poconos totally unprepared. This was a last minute decision to go. We brought food otherwise known as peanut butter and jelly. I don't know how we did it but we ended up parking within a quarter mile from the racetrack. It rained like hell. It was cold and we had the only the shirts on our backs. I recall going into a tent to (borrow) get as much plastic tarps that someone laid out on the ground...we needed it more to try to stay dry!
ReplyDeleteOur food got wet and we went back to our cars, then started them up to put the bread on the motor to dry it out. To this day, one guy who went with us never ate PB&J's again.
EL&P and Faces with Rod Stewart are the only bands that I remember playing in the middle of the night. I read somewhere that there were no drugs...farthest thing from the truth. People were walking around openly selling (thumbs up (uppers), thumbs down (downers) as they were called then.
Lines of 100 people waiting for hot dogs to eat, which were dropped in hot water for 10 seconds then sold. I didn't care, it was food.
I found a few of our guys passed out on the ground, stumbled over them at night and carried (drug them in the mud) them back to where we were grouped together.
I missed Woodstock as I was 14 at that time. Like I said, on a whim we went up. We had no tickets and jumped the fences.Our clothes looked like we had jumped in a mud pit, well..... we reallly kinda did.
I would not have traded this experience for anything and glad I was there.
Tons of stories to talk about which had come up over this past weekend who went with me. That discussion led me to search and see if there was anything on the internet about this.
I was there, it was great, I was a teenager, and to this day I still look back and smile at how crazy cool it was to be there.
DeleteDid you help crash down the gate with us ? It was like a comndo raid, lol !!
Back in my hometown some guys I was aqauinted with pulled over in their car to ask me something, I forget now what exactly but when I asked them where they were going (and I wondered what the gal I was madly in love with at the time was doing in the back seat ... alone) they hipped me to this concert tha I was unaware of. Needless to say wnen I asked if I could go along and they sad hop in, I jumped in that back seat quicker than a road runner in heat ! No ticket, no money, just a half pack of Marlboros to my name and about to head a hundred and something miles away to a place I never heard of. I was totally unprepared but in seventh Heaven.
I had NO idea what I was gonna do if I couldn't get in. My friends had tickets but they predicted people would 'crash the gates'. Blind Faith.
When we got there I started eating etc everything that came my way and just as I was at my 'peak', on comes ELP. WOW. All I remember was being totally FREAKED OUT when Keith Emerson started levitating high above the stage then started spinning around head over heels against the picth blackness surrounding him all the while playing a PIANO (baby grand or was it an organ ?) !! Thought I was loosing my mind. Then the rain ... and the MUD !! But it was July so not too bad and fortunatly someone pulled out a huge sheet of plastic that we were able to stay under, right there just under the right tower as you faced the stage.
Just her and I - we had lost the guys we drove there with
(awe shucks, lol)
I later heard the numbers were revised to larger than Woodstock even ! Alls I know was that wherever I looked there was an ocean of people. No food, no bathroom, barely any sleep for 3 days. By the cars rearview mirror on the way home my skin actually had a green tint to it (luckily we had walked right into the driver of the car we went there in).
Those were the days man, those WERE the days ! I was hoping to see Sabbath but I guess they cancelled. Rod Stewart and Co rocked their asses off though !!
Last minute also for myself and two other couples.
ReplyDeleteremember biker's being "control staff" and seeing two concert goers fighting, one slashes the other's stomach with a knife and a huge biker stepping in, grabs the knife holder and the cut guy ran away back into the crowd. Sadly never stayed long enough to hear the bands playing. We came totally unprepared and hiked 3-5 miles from where we parked. Finally/sadly we left, as I heard it turned out not too bad a time when the music finally began.
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ReplyDeleteI was there at age 24. Went up from Philly with a gorgeous, tall woman named Brandi in my '68 Firebird 400. It was raining and getting muddy. We joined the hoards, the scene looking very much like the picture in color above. The stage was way distant and we could only hear some music. But right next to us a couple was fornicating. I was still a virgin and didn't have the guts to make a move on Brandi. We smoked a little weed, but it was getting wetter and muddier so we gave up after it turned dark. Some others were leaving and it would have taken hours except state police amazingly let some of us drive up a steep embankment right onto route 80...miraculously, the Firebird made it up there. Back in Philly, Brandi "you're a fine girl" let me kiss her on the lips at her door...made it all worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteMy friend and I tagged along with my older brother and his friends and we had an absolute blast. I was almost 15 at the time and remember well what a true Rock Music festival was like. I remember Ramatam & Cactus, liked them so-much that I purchased each of their albums weeks later. I remember Humble Pie, J. Giles Band and Three Dog Night. Most of all though, Edgar Winter had the crowd jammin'. An extremely impressionable experience for me, with memories that include a nearby group of "heads" sharing the Lamb they were barbecuing with my buddy and I. I also remember an absolute "sea-of-people", mostly under pieces of plastic or saturated blankets, and mud-covered everything. We were stoned during most of the festival, thanks to my brother and his friends, as well as many others there who openly shared their weed among those located close-by. At the beginning of the downpour, my buddy and I took cover under the Grandstands.
ReplyDeletedoes anyone besides me remember emerson lowered to the stage from a helicopter wearing a sling harness which was detached by the roadies as he began to play
ReplyDeleteYep and ELP played in a dense Fog it was The Best. I remember Edgar Winter being good also but was glad I ran into some Chicks from Pittsburgh I knew that had a tent. Don't remember much else but did get to Watkins Glen the next summer for the 600,000 prople melee. Hott Hoot!
ReplyDeleteSo muddy and Foggy
ReplyDeleteMy first time doing Mesculine....
I was 15 and hitchhiked there with friends. I remember the rain and a truck that brought little cartons of ice cream. The ice cream began to melt so people just started throwing them at each other. Favorite memory was watching the Faces in predawn with no Ian McLagan on keyboards. Years later I ran into him and asked what happened. He said that they were supposed to go on in ELPs spot but got beat out by them. He was so pissed he refused to play (he hated Keith Emerson).
DeleteI was 22 and went with a group of friends. Same jeans for two days soaking wet and muddy. Also long hair that was wet. We stopped at a restaurant for breakfast on the way home. The owner called us "hippies" and wouldn't serve us!
ReplyDelete3 buddies and myself squeezed a ride in the back in a baby blue VW Beetle from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. We stopped on the highway nr Baltimore, a van offered myself and a mate a ride. So off we sped ahead leaving my mates way behind! The van driver on LSD decided to jump ahead of the line and get to the racecourse. I spent the whole afternoon/night walking around looking for my mates in their baby blue VW, impossible. Saw loads of drug taking, def opened my eyes. Finally found my friends the next day, muddied and needing to crash for awhile. Bands were excellent, esp, Cactus, 3DN and Edgar Winter. homelifedanny@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThese are just the stories I was looking for! I was still to young for that stuff. Missed it by 4-5 years. Proud of all you paving the way. I love to hear more! Thanks again
ReplyDeleteI was there with 2 friends of mine. My friend parked his69 ‘ Cuda in driving lane on rte. 80 at exit to racetrack. Walked the rest of way ( miles ) with hundreds of others.Not prepared . No food , drink. Got to entrance clutching our tickets we paid $ 11 for (fortune back then )only to look over and see bikers cutting the chain-link fence around the track and letting their friends ride in for free ( lol now ) saw humble pie get shut down because someone tossed cherry bomb into their sound equipment and does anyone remember “ the scaffold hangers “ ? And numerous times had to move aside for constant “OD’s” in crowd.Stepped over numerous people doing all types drugs. Real educat. Still despite everything that has already been said , glad I was there.Oh and does anyone remember after concert , the truck selling watermelon slices for $1 ?
ReplyDeleteI remember Ramatam playing Whisky Place. It started to rain like all heck. I ended up in a tarp with some people smoking hash. Next thing I remember it was morning with Three Dog Night playing Joy to the World. Then somehow I made it back to Bethlehem Pa.
ReplyDeleteI was there one hell of an experience the 75 mile backup anything anywhere a real concert for sure
ReplyDeleteWow. I could tell you some stories about what happened to our crazy crew at the festival. LOL! This festival is not that well known for some reason. Me and Robin did make it right up front to the stage. Took 2 hrs. slowly walking through walking over people through the crowd. Right up front for Cactus with Tim Bogart on bass from Vanilla Fudge. Saw Edgar Winter Group up front. Wild Wild Times. I remember we traded a pickle for a ham sandwich. This dude sent a message through the crowd way in the back that he wanted to trade. We sent message back and said yes. This pickle jar came down through the crowd hands in the air while this wrapped sandwich went up to him with all these hands carrying it back. I thought maybe the pickles in the jar might be laced so was a little reluctant. Ha but they were ok. I think... Ha! Going home must have had 20 people jumping and sitting on top and all over our car trying to get out. Crazy scene like something out of a movie.
ReplyDeleteI was there also along with two other friends We had two tents - someone in a station wagon drove thru one of them - luckily no one was in the tent at the time.What a muddy mess it was - I remember standing ankle deep in front of the stage watching Edgar Winter - people's sleeping bags were under all of this muck. Wouldn't give up the experience for anything. Still have the program!
ReplyDeleteWow. I could tell you some stories about what happened to our crazy crew at the festival. LOL! This festival is not that well known for some reason. Me and Robin did make it right up front to the stage. Took 2 hrs. slowly walking through walking over people through the crowd. Right up front for Cactus with Tim Bogart on bass from Vanilla Fudge. Saw Edgar Winter Group up front. Wild Wild Times. I remember we traded a pickle for a ham sandwich. This dude sent a message through the crowd way in the back that he wanted to trade. We sent message back and said yes. This pickle jar came down through the crowd hands in the air while this wrapped sandwich went up to him with all these hands carrying it back. I thought maybe the pickles in the jar might be laced so was a little reluctant. Ha but they were ok. I think... Ha! Going home must have had 20 people jumping and sitting on top and all over our car trying to get out. Crazy scene like something out of a movie.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first rock concert/festival experience.
ReplyDeleteTo be 100% honest, I was far too young, dragged to the event, forced to hear The Beatles ‘Number 9’ for the first time in the car on the way, and thoroughly miserable.
Three Dog Night was very loud and I forced our early departure by complaining and making a fuss. The mass of drugged out hippies, crap weather, noise, and the approximately 60 to 90 minute long ride to the event and back were about as much as any six year old could handle.
I was 18 at the time and five friends and I went up at the last minute on Saturday in the afternoon. We left that car on the shoulder of a main divided highway and were about 10 miles or so away. When we started walking most of the crowd was headed in the opposite direction from the weather issues and we heard that it allmay be cancelled. The rain stopped, and after 3-4 miles 3 of my friends headed back to the car (this was probably mid afternoon). I pressed on with my last friend Kurt and eventually the crowd shifted back toward the concert site. We were lucky coming late and missing the bad weather. We brought nothing with us as far as food or camping gear. We arrived and we had no tickets but there was no problem walking in. I'm not sure of the order but We saw Cactus, Edgar Winter, J Geils Band, and Humble Pie. We also saw Emerson Lake and Palmer but were leaving at that point as it was 4 am and we were ragged out from the walk and standing the entire time. I do regret leaving now knowing that Faces played after ELP. There were lots of cars leaving and we got a ride almost all the way back on someone's trunk. We were suprised to find our friends in the car at the same location.
ReplyDeleteHey brother, I was there at age 16 and vaguely remember seeing ramatam and humble pie. I think it's really cool you still have the program I wish I would least have the ticket
ReplyDeleteI'd just turned 20 y/o a couple months earlier and had embarked the year before on six years of hitchhiking back and forth across the U.S. and Canada. "Pocono" was integral to that journey---the music, the people, the spiked gallon water jugs, the rain
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