dianabanana
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Registered: Jul 31, 2009
Posts: 18072
Mon Aug 14, 2017 6:08 pm
The Atlanta Pop.Festival was held in Atlanta Georgia in July of 1970. On the poster to perform were The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunckle, Edgar Winter, to name just a few starts who would be there.
$Tickets were $60.00 starting Friday night and ending on Sunday afternoon. Imagine $60.00 to see all thebove mentioned stars and more. My friend and I bought tickets in Dayton, Ohio, along with airplane tickets to Atlanta which cost $42.00.
We got on plane barefoot, we were barefoot all weekend,arriving in Albany, Georgia, 90 miles from the Atlanta Speedway where festival was to be held.
My cousin stationed there in Navy and Navy Depot. He lived with 3 fellow navy guys. We all rode 90 miles to Atlanta that afternoon on Honda 90 motorcyles, if you can call them that.
Arrived at festval around midnight, walked up a big hill and there was the stage and hundreds of people. B.B. King was playing the Star Spangled Banner. Never forget the chills that one gave me.
All those attending the festival were friendly sharing food, wine, beer, and even drugs. It was so stirring to be in a crowd of hundreds other 20 something people all being friendly and loving.
Jimi Hendrix took the stage for his set. It was fantastic. While he was on stage an announcemnt came over the sound system.
"Do not eat the watermelon being sold. It is laced with acid". My friend didn't hear the announcemnt and had just finished eating the watermelon. There was one motel on the Speedway Grounds. He ended up driving his motorcycle into that motels swimming pool. I'm not trying to glorify drugs but it was one of the craziest things I had ever seen in my 20 year old life. Drugs were a big deal then. You know that saying, "stick it to the man" and "don't trust anyone over 30".
Crosby, Stills and Nash performance took my breath away.
All the hundreds of people kept moving around so everyone got a chance to stand right in front of the stage. I was blessed to see a lot of the fantastic rock n roll groups of the sixties and seventies.
It was like a mini woodstock but much better.
It was a magical two days of my life and I can hear the music still in my head and my heart. It was a once in a lifetime happening.
I may be old but at least i got to see all the really good bands. LOL I guess it was one of those "you had to be there" to understand the 2 1/2 day magic of fantastic rock n roll, the ambiance of hundreds of people sharing all they had and being kind and so peaceful together.