Saturday, November 18, 2006

Atlantic City Pop Festival

Reading about the Atlantic City Pop Festival, held August 1, 2, 3 1969 at Atlantic City Racetrack. Not much has been written about it. I have slight memory of this event having happened. I don't recall hearing about it in advance, although I was in a rock band & two weeks later was in the crowd at Woodstock. There wasn't much promotion for it in North Jersey. Had I known, I probably would have tried to talk my bandmates into going there instead of to a pasture in Bethel NY. Maybe I did know & just regret not going. Atlantic City had some of the best Woodstock acts: Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence. Santana, Joe Cocker. Plus other performers I really liked; Procol Harum, Mothers of Invention (wow!), Byrds, Booker T. & the M.G.s, B.B. King. Admission was $6 each day, $15 for all three. There were few serious incidents aside from traffic jams. The promoters even turned a profit. It was not a continuous event; the racetrack was cleared out every night. Since there were plenty of cheap motels & campgrounds within 20 miles, it'd have been possible to eat, shower & sleep in relative comfort & safety. Maybe not.

But Woodstock had all the buzz, the media attention, we went there, & my memories of that legendary occasion are on the balance less than pleasant. I remember the second day & night pretty clearly; it had the best music. Sunday afternoon's thunderstorm made us throw in the smelly blanket & leave, exhausted, dirty & hungry. My clothes were in such bad shape that I changed into some sort of shaman robe someone gave me, which was fine until we pulled into a rest area on the Thruway & I realized I looked like I was in drag.

After Woodstock, I never again went camping except for a few nights I slept outside during a trip around America in 1976. Although I had long hair, I disavowed all association with either hippies or the student hippie wannabees that made up most of the crowd at Woodstock. No matter how stoned I got, I was never the kind of person who'd screw in public & celebrate my liberation by sliding naked though disgusting mud wallows; or admire anyone who did. Maybe I missed something. I doubt it. The discomfort & bad sanitation were turnoffs enough. I was just a songwriter, & given my late-adolescence anger, angst & alienation I was tilting toward proto-punk.

Millions now claim they were at Woodstock & I can't prove I was there, so it makes no difference what I say. But if I'd gone to the forgotten festival at Atlantic City Racetrack with a total 3 day attendance of about 100,000, that would be something to brag about. Like seeing the Flea Circus & Amazing Diving Horse on the Steel Pier.

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Comments:
I remember the Atlantic City Pop Festival. Me and some of my band mates went to the Sunday Show. I remember hearing Santana, and Janis Joplin. (Vaguely) I recall that Santana had a very tall drummer who was rumored to be 14 years old! He could play those tubs! It was far cry from Woodstock. NO rain! Concession stands and bathrooms! We had a great time. Those were the days.

Michael
 
Atlantic City was great. You could see and enjoy "all" the music. We camped at the back of the parking lot with lots of others. At Woodstock it was more survival. I spent most of my time helping others get their cars out of the mud. I only saw the stage once and missed most of the music. Atlantic city was by far the better event.
 
don't know how i heard about it.i was 19 from R.I.made the trip have pics at least from the water at ac to prove it ,wasn't at the wood but this was the BEST EVER!!!!!! HANDS DOWN NO ?
 
I remember going the days CCR were there, I have pictures of them on stage, and I remember crying , because when it was time to leave, i could not get my car out of the mess people had made, tents and bikes were all where the should not have been, but the day was awesome, and I am so sorry I di not keep my ticket from the day--
i only went the one day--but I am glad I took pictures--Mary Ellen from Jersey
 
We were three guys from Pittsburgh. It was advertised on local radio and we bought the $15 three day pass in advance. A friend had a 3 room tent with all the gear. He was from a family of 8 kids and knew how to camp comfortably.

We had a great time. I had forgotten some of the acts that were there like Paul Butterfield and Hugh Masakela. One of my favorite acts was Buddy Rich. Here's a great list of the acts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_City_Pop_Festival

We had heard nothing about Woodstock until we got to Atlantic City. Lots of folks were talking about it and asking if we were going. We said no! We were heading home after this.

Although nearly everyone over the age of 50 now claims to be have been to Woodstock, I'm happy to say that I was in A.C. two weeks before it having a great time. Went home happy, dry, and probably even put on a few pounds satisfying the "munchies" by consuming hot dogs, chips and beer all weekend.
 
MYSELF&TWO OTHER GUYS HADA3DAY PAS WEJUST TOOK OF RIDING INA MUSTANG NOT PLANNING ANYTHING ENDING UP ATATLANTIC CITY RACE TRACK BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE MOST OF THE CONCERT WE WERE IN THE ARMY AT THAT TIME AND HAD REAL SHORT HAIR WE WERE NERVOUS ABOUT BEING ACCEPTED BUT WE SAT DOWN ON THE GROUND FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE STAGE THEN UP PULLED AN OLDER CADILAC LIMO OUT STEPPED JANIS JOPLIN I COULD REACHED OUT AND TOUCHED HER WHAT A EXPERIENCE WHEN WE HAD TOGO BACK TO POST I HAD ORDERS TO GO TO VIET NAM MY GIRL FRIEND SENT ME A PAPER BACK BOOK ATLANTIC CITY ROCK CONCERT IT WAS A NEAT BOOK SOMEONE STOLE IT FROM ME BACK THEN EVERYONE TALKED ABOUT WOODSTOCK NOT MUCH WAS SAID ABOUT ATLANTIC CITY CONCERT I NEVER SAW THE TWO GUYS I WENT TO ATLANTIC CTY WITH
 
THIS IS WILL AGAIN I SHOULD HAVE PROOF READ MY EARLIER COMMENTS I HOPE YOU CAN MAKE SENSE OUT OF THEM SINCE I HAVE HAD A STROKE MY THOUGHT PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME
 
My buddy was going in the Navy in SeptemberandI was in college. We heard about Woodstock and the hassles at Watkins Glen. We were from Central PA and went often to Jersey Shore. When we heard about the lineup at AC we thought it would be about the same as Woodstock but closer and a surer thing. We never got very close to the stage but remeber how great Santana was and that CCR trashed the stage. We werebummed out about no shows but after three days were very satisfied. Everybody was cool; but it was hot and dusty near the track and the buildings were full of flies from watermelon rinds and food trash. I don't remeber problems with the cops that occured at other concerts. After AC we thought going to Woodstock to see the same acts would be a tough trip to see the same acts right before my buddy went to basic training. Over the years I have told people about AC, but everybody shrugs and tells me that they were at Woodstock.
 
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