BR's Classic Rock Photos - Atlantic City Pop Festival

Ah.... the Atlantic City Pop Festival, August 1/2/3, 1969...

Four teenage boys from Toronto, Canada drive to the Atlantic City Race Track and what a weekend and what a lineup!! Lots I remember and lots I have forgotten- like lots of times in the 60's! When we arrived there was a naked dirty guy walking around the parking lot which housed cars & tents and on Saturday night he was still there! I remember sitting in the race stands and watching hundreds of kids gathering on the far side of the field and then suddenly all climbing the fence and running across the field to our side- and lots of cops waiting for them and chasing them and dragging them back to the other side. And 15 minutes later- again & again!I

I also remember Joni Mitchell walking off the stage after a few songs and remarking " I can see that you're not into my music". We weren't! I remember both Chicago - at the time- Chicago Transit Authority and Santana, playing early afternoon and at supper time respectively .. as they were both just starting out & had only released their 1st albums. And I remember Dr John at night doing his "Night Tripper '& and Gris-Gris Gumbo" stuff with female witch-like dancers behind him all dressed in black and it was a wierd & super show. But mostly I remember Saturday night, Creedence Clearwater Revival, followed by Jefferson Airplane and then, Iron Butterfly and ending the night with " In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" Wow!

I've never seen a video of this concert and don't know if one exists.

Thanks for the memories

Mike Cooke

Vancouver

Canada

PS Attached is a copy of the original flyer with my additions at the time! Very rare

Thanks Mike but Hendrix was not there, he was at a farm in upper NY state with his new band getting ready for Woodstock....BR

Great site!

I, too, thought that this festival was forgotten in the shadow of Woodstock.
I, and my 2 friends were the "old" crowd...21 to 23 years old, who headed there from Wayne, PA on Friday evening. We got close in, parked and set up a tent. The comradeship was amazing. People wondered from tent to tent and just joined the group. Everyone was welcome everywhere. Besides some light 'smoking,' we were inexperienced in the ways. Some guy came in our tent and had some little orange tabs...said take one! Prudent as always, I figured if he said one tab to feel something, I should not exceed one half tab. So, my friends and I popped a half tab. During this time, we also had the assistance of Mr. Hashish to guide us on our way. Well, time passed that seemed an hour or more, and still no affect from the little half tab of orange sunshine. I though, maybe the guy was right, so, we did the other half. BIG mistake! :) I was pretty much OK, but my two friends were having a bad trip and I spent most of the time...when I could get back down to earth..comforting them. Next morning I had this urge that I needed to get food for our group, so I headed off to seek sustenance. Came upon a fruit stand and purchased a great big watermelon. I thought that this was the greatest purchase of my life, enough to sustain my friends and I for days. The cop directing traffic on the highway raised his hand to stop traffic to assist me getting across, though no cars were coming - he knew why I was so hesitant :) Walking back with this watermelon on my back, suddenly I heard the Pied Piper; a haunting rhythm and beat and I followed the sound to a camper who was, as I found out later, playing Led Zeppelin 1. I sat there mesmerized with my watermelon in my lap listening. The rest of the weekend was kind of a blur, but I remember getting in early, right up to the stage to see Janis. I also did not know Joe Cocker at the time, but he too was great. Janis? In the front row...what can I say? She was great! She leaned over and took a hit off my joint. I miss her!

My overall memory is that it was when everyone got along, no confrontations that I saw, and for the most part, the weather cooperated. A few weeks later, at Woodstock, it was much different. Still a great time, but I think the success of AC drew the number of people to Woodstock, and also, more of the committed, hard core hippies, whereas, in Atlantic City, you had your mainstream American youth.

Never did I experience that freedom and comradeship ever again.

George

3 weeks before the AC Pop Festival, I went to the Laurel Pop Festival (Maryland) which was a 2 day event and saw Frank Zappa (Mothers Of Invention) there in bright red pants or maybe it was bib overalls. I couldn't believe someone lined up all those acts for 2 days. Shortly after that I heard about the AC festival. It was 3 days long! My immediate impression was this had to be at least partly hype - if even half of the artists showed, I would be happy because at the end of the Laurel Pop Festival, the crowd made a bon fire out of some of the wooden folding chairs that we sat on...pissing off the promoters. So how could they have a 3 day festival? Maybe they can do it for jazz festivals but never for rock (remember this is pre-Woodstock). So much for first impressions.

I drive to Atlantic City with 3 other friends + a tent, buying food/drink supplies at the stores a mile or two outside the event - sure glad we did as there wasn't much food after the first day. From the camp area we had to walk a bit to the race track. As we walked up, I remember the sound from the p.a. system was loud and unbelievably clear. This was "arena" rock outdoors in it's infancy and some nameless sound engineers were instant heroes to me.

I got to talk about the humongous crowd. Never before or since will I ever be around this many people, just about all were 15-25 years old. I remember standing on the track and looking up at the building and not being able to tell it was a building, just a sea of people. Every horizontal surface had people on it. All the doors were propped open and boards (I guess) were put across the tops with people sitting on them. Some people got split up from their friends + couldn't hook back up until they went back to their cars. After the first day they had a pole (maybe a bulletin board?) where you could leave messages for lost people or emergency calls from home or wherever. I believe this idea got carried over to Woodstock. Grass was passed everywhere. Sometimes you could pass a J knowing there was only a slight chance of it coming back (unless you really looked out for it). It didn't matter. Another one would be coming by in 20 minutes. There was just a different mentality towards weed back then - if you lived it, you understood. Everybody got along. Everybody was in party mode (and I'm guessing here), in the back of everyone's mind was this wonderful I-Can't-Believe-This-Is-Happening feeling.

When Frank Zappa came on, he had the same red pants! I got the feeling (if you know Frank) that he wore them the whole time. Could that have aided his prostate cancer death?

I love this website, Dan

I was 20 at the time and remember going to the festival with friends. We commuted to the show from Avalon via rt 9 and rt 50. Back then there was a kid friendly liquer store called Dolly and MIke's which had no issues with selling to minors. So each day we would arrive with a couple of cases of the cheapest beer available , bought cold and brought in without a cooler to the masses calling us ''juicers'' in a negitive way. Old Dutch Country out of Hammonton, N.J.Beer was scorned on arrival but coveted by the ''dopers'' once inside. Beer was not ''in'' but it was exchanged for herb and some little pills that one of my friends took before thinking.

After spending several hours handling my tripping buddy when he tried to climb the light towers or was calling his mom and doing simple additions and substractions to prove he really hadn't lost his mind, the Byrd's sang Eight Miles High and the two of us were the first to see that infield pond with it's tiny little wooden deck as a place to go. Yes, it was muddy but it was hot and soon enough the it became a destination resort of young bodies and little inhibitions.

The highlight of the 3 days occured on Saturday night when I was literally inside a huge speaker when Creedance played I Put A Spell On You. Also, seeing Janis about 5 feet away, walking by me drinking a 12 ounce Carling Black Label KEG bottle without her being labeled a ''JUICER''. And the Friday afternoon Procul Harem set and the Iron Butterfly. And with all due respect to the man,Mr. Joe Cocker, I love you , but I do not remember you even being there. Wish I would have listened .

Ron Barclay

Thought I would share some random thoughts and memories from ac pop.
Heading down the Black Horse Pike from Blackwood, NJ, with John, Paul and Bob, in Bob's 63 Ford Fairlane, one month shy of my 15th bday . Car only had 1st and 3rd gear, so if you pulled into parking space, we had to push him out. We had saw the movie of the Monterey Pop Festival the weekend before, so we were fired up.

Turned down the first side road on the side of the track, drove down a couple hundred yards, and parked on the grass near the main side gate. Freaks everywhere. That old ford was our tent for 3 days. It was early Friday morning, and one of the first things I remember seeing, was a beautiful topless blonde with great tits, handing out Freon filled balloons from an old milk truck. we took her up on that, and thought it was a real hoot sounding like donald duck when we talked. Some older hippies from Michigan were set up next to us, and passed us some joints. Got real stoned for the first time, and was politely reminded to pass them on. the worm turned for me that day. Time to head into the show. Once inside and seated, a girl in a grannie dress with no underwear on stepped over my head, and for some reason, I could not stop laughing. I think Biff Rose was the opening act, followed by Aum, then Lothar and the Hand People. Could not believe my eyes when the Asian looking dude from Aum leaped of the stage at the end of GOD is Back in Town, haven't heard that song since. Cannot ad much more about the music that has not already been mentioned, but remember being separated from my friend on Sat. night, and swept up in a circle of great people, all holding hands and dancing in a huge circle during the Chambers brothers as they were singing Time Has Come Today. After the concert ended that night, tried to crash in the horse stables with some bikers, but was evicted by security. Found the old Ford, and my buddies were in there smoking some hash they had found.

The area was heavily wooded at the time, now surrounded by a mall, strip shopping centers, every chain store and fast food joint there is and AC Expressway exits on both side. But the only two businesses that were there in 69, are still there on the BHP. Joes produce stand, where we bought fruit, and a red brick bar/restaurant that sold us beer in cardboard containers. Remember them? My buddies and I were goanna go to that spot were we camped and lift a beer to the the spirits of AC POP on the 40th anniversary. That spot is still there, but Bob, the owner of that 63 Ford, passed on in February. All the more reason I say.

May sound corny, but that weekend had a very big influence on who I am today, during a very difficult time in my life. It was all good.

Live To Ride, Trapper John

trapperjhn@comcast.net

I was a camp counselor in the Catskills with a Saturday off, so what better thing to do than go to

a music festival? When we saw the lineup there we just had to go.

Drove four or five hours in a Pontiac Bonneville owned by Bob Weingarten

and along with friend Stan arrived arived in time to see Biff Rose tinkiling on the piano,

singing his novelty songs, eg. Buzz the Fuzz! I know he's not on the list, but he was there.

It was a day for b-groups-The Byrds, Butterfield, BB King, Tim Buckley,

as well as others. I remember sitting inside one of the big speakers next to the stage

listening to Tim Buckley do a great set. Would that be allowed today?

Memories are getting fuzzy other than that, but I remember every band was great.

The music, the weather, the crowd, I'm glad I was there.

We left late, drove back to Camp Monroe, flying at over 100 mph on the Jersey trunpike at times,

and arrived back an hour before reveille!

George L.

Wow, forty years!

I was 19, living in Trenton New Jersey and on Friday Aug 1st I had to work. Right after work met up with a couple of friends and headed down to Atlantic City to meet up with the rest of our group already there. There was about 10 of us that went, camping in a nearby camp grounds. We got to the track but by the time we got there Dr. John was just finishing up for the night.

The next day we stopped at the grocery store, loaded up on peanut butter and jelly and off to the Music! It was nice to have stores on the way, you could stock up. No bottled water, red bull or energy bars back then. We got to the track and there were people everywhere and all about the same age! Cool! We settled in to the right of the stage just behind the railing to the track. The speakers were huge and it was loud.

The groups were all good. The music was great. Santana was introduced as Santa ana. That mistake was never made again. They blew me away! Jefferson Airplane was great, they had that psychedelic light show with the lava light thing going on. Joe Cocker was introduced and a guy near us said "who's that, never heard of him?" I told him "just wait."

Janis was wild. Little Richard put on such a show that even though it was late and starting to rain we stayed to watch.

The crowd was great. Cops were cool (looked the other way for the most part). One guy in our area got some bad acid and needed some help. It was hot and eventually the track guys got the water truck and hosed down the crowd. Eventually the crowd broke through to the infield and swam in the pond there. Everyone was cool and got along just fine.

What a great experience. All the music we loved and some different stuff all in one place. Everyone got along. Except for a little rain at night the weather was perfect.

We all talked about going to see Hendrix the next week at Woodstock. A couple of guys went and came back covered in mud complaining about the 5 mile walk to get in. The paper wrote a full page story on the Atlantic City Pop Festival. It gave it glowing reviews which I'm sure insprired many to go to Woodstock.

The organizers tried to arrange another festival in Harmonyville NJ the next year but it never happened. But for this one weekend in 1969 it was majic.

Jim Day

San Dimas CA

Man I was surprised to see this site!!!!!! Sooo cool That was one memorable event in my life!!!! That was where I realized that the worlds best rock&roll band was credence!!!! I'm the one that Alan had on his lap in the vw, Turkey, thanks Alan!!!!!

When we ended up at the festival of coarse we had nary a coin to eat with much less to get in!!! We were driven by the fact that the best music that was ever heard was on the other side of the fence!!!! Being the resourceful hippies that we are I found a cresant wrench and went to the front of the crowd that had gathered at the side gate and proceeded to take the hinges off the gates, when the gate fell there was a rush to get in that would make a normal persons head spin!!!! every one scattered and my friend Angel and I ran back and hid back stage he ended up being asked to help move some equipment and stuff and we ended up getting a job of sorts with Dave Hadler and Jerry Spivac"s company festival group that lasted through Woodstock and until we did the New Orleans pop festival which my friend Angel and I ended up in jail in east baton rouge La.Bummer!!!

But that all came about because of Atlantic city festival!!! And I thought that it was one of the forgotten festivals that was fuckin GREAT!!! The truth is I liked it better than Woodstock and that was Real Cool !!!!

Wayne Rodgers aka Turkey

Hi - thanks for the great site about Atlantic City "Pop" Festival, as it was called at the time, although we would always called a "Rock Festival" cause we hated the word 'Pop.'

One of my most vivid memories was, after arriving Friday afternoon, seeing a few dozen Hells Angels and their bikes, hanging out in the parking lot near the race track grandstand.

At 14, I thought I was sooo cool cause one of the bikers let me help him fix his bike, which wouldn't start.

There were hundreds of long-haired vendors both inside the race track and outside selling all kinds of stuff, and it was about as psychadelic as it could be. (I think I remember seeing that naked guy running around the parking lot too)

We got there by shuttle-bus from Atlantic City because, first I was too young to drive, but also because we were told it was too crowded for cars to park.

Many people had no place to sleep, and ended up like me and my buddy, just tent diving in the parking lot where throngs partied through the night ..... singing songs around small fires and trippin.

During the hot days, inside the race track, people were swimming in the muddy pond which (I think) was across the field in the middle of the track. It looked real dirty, but what the hey.

Organizers had stopped checking for tickets after the first day, and I remember it being a free-flow atmosphere with people just mingling wherever.

Fresh water was scarce, but organizers had ran small 3/4 inch water lines through the parking lots which we used to wash and drink.

Credence Clearwater rocked the house, and I remember hearing the rumor that Jimi Hendrix was gonna be there.... and some stoned-out guy next to me kept pointing to the side of the stage yelling "There's Hendrix. There's Hendrix"... but I don't remember seeing him.

We were filthy at the end of three days, and when I got home, I found out my parents had called the US Coast Guard looking for me cause (I ran away from home just to go) they thought I had gone to the Shore and drowned off the beach.

Dave Sommers -- Levittown, Pa.

I have very fond memories of that concert. I was in a garage band and this was the summer between high school graduation and college. So the organ player and I took off in mt 64 Chevy impala to find Atlantic City. Somewhere in the middle of the night the headlights were growing dimmer and dimmer and the car finally stopped. We pulled over and somehow found a garage that fixed our alternator for about $20., that was most of our money but we made it to the show on Saturday after sleeping in the car. The two main things I remember about that concert were: Someone passed I joint to me..uninvited and Creedance rocked the show. I also remember Jefferson Airplane sounded great.

My only regret is I didn't have my camera with me.

David R.

Hi, I remember the concert. I went with two girlfriends. We stayed at a motel. I still have the button of Atlantic City. Great crowd, smoking hashish, jumping in the pond to cool off. I was 20 at the time and enjoying Janis Joplin and Iron Butterfly, which everyone danced to.
Rose
Pennsylvania

I was just 15 and in a garage band called the Victrons. The drummer Joe heard about the concert in Atlantic City, and asked if I could go? His parents were vacationing in Ocean City and actually changed the days to allow us to be there on Friday. It was three days of the greatest music experience of my life. We stayed in a flop house in AC, the room was barely big enough for the two beds. There were greyhound buses to and from the Race Track. I remember Janis and they two people climbing the light towers during her performance. The swimmers in the lake chasing the birds, the stage malfunctions. I could swear Hendrix was there on Sunday as one of the Winters was a no-show! Joni walking off, and Frank joking about cutting his show short. But King Kong was more than enough of a Zappa fix for me. Canned Heat lost 2 or 3 members that week and invited other band members to jam with them. I believe Zappa, Snooky Flowers from Big Brother and the Holding Co, and others doing a unique version of Refried Boogie for about forty minutes. The Iron Butterfly lead guitar player tearing down the track, who I think was only 17 yrs old playing in front of 110,000 plus! For some reason I thought the MC was Billy Preston who at the time was an underground radio DJ from San Fran. He came out and played after Mitchell walked off. I still have my three day ticket stub. There was a five year reunion gig held at the Atlantic City Race Track in August of 1974. Santana, CSNY, and I believe Chicago and two other acts performed that Saturday night. Anyone out there remember that concert? Both events had major impacts on life! It was the very best of times!

Tony Massi

Coatesville, PA

I left Detroit with 4 other guys and I had 9 cents in my pocket.We got to the race track and didn't have the money to get in.We gathered about 30 people one being this 7 ft.tall black guy.We were storming the gate and the 7 ftr.reached over the top of the gate ond opened it.A man ran up and backed us out,I think he was the track owner and told us we could all get in for free if we just went in in groups of 3-5 people so we got in all three days for free.I have pictures of Canned heat Frank Zappa and Janis and more.It just rained and we worked our way up front and center for janis she started singing right after the rain and she grabed the mike and got shocked and she said mother f er but whithin a couple minutes she had the mike in hand and wailing for all she was worth.I was so supprised how thin she looked.Now this was back in the day so we rolled a big fat joint and we all toked off it and since we were only three or four rows out we passed it up to the stage,Janis bent down and took the joint and she turned to the side and pretended to take a toke then she threw it into the open piano.When one group was playing the next group would set up behind them then when they were done the staged would rotate and they'd be ready to go.I saw this this group getting ready named The Buddy Miles Express(drummer for Jimmi Hendrix)the stage rotated and there was Buddy Miles a singing drummer well he sang a song called ciggerets and coffee it was so sad and so great that at one point in the song he came out from behind the drums and undid his tied Hawian shirt ( this man was like 350 lbs.)his gut just rolled out,he sat on the edge of the stage singing and not one person cracked a smile.It was probably one of the best performances I ever saw.Lots of people were bawling,man it was something I'll never forget.I got back to Detroit and had 11 cents in my pocket and had the time of my life.

Neil and Maureen

About a dozen people left Central Pa. early the first morning. The Gropewagon broke down about six miles down 322. The Mustang blew a tire leaving Philly. When we arrived the Chambers Brothers were on stage. I was seventeen and just amazed to get so close to the music. I remember Canned Heat being on just before the Mothers. Zappa commented that they were told to do only one set because they had to make way for the heavy groups! I think he meant Janis. He was wearing a shirt reading "truck rental". I felt that the Pinnacle of the weekend was Creedence Clearwater. The Jefferson Airplane were very good also despite rumors that they were mainly a studio group. It may be my imagination but I recall a lot of fanfare about a new super group called Blind Faith stirring things up. I don't know if they played? Might have just been the album debut. I vaguely remember Joe Cocker but for some reason this memory is confused with his appearance in the Woodstock movie.

There was a lot going on away from the stage. I think someone read us the entire "Prophet". I lost contact with all off my friends but two within minutes of arriving. If Jill Benjamin reads this "thanks for the cigar you stuck in the pocket of my bibs" I didn't know that it was full of hash until I got back home on Monday. Upon leaving, other members of our expedition stole the Festival sign that was mounted at the gate to the racetrack. It was used as a room divider in a house on Pugh Street in State College for years. Wish it were still around.

Wildcat

Greetz

, Wow! I stumbled onto your site and was extremely happy to see it. Things have changed so much regarding concerts and music in general and not necessarily for the better though I am by no means "stuck in the 60's" especially musically since I've kept up with and loved many new bands even till the present, but concerts with this many top acts and for those affordable prices are apparently gone forever.... too bad.

I don't know for certain why but I don't subscribe to the common (and overly romanticized and glib) idea that if you remember it you weren't *really* there. It isn't that I didn't partake as one of my more powerful trips was at this festival which did alter the first day's experience somewhat. After walking over the huge and incredibly hot parking lot's asphalt and arriving at what seemed like an incredibly intensifying bottleneck at a few turnstiles to handle thousands, if not tens of thousands, of converging hippies from all over it overcame me and I walked back till I came to the first piece of grass I could find and laid there for a few hours until the music which was very well audible even at that distance soothed me enough to sit up and look around. Seeing perhaps a hundred other sets of frog-eyed individuals made me laugh and they, or many of them, did too. So we huddled together for awhile enjoying the music till as the sun began to set and the temperature cooled down we all wandered closer to within sight of the stage and caught the last few acts, including Iron Butterfly (awesome live) visually as well as audiblt and got to feel the whole wonderful vibe of the appreciative crowd.

I could write on for hours about this show but today will only mention a few other things.

The next day I got in close to the turnstiles early to avoid the crush and get a really good seat. Tim Buckley was a stupendous surprise as he showed up with only another guitar player and a bongo player for accompaniment but it soon became clear that was all he needed because his voice was just so rich and compelling.

I have a couple questions about some unclear events. I saw an altercation onstage during Zappa's setup and heard rumours that this was planned by Zappa as some sort of "living theatre". Anyone know? Also, someone told me that someone associated with or actually in Credence had kicked out the monitors to minimize the following act, Jefferson Airplane's, performance. If so it was to no avail since this was right between "After Bathing At Baxter's" and "Crown of Creation" and they were at the top of their game, IMHO, and their set was simply magic. Anyone know if the monitors story is true?

One last story - Upon leaving I got caught up in an eddy of the crowd and was bustled to the opposite end of the race track building and had to walk the long way around it's exterior back to the location in which we were staying. Quite unexpectedly I saw/felt a group of people walking perpendicular to the pathway out of the area and in fact through a chain link fence and into some sort of out building or rooms apparently only easily accessible from the outside. Once I spotted the unmistakable Jack Cassidy and then Grace Slick I knew I had hit a moment of true serendipity. I stayed and watched the open doorway for awhile hoping for a further glimpse and to maybe understand why they were hanging around when Gracie came outside. It had begun to drizzle ever so lightly so I didn't want to stay too long and hoped either I'd be invited in or a cloudburst would make my decision for me and send me running back to camp. So I wondered, now being in the thrall of my first real star struck state and I remember well feeling amused that being star struck was even possible for me as I was a budding musician and enough past 21 that I thought I was beyond such teenage crushes but I was indeed smitten, just what one says to Grace Slick to seem at all interesting yet non threatening. So as I was wearing a necklace that I had made from these little shiny steel drums that served as some miniaturized, for the times, memory tapes for some kind of computers the like of which I've never even heard of since, and to which I had colored brightly with glossy acrylic paints. I thought she might enjoy the irony and dualism of turning computer technology into art since back then they seemed at odds, but she was only impressed enough to walk over to the fence to talk to me face to face albeit separated by chain links. She smelled terrific and it was not patchouli, thankfully, since I found that to be way too strong for direct application to people. However she was a bit dismissive, if politely so, since she seemed uninterested in the gift asking why I didn't give it away to someone who wanted it and had said so. I replied that since I had created it, though it might be added goodness to have someone admire it so, I felt the desire to give it to her and she could keep it, pass it on, or even throw it away since it was hers and that would constitute the destiny of that particular piece of art, much like a song is performed and each hearing it can do with it what they will. She did smile at that and agreed to accept it on those terms but it began to rain in earnest and apparently my chat was insufficient to gain entrance since she dismissed herself and walked back to the shelter of the doorway and I as they say, split, both elated and deflated all at once.

Obviously I will never forget Atlantic City Pop Festival.

Jimmy

I remember going to the festival with my friend Robby. We were done one year of college and commuted each day from suburban Philly. My most vivid memory was wandering around the infield talking to people and stopping at this big wall. It wasn't until the next act came on that I realized the wall was the speakers. The act was Iron Butterfly, and their whole set was a long Inna Gadda Da Vida. It was so loud, I couldn't hear much for three days. The rest is a blur, I remember Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Creedence, and I thought Jimi Hendrix too. Overall, not much specific but a great weekend and a great memory.
Rick, age 57

Dave in Glenolden Pa. Remembers

How amazing to see this site!
I was only 12 years old in 1969 and did not go to either festival. I didn’t even hear of Woodstock until after it happened but I remember getting the album when it came out though and listening to it over and over for hours at a time, with the album cover unfolded in front of me.
But somehow I do remember the Atlantic City Pop Festival. I remember the ad on your site with the woman’s face painted with the stripes of the flag. I seem to remember that it was actually happening. I must have been hearing about it on the radio. Sometimes these incredible events just seem to be in the air, you can feel them happening even though you are not there.
I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I remember “The American Dream” playing a free concert on a flat bed truck in a parking lot of Sears department store in Wayne, and I still have the album they made.
I have always wondered about the Atlantic City Pop Festival. It was something I knew had happened and have always wondered about. Thanks so much for this site…

What a time! There was never an east coast rock festival like this and, after Woodstock, could never be again. The age of innocence and my own "summer of love". My friend from high school, Pete, and I drove down from CT and slept in the car. We had earlier that summer hitchhiked to the Newport Jazz Festival which for a year or two was really the Newport Rock Festival. That August, we were 19 and I was two months away from entering the Air Force which set my life on another path. We spent Sat and Sun right down in front at the stage. The Airplane, CCR, Santana...I will never forget that weekend. It was another world where you could see all this for a few bucks. Late at night while Little Richard was finishing up his incredible show, we were even up on the stage. Try that nowadays and go to jail! Next morning I held the door for Janis Joplin coming out of a diner there while we were headed in. And correct, as so many have said, I have tried to tell people over the years about one of the high points of the Age and nobody ever heard of it. Woodstock followed and everybody knows about that mudbath...Pete went there and never got within good sight of the stage, but he did get soaked....I passed. Pete died about 20 years ago so it's left to me to remember Atlantic City in 1969.

Mike Callahan

Simsbury, CT

My parents dropped me off at the front gate on Friday with a sleeping bag and $20 for food. I was 14 years old, I guess those were kinder times. My sister was dating the lead singer for the American Dream; we thought they would become become famous - I guess they didn't. I remember that they kept announcing from the stage "Don't take the purple peace pills", I believe they were actually horse tranquilizers. On Saturday morning hippy chicks were handing out big red flowers, they were everywhere. The music was fantastic, but what I remember most was people. Everyone was welcomed, everyone was loved, everyone was safe. My friends were going on to Woodstock, but I just wanted to get a shower and sleep in my own bed. I had eaten, drank and partied for three days but still had the $20 when my parents picked me up on Sunday.

J. Thomas

We drove from Detroit to the festival and I remember mostly the end of the show for the day I think on sat. and the word was there was to be a special appearance by someone and don't leave until the end. Well at the end of the day when we thought the show was over the stage slowly turned around like a large lazy Susan and the chamber brothers appeared, A huge pool of water had collected above the stage from an earlier rain and it rolled on top of one of the guitar players and he never missed a beat, Does anyone remember this?

Tom Roush

I was 16 then I hitch hiked with 2 other friends from Washington DC. We got picked up by someone in a VW bug. I rode all the way to the concert with this freak sitting on my lap. He ended up going to Woodstock and made it in the movie. His name was Turkey and he was the one coming out of the Port a John smoking a joint. The night before the concert my buddies and me got caught jumping the fence. To our surprise the sheriff deputized us asking us only to request anyone else coming in that night to stay off the inner turf so as not to damage it. It didn't work but we did get free admission.Anyone remember the rainstorm? We slept up in the tracks observation tower until the lightning scared us as we were sleeping on a metal floor. Yes Joni Mitchell should have realized that it was too much to ask of a crowd that large to stay quiet from her act. I heard she walked off at the Isle of Wight also. Things are still hazy from there, Orange Sunshine if you know what I mean.

Peace, Alan

Me, my boyfriend (later Husband) and his Brother drove from Maryland to see the show. My Mother said the only way I could go (being 17) was to have a separate room from the guys. We showed up to NJ, turned in the second room reservation for cash value and head on out to the racetrack. My memories are getting as close to the stage as possible everyday. I had a bad cut on my bare foot after stepping on glass and found an incense box and a piece of string which I used as a cardboard bandage. I left the guys to go use the facilities and walked over and around hundreds people and after 45 minutes heard someone calling my name. I had made a complete circle and ended up finding a place ten feet away to drop drawers and wee. It never occurred to me that I would have to find the guys on the return trip (it would have been impossible) so I guess the circling was a blessing. The fire trucks came out on the infield and sprayed water to help everyone cool off and get a drink. Lots of nudity! The bands were unbelievable Janis was shocked after grabbing on the mic and stormed off stage only to come back swigging on a bottle of whisky and singing her ass off. Its a damn shame I can't recall the whole three days, I was there and I was front row, but it was 1969 people! Its an experience I still talk about today and am thankful I made the trip. Oh yeah on the way home the last day everyone was trying to bum a ride to some place in New York called Woodstock........I had to go home Mom was expecting me...
Carolyn

How about you.
If you have any info or good stories about any of the bands on my site, just send them.
I will include them on the site.

I remember driving to ac from Kettering, Ohio with a friend. we must have arrived late Friday. it all seems like such a blur. I remember walking around and seeing all these groovy people. I truly felt like I had finally come home and was with my people. it felt like a huge tribe, everyone was so loving. I was walking toward the music, but I was meeting and talking to all these really cool people. I'd just walk into their camps or van or whatever and say hi. people would just welcome you into their space, give you drugs, food, music & just talk about stuff. I swear just being in the tribe was the best part for me. I was just 19 y/o & the scene in Ohio wasn't that advanced. this pop festival was my first and the best one I ever did attend. I only remember a few musicians, even though I was there listening to lot's of them. Joe cocker was just great, such a spastic. bb king was super, too. I remember it was really hot & the tanker truck drove in front of the stadium and sprayed the crowd with water. it felt so good. I loved everyone that was a part of this life changing event. I've tried to tell a few people about it, but gave up because nobody really got it. everyone is so enthralled about Woodstock, but i don't think that had anything on Atlantic city. I went from there to visit my aunt...hmmm, everyone else went on to Woodstock.

Hi, I’m so happy to see this site…in 1969 I was 15 years old and [I still can’t believe my parents let us go] my 17 year old sister and I went to the three days of music…the stand outs in my memory are Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley, the airplane and Hugh Masekela….I’m so glad you listed the acts because I couldn’t remember a lot of them….[hell it was the 60’s] …..one of my favorite memories was seeing the ladies rooms attendants [ the race track bathrooms were huge and luxurious] gaping in shock as dozens of hippie girls stripped naked and lathered up standing in front of the sinks as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do!!! thanks so much, Bella…..still lovin the music……my other favorite concert was 1966 JFK stadium….The Beatle

My friend Allan and I hitched to the festival from Long Island. We got there in time for the Butterfield set and it was magnificent. He had his full band with him and really gave it his all. We also heard Credence and the Airplane. It was a wildly supportive and good natured crowd. The estimate was 125K people at the track.....mostly young people. Packed to the walls with everyone looking for a good time.

We stayed overnight at the track and in the morning, a big water truck made its way around the infield spraying all of us who wanted or needed a shower. People rushed to the rail to get hosed down. I especially remember an ice cream vender passing through the stands and the demand was so great that he finally gave up, opened the hatch and threw the ice cream to the cheering crowd free of charge.I had never heard Joe Cocker before and he was fantastic. We had the good fortune to catch him and lots of the same artists at Woodstock a few weekslater.Atlantic City was probably a routing date to the East waiting for the big event. However, in many ways this was better for the fans since there was seating and you could get reasonably close to the stage.
Janis blew everyone away with her moving nighttime concert. Wow! I just saw her in the newly released "Festival Express" movie released here in Los Angeles last week, which is the name of the special train cars for her, The Dead, Band, etc. traveling across Canada in 1970.The toilet paper throwing that was mentioned by another fan.....I only remember it during Sir Douglas Quintet's set. A great acid experience except that in general we got too close to the speakers and probably wrecked our hearing.When we left to head back to Long Island, we knew our lives were changed dramatically forever and that we would never forget this incredible emotional experience.
I too hope that Larry Magid, owner of Electric Factory Concerts, has word as to whether there is a tape of this wonderful event.

I graduated from high school the summer of 69 and spent the summer hitch hiking around dc, ocean city Maryland and back to Pittsburgh. tom, Dave and myself, three 17 year olds, hitch-hiked from Pittsburgh to Atlantic city. it was very, very hot on July 31st and humid as hell. we stopped to eat new jersey peaches along the way from some farmers orchard. we were dying and contemplating hijacking someone's car just to stop walking and get there. we swore the next car that stopped, we would do it. it happened to be two black brothers, two very big black brothers, who bothered to stop and pick up 3 white guys. they were great. they were going to ac as well. we all got stoned along the way. our friends Rick and Gary were hitch hiking as well and would meet us there. it was a miracle that Gary went. his parents never let this 16 year old do anything because Gary had a bad heart condition. he had been coddled all his life. the doctors said he would never graduate high school. he wasabout to go into his senior year. taking Gary to ac was the event of his life. we camped out, outside of the race track where the concert was. we tripped most of the 3 days. I remember tickets being $20 for 3 days. is that right? people eventually crashed the gates and after awhile, it was a free concert. that seemed to be the case at most rock festivals. for three days it never rained and it was hot as hell. there were concession stands with food and souvenirs, bathrooms, seats (if you were in the club house), a medical tent for the bad acid, it was all there, basically a successful event. that's why no one ever heard of the ac pop festival. if it had been a disaster like Woodstock two weeks later, it would have gotten recognition. I remember Joni Mitchell stopping
her second song to tell people to be quiet. what did she expect. there were ¼ million people there sweltering in the hot sun. we wanted to rock, not snooze to Joni. she walked off stage during her 3rd song. she had no business being booked there. I remember the chambers brothers tearing the place apart, musically speaking. that was a great moment. how about Janis? she was wild. and Zappa and the mothers? I never heard such incredible musicianship like that. cta's 1st gig. they were great. I saw them 3 more times before the year
was out and then they sold out to pop radio. Creedence, the airplane. id never seen anything like Dr john before. ill never forget ac pop. the 5 of us hitched home back to Pittsburgh and we slept under trees in the rain, on park benches, in the woods, peoples back yards (where we were woken up the next morning by the police because some guy got up at dawn and saw 5 bodies in his back yard. then he came out with coffee for us all, even the cops), under the roof of a hojos. man it was brutal. I got home with crotch rot. the entire way home, Gary thanked us for giving him the gift of life, love, music, friendship, acceptance, basically everything he had been wanting but was denied because we never really accepted him. Rick was the closest to him. he couldn't stop talking about the experience of ac pop and how much he appreciated being included. he was inspired and thanking god all the way home for that weekend. we turned around for Woodstock the next week but when it started to rain, we had had enough hitch hiking in the rain and turned back. the next night, we were all playing touch football in the school parking lot. Gary couldn't do anything that strenuous so he watched with the girls like he always did. on the way home, Gary died of a heart attack, one week before starting his senior year in high school. whenever I think of ac pop I think of Gary and always will. I relive the music and the moments of ac pop every week on my radio show, the underground, which airs on wrct radio (Carnegie Mellon university) in Pittsburgh every Wednesday from 2-4pm (the day and time change every semester). you can get the live audio stream at wrct.org.

My buddy Dean and I drove down from NY State in Dean's white jalopy
with a half pound of Long Island weed crammed under his dashboard. I
know we had a blast at the festival, but I can remember only Biff Rose,
the shocking, spazmodic air-guitar gyrations of Joe Cocker and the
awesome appearance of CCR - the booming beat of drums (Born on the
Bayou?) and bathed in what looked like brilliant orange light. Whew!
was I ripped! Was there something happening about men in derby hats in
that jam-packed crowd or was I hallucinating?

Soon after the festival, Dean and I got busted, back in NY state,
driving home from the movies, after seeing 2001, A Space Oddysey.
The cops held us in the police station most of the night and around
2AM, found the grass under the dashboard. Then they called our parents.
My parents wouldn't let me see Dean anymore. I made it to Woodstock but
without any weed and that's another story...

Fun to read about Atlantic City here. For years, I've been telling
folks about how fantastic it was. No one had ever heard of it.

Dave

DSJernise,
I was there with 6-8 friends from Baltimore. Some high lights that stick in my mind- Bob Heit? the lead singer for Canned Heat was backed up by The Mothers of Invention cause the band was not there?, unable to play?. who knows? Joe Cocker a relative unknown at the time was being distracted at the time by people throwing rolls of toilet paper in the air. He mentioned while singing that he came all the way from England and did not want things thrown at him. The crowd picked up on it, got behind him and gave him a hell of an ovation. Little Richard brought the house down! Janis Joplin put on one hell of a show. When you thought things could not get any higher Little Richard turned it up a notch or two. Years later I read his book and it turns out this was one of his first concerts after laying out of the music scene for several years. Backstage after Joplin's performance the promoters told him that that they would understand if he didn't want to go on. He definitely went on and brought a whole new generation's appreciation to his contribution to rock and roll. I do remember Joni Mitchel leaving the stage in the middle of her performance. Great music, great times, great memories. Thanks, Jerry from Baltimore. PS. I was also at the Hendrix show at Columbia. The lightning and thunder when he started playing was like some cosmic natural effects that were pre-planned.

Thanks for giving me a place to remember one of the greatest times of my life.   Many things about that weekend are pretty fuzzy, for obvious reasons, but other people's recollections brought back memories for me that were buried deep and presumed lost.   It was summer at home in Richmond and all my college friends were scattered about the states, so I hitchhiked to Atlantic City by myself on Friday. A guy I met and palled around with at the festival gave me a ride back to his parents house in Philly Sunday night.   We were so "tired" we had to hang our heads out the car window to stay awake.   Needless to say, I didn't make it back to work on Monday, since I spent the day hitchhiking home to Richmond.   The next week, when I asked my boss if I could have off on Friday again to go to Woodstock, he said, "HELL NO, last week you took Friday off and missed Monday." I should have called in sick from the road, but I wasn't exactly thinking straight at that point.   After that weekend of music and mayhem, I wasn't sure I wanted to go back to my life, much less my summer job.

I missed seeing Janis Joplin throwing her boots because I had heard enough of her SCREAMING and had gone inside the concession area that was pretty sound proofed (probably because the festival was at a car race track). I loved her recordings, but she was like a drunk cat wailing that Sunday night.   While in the concession area, I saw the first girl I ever dated in junior high school.   She was tripping her brains out and didn't make much sense, but she sure did look great.   I saw her again twenty years later and asked her what she was on that night and she looked surprised and said, "I wasn't on drugs. I was just really sick." Yeah, must have been a bad hotdog.

Santana was fantastic.   So were the Airplane, Credence, the Chambers Brothers, Canned Heat and BS&T. I am now a big jazz fan, but don't remember Miles Davis playing. If he did, I sure wish I had paid attention. I'd love to hear of other people's adventures in Atlantic City in the Summer of '69. Maybe it will bring back some more memories long forgotten.