Laurel Pop Festival

 

Laurel Race Track In Maryland

Friday Night July 11th 1969

In Order Of Appearance:

Buddy Guy - Great Blues Guitar

Al Kooper Band - Remember the album "Super Session"

Jethro Tull - 1st album was out.

Johnny Winter - 1st (Columbia) album was just out. He Kicked Ass

Led Zeppelin - There 2nd Album was just coming out. U.F.B.

What a Night !! This show is in my top 5 concerts of all time.

The first time I saw Zeppelin was about a month before at the Merriweather Post Pavilion In
Columbia, MD (Outside DC). We actually went to see the WHO. The ad posters said
THE WHO, at the bottom was "With Led Zeppelin" in smaller print. We had been anticipating
them because of the Yardbirds (Page, Clapton, and Jeff Beck all from the Yardbirds) and
there first album had been out for awhile. That show was May 25 , 1969 and the tickets
were $5.50 each.
By July 11,1969 they were top billing at the "Laurel Pop Festival"

All the Bands were still in there "Trying to make it -Mode". Which means they
were "hungry" and at there BEST.

My ticket stub

Cover of the Laurel Pop Festival program

Here is the entire Laurel Pop Festival Program

---

Laurel Pop Stories

Great to read your blurb about this show. I'm sure you know that it continued Saturday night the 12th- I went to that night and saw the Guess Who, 10 Years After, Mothers of Invention, and Savoy Brown, among others- I stumbled backstage after the show and saw Frank Zappa holding hands with a woman not his wife and then getting ready for a filmed interview with a local DJ. I was only 15 then, nobody told me to get out- those were the days!
George

---

Recollections from a then 15 year old Rock and Roller

I remember Sly and the Family Stone as stealing the show on Saturday night. They were awesome and had a funky groove that got me and my friends up and dancing. That is one of my favorite all time performances. I liked Guess Who set although I wasn't a fan of theirs. As usual, Frank Zappa put on a great show and the Jeff Beck Band featuring Rod Stewart was great. I don't think Savoy Brown played as the show ran late and the promoter were angry cause the crowd had built bonfires out of the wooden chairs as it was a chilly wet night.I didn't go the night before because I didn't have the money. One of many regrets.

Tom

Send me your Laurel Pop Stories

---

More Ticket Stubs