Pop Goes Monterey!

In a historical period where Woodstock is often remembered and revered as THE monumental rock and roll music concert, the Monterey Pop Festival often seems to be overlooked like the Charlie Brown or Rodney Dangerfield of the music world: it just doesn't seem to garner the same level of respect, even though it was held two years before Woodstock and was the first widely publicized rock music event in the United States. Now that's it been 40 years since the festival took place (during 1967, the Summer of Love), the event is finally earning some kudos: PBS stations across the country are running a documentary called Monterey Pop: The Summer of Love (check your local listings), a CD of the concert was released in May of this year, and I recently came across the official blog (http://monterey-pop-festival.com/) chock full of everything you ever wanted to know about the festival. And I copied and pasted the following from Wikipedia:

"Held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California, the festival was planned by record producer Lou Adler, singers Michelle Phillips and John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, producer Alan Pariser, and publicist Derek Taylor. The festival board included members of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. The artists performed for free, with all revenue donated to charity, with the exception of Ravi Shankar, who was paid $3,000 for his afternoon-long performance on the sitar. More than 200,000 people attended the festival, which had a nominal $1 entrance fee. The festival is generally regarded (along with the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band released two weeks earlier) as the apex of the so-called "Summer of Love". The festival became legendary for the first major American appearance by Jimi Hendrix, who was booked on the insistence of board member Paul McCartney, and The Who. It was also the first major public performance for Janis Joplin, who appeared as a member of Big Brother and The Holding Company, and Otis Redding, backed by Booker T. & The MG's. Redding would die only a few months later."

So what are you waiting for, man? Give the festival some overdue loving in return and check out the blog or program!