Nice! I don't remember this one at all... Was Duane Allman still alive for this show? Did Bloodrock play D.O.A.? Quicksilver woulda been great too.... Did Pink Floyd really play, and did Sly Stone pull his famous no-show? Looks like Time magazine thought things was a little bleak at this thing... Mud, Sweat and Tears in Louisiana - TIME However, another side from this forum: Re: Celebration of life -- ROCKFEST '70 Love the part about the fishermen with mint juleps and sammiches.... :thumb:
There were several major band no-shows and afternoon thunderstorms wrecked the stage every day, it was a typical "planned-on-drugs" rock festival. Not enough water, not enough food, not enough latrines. Security was provided by Satan's Tramps and the Galloping Gooses who beat the hell out of anyone they thought was there without a ticket. It was not a "Peace and Love" hippie show. It was a Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll show. The Floyd never showed. Sly never showed. Ringo never showed. The promoters didn't come through with the up-front cash for some of the major acts. The best acts that I can remember were Brownsville Station, Wet Willie, Chuck Berry, and Mott the Hoople. I was trippin' my teenage ass off most of the time. I was 16 and I never saw so many freaks in my life. Drugs were everywhere, mostly pot, hash, and cheap acid. The bands that showed and didn't get rained out were great, but it was really hot and everyone was dehydrated, so nobody was able to watch the whole show. You had to keep going to the river to cool off or to find some shade to keep from getting sunstroke or to find somebody with water. Cajuns from Simmesport were coming down and selling milk jugs of tap water for major bucks. I've got some black and white photos somewhere but I haven't seen them for decades. It was a hell of an experience, but a very poor rock festival.
Thanks for the reminiscing, red. Great stuff. Just because you're old doesn't mean you're boring. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. Mebbe one day you'll scan and post some of those old b/ws for us all to enjoy. I love good stories and this one is a great one. Perhaps we can start another thread to see who else can add to the mix of THAT festival, which seems more interesting all these years later than the NO Pop Festival. I mean 50,000 hippies? FITTY THOUSAND???????? That's a lot'o'weed, stinkbush, rotgut, and other marvelous consumables...
I didn't attend the Festival of Life but sometime about 1970 or 71 there was a small festival at Thunderbird Beach in Livingston Parish. Bloodrock was there and did do DOA. Also the Ides of March, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Brownsville Station, The James Gang and others I don't remember. The festival was produced by the late Danny Kertacy who was booking the bands at Jim Brown's Speakeasy Club at the time. As I was walking in Danny was at the gate and asked me if I wanted to work at the festival. I never got paid but at least I got in free and got to hang out backstage. If there is any video of the event when Joe Walsh and the James Gang played the bass player stood on top of two amps that were stacked on the stage. That was me holding the amps steady so that he didn't fall off.
Was the dancing back then anything like this? [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-R5GQ0V-Z4&e[/MEDIA]
...or better yet !!!!! one for the pickle kissers... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKw-xV_IN_I[/media]
