#169 - 8 Iconic Music Festival Moments
Glastonbury 1970 - This was the year the iconic festival was founded. The first festival at Worthy Farm was actually called the ‘Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival’. It was a one day event, hosted by Michael Evis, and attended by 1,500 people. Nothing compared to the 210,000 people they host today.
Reading 1992 - This was the year where Nirvana famously took the headline slot - a performance which would later be released in 2009 as their iconic ‘Live At Reading’ DVD. This came just after their album ‘Nevermind’ had elevated them to the position of (as described by ‘Pitchfork’) the “biggest” rock band in the world.
Woodstock 1969 - Regarded as a pivotal moment in music history, and a defining event for the countercultural generation, this three day festival, held on a dairy farm in New York state attracted over 400,000 people and featured a star studded lineup - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who and Jefferson Airplane.
Glastonbury 1997 - This was the year the now notorious festival expanded to 800 acres, introducing the Greenpeace field and “dubhenge”. And, most notably, Radiohead’s headline set was widely heralded as the band’s best ever performance.
Isle of Wight 1969 - The festival became a legendary event after Bob Dylan headlined the 1969 edition, marking an end to his brief, three year retirement, and attracting a crowd of over 150,000 - an impressive feat for a small UK island! Other names that year included the Band, the Who, Free, Joe Cocker, and the Moody Blues.
Monterey 1967 - Monterey 67 is remembered for embodying California as a focal point of the "Summer of Love'', and the birth of the Hippie and Flower Power movements. The festival featured headline shows from Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Ravi Shankar, as well as hosting the first large-scale public performances from Janis Joplin and Otis Redding.
Glastonbury 2009 - We couldn’t leave Jay-Z’s 2009 Glasto performance off the list. The rapper caused a stir, responding to Noel Gallagher’s diss by performing a novelty ‘Wonderwall’-’99 Problems’ fusion. The crowd went wild!
Coachella 2012 - The headline set by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre made history, reincarnating Tupac as a mind-bendingly realistic avatar. An academy-award winning special effects studio spent months perfecting the advanced projection technology.
