Watkins Glen rock festival
The Watkins Glen rock festival, held in July 1973, marked a significant yet transitional moment in the history of American music festivals. It was notable for being one of the largest gatherings in U.S. history, with approximately 600,000 attendees at the Watkins Glen International racetrack. Unlike earlier festivals, which typically showcased a diverse lineup of artists, the event featured only three bands: the Allman Brothers, the Band, and the Grateful Dead, all of whom shared a similar musical style. This focus on a limited number of performers reflected a shift away from the politically charged atmosphere of previous festivals, as the era of intense political activism among youth waned following the Vietnam War.
The festival's organization included extensive preparations, such as the construction of a large campground equipped with essential facilities to accommodate the massive crowd. However, it ultimately fell short of achieving the lasting cultural impact and financial success of iconic festivals like Woodstock. While the performances were enthusiastically received by some, many attendees experienced apathy due to the overwhelming size of the crowd and the musicians' lengthy improvisational sets. Challenges like inclement weather and tragic incidents further dampened the event's legacy, making it a poignant end to the rock festival movement of the 1960s and early 1970s.
On this Page
Watkins Glen rock festival
The Event Approximately 600,000 fans attend a rock music festival
Date July 28, 1973
Place Watkins Glen, New York
The Watkins Glen festival signaled the end of Woodstock-era music festivals and the beginning of the commercialized popular music concerts of the “Me Decade.”
The Watkins Glen festival took place during the declining years of the rock festival movement that began with the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, peaked with the Woodstock festival of 1969, and took a sharp downward turn following the violence at the Rolling Stones’ free 1969 Altamont concert near San Francisco. Unlike traditional music festivals that featured a large number of performers representing a variety of musical genres, the Watkins Glen festival featured only three bands—the Allman Brothers, the Band, and the Grateful Dead—that shared similar musical styles and a common audience. Watkins Glen also contrasted with the 1960’s festivals in its lack of political overtones, reflecting a decline in political activism among American youth in the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict. However, the Watkins Glen festival was the largest music festival and one of the largest gatherings in American history.
Preparation for the event was meticulous. In compliance with state laws enacted after the Woodstock festival, promoters constructed a large campground with more than one thousand portable toilets, a dozen water wells, and a heliport. Neither the promoters nor racetrack officials anticipated more than 150,000 people. However, by Thursday, July 26, the campground already held more than 100,000 concertgoers, and highways leading into the venue were gridlocked with traffic jams stretching for dozens of miles. More than a quarter of a million young people had gathered at the racetrack by Friday evening. With 100,000 fans already gathered in front of the stage anticipating the start of the festival, what was planned as a test of the innovative digital sound system that evening became an impromptu concert when the performers decided to play extended sets. By Saturday, the day of the festival, approximately 600,000 people occupied the ninety-acre raceway grounds.
Impact
The Watkins Glen festival was the last of the large rock festivals held in the United States during the 1970’s. Despite its enormity, it never attained the cultural significance or lasting financial success of Woodstock, the largest of the 1960’s festivals. The performances, although by most accounts inspired, failed to hold the attention of the sprawling audience, many of whom were out of viewing range of the stage. The limited number of performers and their penchant for lengthy improvisation exacerbated the apathy of the attendees, many of whom were either intoxicated or distracted by the general atmosphere of revelry. Rain and the death of a skydiver in a fiery accident further dulled the impact of the performances, which began to suffer as the musicians grew tired. Disagreements among the performers derailed plans for potentially lucrative record album and motion-picture releases.
Bibliography
McNally, Dennis. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead. New York: Broadway Books, 2003.
Santelli, Robert. Aquarius Rising: The Rock Festival Years. New York: Delacorte Press, 1980.