The Monterey International Pop Music Festival took place from June 16 to June 18, 1967. Over 60,000 people attended, and it is often regarded as the precursor to Woodstock. Held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California, the festival was planned by 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. San Francisco was the epicenter of the "counter-culture"; young people journeyed there to live an alternative lifestyle meant to increase personal freedom, yet live in collective harmony. This transformation of ideals and life was explored through psychedelic light shows, art, music, and drugs, like marijuana and LSD. The Monterey Pop Festival embodied these themes of San Francisco and the counter-culture and is generally regarded as one of the beginnings of the “Summer of Love” in 1967. 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. It was estimated that 55,000 to 90,000 people were at the festival at its peak at midnight on Sunday. Reserved seats were $6.50 for each evening show, while entrance to the adjacent field was a nominal $1.00. 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 "Summer of Love." The festival became legendary for the first major American appearances 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. Hendrix, inspired by Pete Townshend's guitar-smashing, ended his Monterey performance by kneeling over his guitar with mock reverence, pouring lighter fluid over it, setting it aflame, and then smashing it up. Many record company executives were in attendance (paying $150 apiece for their seats in a special area just below the stage), and a number of the performers won recording contracts based on their appearance at the festival. Columbia Records signed Big Brother and The Holding Company, and Jerry Wexler used the festival to advance the career of Otis Redding. Several acts were also notable for their non-appearance. A variety of reasons were given for The Beach Boys' cancellation: as an admission that they could not compete alongside hippie acts, a rift between Brian Wilson and the rest of the band over their failure to complete Smile, the follow up to Pet Sounds, or Carl Wilson's problems with the draft board. Musician Donovan was refused a visa to enter the United States because of a 1966 drug bust. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band was also invited to appear but according to the liner notes for the CD reissue of their album Safe As Milk, the band reportedly turned the offer down at the insistence of guitarist Ry Cooder, who felt the group was not ready. Although The Rolling Stones did not play, guitarist and founder Brian Jones attended and appeared on stage to introduce Hendrix. Jones was known as "king of the festival". According to Eric Clapton, Cream did not perform because the band's manager wanted to make a bigger splash for their American debut. Dionne Warwick and the Impressions were advertised on some of the early posters for the event, but Warwick dropped out due to a conflict in booking that weekend: she was booked at the Fairmont Hotel and it was thought that if she canceled that appearance it would negatively affect her career. She considered sneaking off between sets to perform at the festival, but ultimately decided against it. The Kinks were invited, but could not get a work visa to enter the US due to a dispute with the American Federation of Musicians. Eric Burdon and The Animals later that same year sang a song about the festival entitled "Monterey", which quoted a line from the Byrds song "Renaissance Fair" ("I think that maybe I'm dreamin'"). In the song, Burdon mentions Monterey performers The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Hugh Masekela, The Grateful Dead,and The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones ("Her Majesty's Prince Jones smiled as he moved among the crowd"). Jones did not perform. The instruments used in the song imitate the styles of these performers. A number of other artists performed, including blues singer Lou Rawls and singer-songwriter Laura Nyro. Many rock bands made appearances as well, including The Association, Buffalo Springfield, Country Joe and The Fish, Moby Grape, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Blues-rock bands were well-represented, among them Canned Heat, The Electric Flag, The Steve Miller Band, and The Blues Project. The Mamas and the Papas, who helped organize the event (which prevented them from doing any rehearsals), were the closing act of the festival. Jimi Hendrix huddled backstage before the Monterey Pop Festival with Pete Townshend, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones. When Townshend insisted that Hendrix headline over the Who that day, Hendrix said, "If I've gotta follow you on, I'm gonna pull all the stops". Hendrix then blazed through a 45-minute set capped by setting his guitar afire, then smashing it and throwing the remnants into a delirious crowd who were watching Hendrix's first-ever American show. Hendrix is said to have taken several "hits" of LSD before his performance.
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