How’s this for a concert roster: Otis Redding, Buffalo Springfield, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix?? Those are just some of the 36 acts that graced the stage of the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967. The guest list isn’t surprising given the star power behind the festival. Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson sat on the board; organizers included Michelle and John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, and record producer Lou Adler. The Monterey Pop Festival took place over three days and drew together like-minded music fans. The Village Voice dubbed the audience “The Love Crowd.” It’s estimated that 200,000 people attended the event. Obviously the performers were a huge draw, but so was the location: The Monterey Pop Festival was held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey California, a relative stone’s throw from Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, where young people nationwide were gathering for the so-called Summer of Love. The Monterey Pop Festival is considered the first real rock festival and the precursor to Woodstock.

Oh yeah, baby get into it:

Official site