To me it signified the end of the Woodstock Nation.
photos...
Advertised on the radio for weeks, the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival at Bull Island, Illinois was supposed to be the next Woodstock. Several of us decided to go and loaded up.
Leaving from Murfressboro TN the day before the start of the music, we arrived late in the night. We were lucky to get there when we did and to get off of the interstate and park somewhere on a dirt road that led to the festival. Later we found out that hundreds, if not thousands, of cars were left on the side of the interstate and they got towed.
We slept until some time after daybreak and began a long walk to the festival's gate. We didn't have tickets but did have the cash to get in so we waited in line to pay our way. Almost to the gate, a group of folks began pushing on the flimsy fence and broke it down with someone yelling "It's a free festival." No one tried to stop anyone and we all politely walked through the downed fence and headed towards the stage which was still a long ways away.
The twenty dollars each not paid came in handy later on.
Well... what did we come upon first? Dope stands. That's right, makeshift stands set up in a row with signs saying what was for sale. It was mostly acid; blotter, sugar-cube, capsules and pills. We checked them all out, talking to the vendors and decided on the sugar-cube.
It turned out to be a good choice as it was reported to be some bad acid, even bleach sold by some sorry scum just to make a buck or to disrupt the situation and hurting some folks in the process.
We never saw one cop the whole time we were there. The dope stands were taken down later that day but there were plenty more drugs of every kind to be found. Downers and heroin seemed to be the drug of choice for quite a few.
We walked around the site taking in all of what was going on, met up with some friends and staked out a place a little to the right of the stage about maybe 150 feet back.
We had carried a few supplies in with us, some food and water, soap, towels and blankets. Everything was needed and more so.
Before nightfall we were beginning to see that all was not well with the promised entertainment. Bands we had never heard of attempted to play but the organization was not there and the sound system was never right until later on in the night. It was a mess that only got worse.
But we didn't care, we were in the midst of somewhere around 250,000 to 300,000 people and it began as a big party whether or not we had music. As it turned out, very few of the scheduled bands showed up and some that did would not play due to lack of being paid or just plain afraid of the crowd.
Overdoses were common. The PA announcer was continually yelling to not take this or that as it was bad and reminding people where the medical tent was. One guy was standing up spouting nonsense very loudly for a long time and began to get on people's nerves until a couple of guys physically carried him off. The crowd around clapped and yelled.
Later that night, a very well endowed topless lady with a leather satchel full of ounces of pot made her way through the crowd hawking her wares. She sold out.
At one point the crowd was fairly quiet and a guy stood up and at the top of his voice screamed "this is dope to the max." The crowd gave him an ovation.
It rained hard that night, shades of Woodstock, and that messed things up. Cheech and Chong played during it with everyone under plastic and blankets trying to stay dry.
I remember falling asleep sometime after that.
The next morning brought out the sun and everyone was walking around in pretty much a daze. What was unsettling was that many guys were going around begging for downers. Downers at a rock festival? We commented that this must be the end of the psychedelic era.
We were dirty from the mud and dust and since Bull Island was surrounded by water on three sides, we took a hike to wash up. Sure enough, many others had the same idea and why get your clothes wet, skinny dipping was the way to go.
We sat on the bank watching the nude bathers and getting up our nerve to do the same. At that moment there were probably a hundred or so in the water and we joined in. Glad we brought the soap. Then the helicopters began circling around very low with their cameras blazing. Naked hippies must have made their story for the nightly news a little more interesting.
Bands did play but who they were, I can only go by what others have written.
We left the next morning and I ended up driving the whole way back while the others slept.
I wouldn't do it again but I wouldn't take anything for the experience. It was what you might call 'a different kind of fun.'
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would swear that the festival was a set-up, a sort of psyops to put an end to the ideal of the Woodstock nation. If it wasn't, then it was the biggest f**k up in the history of rock festival promotions.
A few more details...
The Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival, Bull Island
Erie Canal "Soda" Pop Festival
Rock festival ends in disillusionment
I made it to the Ozark Gospel and Country Music fest in Sedalia, MO in 1974.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great time, damn near non-stop partying for 3+ days and all sorts of decent bands.
And I got in free. The people I went with didn't have a car, but had tickets.
I had a car, but not a ticket.
But at the gate, they took my friends tickets and just waved me in.
What a great time. Several hundred thousand and I didn't see any violence, just people having a good time.
I was Fifteen years old when this happened. And I was right in the middle of the action, but I wasn't on the island! My father was the Sherriff of Posey County at the time, and we lived at the jail in Mt. Vernon. Our phones rang non stop 24 hours a day with parents trying to find their kids. It was really quite sad. I've read that there was "inadequate" police protection, but there was no way that the small county of Posey could have contained that crowd. I know my dad, and all his deputies, and the volunteers worked 24 hours a day for a week.
ReplyDeleteMy dad's buddy had a 6 seater plane, and we got to fly over it. What a mess. I've never seen anything like it, before or since!
The saddest thing tho, was when they were cleaning up the mess (which took months) they found a newborn in a plastic bag.
And I think you are correct, Bull Island was the end of the Woodstock era. I remember there was "talk" of doing another concert, but it never materialized.
Thanks for the memories!
Thanks for your input Dinah. I bet that the plane ride over Bull Island was an eye opener.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to put into words what happened there and I'm glad to know that there are some who remember.
After I left my story about my experience at Bull Island, I shared that I had just purchased a new Camera Minolta SLR which I still have. I found the negatives and had them put on a Cd. I thought there would be more,I have to say I wanted more, but there are some really good ones, especialy of the trucks being looted and the skinny dippers, and the people selling pot. It was so cool reflecting back I sure hope someone organizes a reunion, I could help....
ReplyDeleteI was recently sharing my stories on attending the Bull Island rock festival. Had some laughs telling my wife too,she was not impressed. I was very near the back of the trucks when the liberation of the food began! Please post the photos! Would love to see them! I hitchhiked from Chicago and back from the day before till the last day of music.When leaving walked past the remnants of a cow that someone tried to cook without the help of a butcher, just knocked down and attempted to cook. But the good memories out number the cow story. Thanks, Jim (Tish)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteMyself & 9 others I grew up with went. It was great, we were 17, just out of High School, We had a muffler problem & the cops pulled over to check it out- at 3 am in Indianna- the cop said "are you going to that Rock Festival?" I said, "we were going to, but changed our minds" he said, "then what are you doing?" I said, "just driving around". He said , "its 3 am , you are in the middle of Indiana with Ohio plates & you are just driving around?" "Follow me"- he took us to a truck stop , said the y can help you with your car, have fun, be safe" It was great. Just the start of an adventure. We had fun, all the people I met from all over The USA were great. We should do it agian-there were 300,000 plus of us-where are you all at now?
God Bless ya'll
I was there. I just turned 15. My dad took me. He worked at a local TV station and was seen on the evening news, because of course, the camera man knew him. He was fired.
ReplyDeleteI remember black oak arkansas best, oh, and ravi shankar... his music was appropriate, it was like an indian market place with signs up selling dope.
left early just too much humanity, was almost killed by two rednecks who tried to runover he while my wife and i hitchhiked was picked up by state cops who took us to the main highway not my fav memorys had a mean weekend buzz though steve
ReplyDeleteI have a whole lot of newspaper clippings from the local papers in that area about the rockfest!Lot's of pics.,etc. If someone wants them contact me at crookedycook@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy husband played at the Soda Pop Festival in a band called Gladstone from Texas. He rode in a helicopter over the crowd because it was the only way in.
ReplyDeleteI was there with six of us from St. Louis. It was a sight to behold. There were people in line getting tied off for their heroin injections. The injections were made with needleless air guns.
ReplyDeleteI celebrated my birthday there. We were some of the few just drinking beer. The guy in the tent next to us OD'd on some kind of downers. While we was conscious he kept yelling out that he was looking for Reds or Yellows. We nicknamed him TOJO.
We were also in the line to pay when the fence came down, and we just walked right in.
Me and a buddy had just been hitch-hiking back home from a 6 week road trip all over the south west and california and in nothern Oklahoma we got picked up by a guy in a volkswagon camper van who said he was heading to the Indiana festival. I don't remember having tickets. We must have gotten there early because somehow he parked his van right back beyond where the trucks got set ablaze the one night. I also mainly remember Black oak arkansas (first time I ever heard them and thought they were great) and Rabbi Shankar on the sittar. I remeber catching loafs of bread and cases of soda that were being heaved into the crowd by the looters. The prices were something to rebel against. A small paper cup of water was a buck or more. This ended the trip of my youth. A memory that seemed to be only mine. I don't know what all of a sudden stirred me to search for this event but thanks for posting this site. The friend I went with drugged out for years after our trip and doesn't remember any of it. We were seventeen and I had to go back and finish 12th grade after that summer. That was a chore. The guy who picked us up in his camper van was probably in hi thirdys. We stopped at a farm market before the concert and bought enough vegetables and stuff for a gigantic pot of stew that we lived off of for the entire three days. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI always appreciate the comments and the additional little bits and pieces of this story. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHey guys...I was there also....but wanted to tell you there is a facebook page that would love your comments.....just look up Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival on FB!!
ReplyDeleteI rode down from Indy in a 71 chevy van with about 7 others.I was 16 and took a bunch of weed we picked in northern indiana.We got there early Fri.and were able to park close.No body to take our tickets so we walked back up the road and sold them for 10 bucks.<my older took our weed. sold it quick hitched a ride to the closest airport and flew back to indy.I still tell him what he missed,greedy bastard.I ate reds,blue tips, yellows and roher 714's for three days.One of the most unforgetable times of my life.I remember <Chuck Berry playing but have yet to see anything about him. plan on going to reunion this year. peace all
ReplyDeleteOne of the funniest things I personally witnessed at this event (WE drove up from Greensboro, NC.) was bunches of people were skinny dipping in the river having the time of their lives, when a huge water moccasin came weaving its way down theriver.. The people were almost calm about it, down right fucking zen, but a few seconds later a large turd comes floating by and everyone started splashing twoarsds shore like some one had yelled shark! (This was years before Caddyshack, btw.)
ReplyDeleteA buddy and I hitched down from the Twin Cities, but not without incident. A Wisconsin State Trooper nailed us for hitchhiking on the interstate on-ramp. After paying the fines we made our way in a timely manner and were pleasantly surprised t(since we had no money at that point), to find absolutely no one collecting at the gate when we got there. As a matter of fact, to this day I don't even know where the gate was at. We just ambled in down a dirt road.
ReplyDeleteAbout the entertainment, let me just say, there's nothing like waking up to the sounds of Amboy Dukes as the sun begins to rise in the East. It had to have been no later than 7:00 in the morning that particular day when the jams began.
No, it didn't meet the standard of Woodstock, and yet all of the elements were there. The
music, the partying and the sense of freedom...and no, never did see a cop the entire weekend. Oh, and one thing became clear....that because Woodstock was more or less a sppntaneous blowout of a party, the mold was broken the moment it ended. It won't be duplicated...ever.
Thanks for the memories everybody.
Ok, who was really there, i was there from start to finish. one of the best lessons in life. sex, drugs, and rock n roll. i wish everyone there if they do a 20yr reunion the best, and make it a time to enjoy your freedom and each other. i went there with a twelve man tent and needless to say, had the best of times. does anyone out there remember what happened the day after, when about 20 state patrol cars, with 2 state troopers in each, driving on site in single file and just sat there as the leftovers of the concert got the idea and moved on at a quicker rate, including myself. i would love to see the footage taken from the news helicopter that morning, the stage was on fire along with the trailers that were used for food, beverage and entertainment. i was at the heliport the night before they shut it down when a band got off the helicopter and announced to one of the promoters that some of the top bands were not coming due to the audience was getting restless by the second because of the lack of organization. i have so much to tell i thought about writing a book. does anyone remember. can anyone locate the news video taken from the chopper, i wonder.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if you wrote up an extended narrative of your experiences at the festival. If you do I would be glad to post it here at this blog. Or send me a link if you post it somewhere else.
DeleteI should do a youtube video of the photos to maybe get more feedback. What soundtrack to use is my question?
Thanks
Added a youtube video of the photos.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/vQ815Efrk5E