On June 18th in music history, one significant event took place in 1967 when the Monterey International Pop Music Festival concluded in Monterey, California. This three-day festival, which began on June 16th, is often considered the precursor to Woodstock and a defining moment in the "Summer of Love."
The festival featured an incredible lineup of musicians, including The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar, and many others. It was a groundbreaking event that showcased the diversity and power of popular music at the time, with genres ranging from rock and blues to folk and Indian classical music.
One of the most memorable moments of the festival was Jimi Hendrix's iconic performance on the final night. Hendrix, who was relatively unknown in the United States at the time, delivered a blistering set that included his now-legendary rendition of "Wild Thing," during which he famously set his guitar on fire and smashed it on stage. This performance catapulted Hendrix to stardom and cemented his status as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Other notable performances included The Who's dynamic set, which ended with the band destroying their instruments, and Janis Joplin's powerful vocals with Big Brother and the Holding Company. Ravi Shankar's mesmerizing sitar performance also introduced many Americans to Indian classical music and helped popularize the genre in the West.
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a seminal moment in music history that captured the spirit of the counterculture movement and showcased the incredible talent and creativity of the era's musicians. It paved the way for future music festivals and continues to be celebrated as a landmark event in popular music.
