29 Monterey Pop Festival Photos That Epitomize The Summer Of Love

Experience the Monterey Pop Festival that saw Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and 200,000 fans come together to define a generation, pave the way for Woodstock, and change American music and culture forever.

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1 of 30Jimi Hendrix plays his guitar onstage.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 2 of 30A hippie family, baby in tow, attends the Monterey Pop Festival.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images 3 of 30Guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who smashes his guitar during the group’s performance.Paul Ryan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 4 of 30Jimi Hendrix sets his guitar ablaze during his performance.Janus Films 5 of 30Two men in the crowd wear matching outfits that feature American flag-based shirt designs and fedoras. Ted Streshinsky/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images 6 of 30Janis Joplin performs with her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images 7 of 30A man stands near various festival signs.Henry Diltz/Corbis via Getty Images 8 of 30Jimi Hendrix plays his guitar with the pick clenched between his teeth.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 9 of 30Drummer Keith Moon of The Who performs during the Monterey Pop Festival’s closing day. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 10 of 30Festivalgoers wear sunglasses as they watch the show.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images 11 of 30The Grateful Dead perform onstage during the final day. Paul Ryan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 12 of 30South African singer/trumpeter Hugh Masekela performs on the second day of the Monterey Pop Festival. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 13 of 30Jimi Hendrix performs during the festival’s closing day.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 14 of 30Festivalgoers enjoy the show.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images 15 of 30Otis Redding sings onstage on day two of the Monterey Pop Festival.Bob Buchanan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 16 of 30Simon & Garfunkel perform during the Monterey Pop Festival’s opening day.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 17 of 30A kid clearly amazed at all the talent onstage. Bob Buchanan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 18 of 30Roger Daltrey, singer of The Who, performs during the festival’s final day.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 19 of 30Musician/model Nico (left) and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones take in the show.Fotos International/Getty Images 20 of 30The crowd watches Joplin perform with Big Brother and the Holding Company.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images 21 of 30David Crosby performs on stage with Buffalo Springfield. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 22 of 30Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas watches the show from the crowd. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 23 of 30Otis Redding performs during the festival’s second day.Bob Buchanan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 24 of 30Ravi Shankar plays sitar during the third day of the festival.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images 25 of 30John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas stands backstage.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 26 of 30Guitarist Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones (right, with blonde hair) watches from the crowd alongside musician/model Nico (to the left of Jones).Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 27 of 30Jefferson Airplane perform during the festival’s second day.Paul Ryan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 28 of 30Michelle Phillips performs with The Mamas & the Papas. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 29 of 30Jimi Hendrix, illuminated by lights, sings onstage.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:

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29 Monterey Pop Festival Photos That Epitomize The “Summer Of Love” View Gallery

It was the Woodstock before Woodstock.

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69 Woodstock Photos That Will Take You To The 1960s’ Most Iconic Music Festival

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69 Woodstock Photos That Will Take You To The 1960s’ Most Iconic Music Festival

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1 of 30Jimi Hendrix plays his guitar onstage.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

2 of 30A hippie family, baby in tow, attends the Monterey Pop Festival.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

3 of 30Guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who smashes his guitar during the group’s performance.Paul Ryan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

4 of 30Jimi Hendrix sets his guitar ablaze during his performance.Janus Films

5 of 30Two men in the crowd wear matching outfits that feature American flag-based shirt designs and fedoras. Ted Streshinsky/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

6 of 30Janis Joplin performs with her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

7 of 30A man stands near various festival signs.Henry Diltz/Corbis via Getty Images

8 of 30Jimi Hendrix plays his guitar with the pick clenched between his teeth.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

9 of 30Drummer Keith Moon of The Who performs during the Monterey Pop Festival’s closing day. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

10 of 30Festivalgoers wear sunglasses as they watch the show.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

11 of 30The Grateful Dead perform onstage during the final day. Paul Ryan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

12 of 30South African singer/trumpeter Hugh Masekela performs on the second day of the Monterey Pop Festival. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

13 of 30Jimi Hendrix performs during the festival’s closing day.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

14 of 30Festivalgoers enjoy the show.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

15 of 30Otis Redding sings onstage on day two of the Monterey Pop Festival.Bob Buchanan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

16 of 30Simon & Garfunkel perform during the Monterey Pop Festival’s opening day.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

17 of 30A kid clearly amazed at all the talent onstage. Bob Buchanan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

18 of 30Roger Daltrey, singer of The Who, performs during the festival’s final day.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

19 of 30Musician/model Nico (left) and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones take in the show.Fotos International/Getty Images

20 of 30The crowd watches Joplin perform with Big Brother and the Holding Company.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

21 of 30David Crosby performs on stage with Buffalo Springfield. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

22 of 30Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas watches the show from the crowd. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

23 of 30Otis Redding performs during the festival’s second day.Bob Buchanan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

24 of 30Ravi Shankar plays sitar during the third day of the festival.Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

25 of 30John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas stands backstage.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

26 of 30Guitarist Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones (right, with blonde hair) watches from the crowd alongside musician/model Nico (to the left of Jones).Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

27 of 30Jefferson Airplane perform during the festival’s second day.Paul Ryan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

28 of 30Michelle Phillips performs with The Mamas & the Papas. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

29 of 30Jimi Hendrix, illuminated by lights, sings onstage.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:

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29 Monterey Pop Festival Photos That Epitomize The “Summer Of Love” View Gallery

29 Monterey Pop Festival Photos That Epitomize The “Summer Of Love”

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The Monterey Pop Festival kicked off 1967’s “Summer of Love” with an epic three-day concert for the ages. Held in Monterey, California between June 16 and 18, this outdoor extravaganza saw legendary performances from a host of musical icons, established the tradition of the modern music festival, and launched many storied careers. Before the Monterey Pop Festival, names like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix hardly registered in the mainstream American consciousness.

Furthermore, Monterey Pop was the first major festival to bring together music acts not just from across the U.S. (Otis Redding, The Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel) but from Britain as well (The Who, The Animals).

And with all this talent onboard, it’s remarkable that the whole festival was organized in a matter of just seven weeks by notable figures like John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, producer Lou Adler, entrepreneur Alan Pariser, and publicist Derek Taylor. They wanted the Monterey Pop festival to help validate rock music as an art form — and they succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.

In addition to the artists mentioned above (all of which except Ravi Shankar donated their proceeds to charity) the promoters were able to secure performances from the Steve Miller Band, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shankar, and Buffalo Springfield. The lineup might have been even more amazing had The Rolling Stones gotten the necessary visas, Bob Dylan accepted the invitation, or The Beach Boys overcome the number of internal issues that kept them away.

Of course, the artists that did perform put on an era-defining show for the 200,000 attendees, and later for all those able to watch director D.A. Pennebaker’s concert film Monterey Pop.

Although Woodstock enjoyed more publicity two years later, the true pioneer of the rock music festival as we know it today was Monterey.

In the words of actor and festival attendee Dennis Hopper, “Monterey was the purest, most beautiful moment of the whole ’60s trip. It seemed like everything had come to that moment. It was a magical, pure moment in time.”

For more watch two of the most noteworth performances of the Monterey Pop Festival — The Who performing “My Generation” and Jimi Hendrix sacrificing his guitar in flames — below:

https://vimeo.com/190315596

After checking out the Monterey Pop Festival photos above, have a look at the best photographs taken at Woodstock as well as the legendary 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

Experience the Monterey Pop Festival that saw Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and 200,000 fans come together to define a generation, pave the way for Woodstock, and change American music and culture forever.#

Experience the Monterey Pop Festival that saw Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and 200,000 fans come together to define a generation, pave the way for Woodstock, and change American music and culture forever.