Denver Pop Festival

The Denver Pop Festival was a three-day music festival promoted by Barry Fey (Feyline) on June 27–29, 1969 which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock two months later. The peak attendance was estimated at 50,000.

Denver Pop Festival
GenreRock, pop, etc.
DatesJune 27-June 29, 1969
Location(s)Mile High Stadium, Denver, United States
Years active1969
Founded byBarry Fey
Attendance50,000 (est.)

History

Unlike the free-form happening in upstate New York, the Denver festival had the full support and local resources of a major city, taking place in Denver Mile High Stadium. There were high expectations for the Festival; it was commonly called the "First Annual" Denver Pop Festival. The peak attendance was estimated at 50,000, though on Sunday when it was declared a free festival, that number may have been higher. Ticket prices were $6 per day, or $15 for all three days (Fri, Sat, Sun).

Frank Zappa is credited by some with inventing the audience wave during his set. He assigned sections of the stadium (audience) to each make different odd sounds and gestures, including standing with arms raised. He then "played" a "tune" on his "crowd instrument".

The festival featured the final performance of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, then the highest paid act in rock. (Noel Redding left the Experience on June 29th, 1969.[1])

Performers

June 27
  1. Clown
  2. Store Bought, Store Thought
  1. Liar
  2. Celebrate
  3. One
  4. Drum Solo - Floyd Sneed performed his amazing solo featuring his "Lafrican" method of playing the drums for an aspiring 10+ minutes including over 3 minutes of Congo style hand playing.
  1. Hungry Freaks Daddy
  2. Downtown Talent Scout (long version, called "The Heat's Out Every Night")
  3. The String Quartet
  4. Some Ballet Music
  5. A Pound for a Brown on the Bus
  6. Zappa conducts the audience ("Teenage Stereo")

June 28
  1. Rollin' & Tumblin'
  2. Help Me
  3. Leland Mississippi
  4. Going Down Slow
  5. Mean Town Blues
  6. I'm Not Sure
  7. It's My Own Fault
  1. Dolphins
  2. Gypsy Woman
  3. Buzzin' Fly
  4. The Train
  1. Bad Moon Rising - note: the moon rising large and bright behind the stage at dusk prompting an immediate encore performance.

June 29
  1. Tax Free
  2. Hear My Train A Comin'
  3. Fire
  4. Spanish Castle Magic
  5. Red House
  6. Foxy Lady
  7. Star Spangled Banner
  8. Purple Haze
  9. Voodoo Chile - Slight Return

See also

Further reading
  • Colorado Rocks!: A Half Century of Music in Colorado by George Brown (WestWinds Press, 2004).
  • Backstage Past by Barry Fey (Lone Wolf Press, 2011), pp. 38-45.

References
  1. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jimi-hendrix-experience-breaks-up/#:~:text=Bassist%20Noel%20Redding%20quit%20the,one%20of%20rock's%20greatest%20trios.
  2. Tommy Bolin Archives : Zephyr
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