Now known as Pocono Raceway, it was home to the Concert 10 rock concert on July 8 and 9, 1972. Featured bands were:
July 8
Mother Night
Claire Hamill
The Groundhogs
Ramatam (with Mitch Mitchell)
Bull Angus
Cactus
Edgar Winter
July 9
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Faces with Rod Stewart
Humble Pie
The J. Geils Band
Three Dog Night
Other Notable Concerts At Pocono International Raceway Include:
8/31/1974 – The Beach Boys
7/21/1973 – The Jacksons
Pocono International Raceway
Long Pond Rd
Long Pond PA 18334
What a blast! I was 20, in the Navy in Virginia Beach…Hitch-hiked up and tried sleeping in the middle of a clover leaf on the Jersey turnpike. Mosquitoes were as big as hummingbirds. They almost carried me off. Got to the raceway early in the morning, crashed the fence with about 300 others and had a wet blast..left the next morning and walked about 20 miles before being able to get a ride back to NAS Oceana in Va Beach…I would do it all over again given the chance……If I werent 62!
Are you from long branch, NJ?
Great time Sunday. J Geils was rockin the crowd. The peanut butter and mescaline sandwiches were a big hit. By the time Rod Stewart and the Faces started playing at dusk the fog was so thick you could not see the stage!
Boy, did Rod wake up, the frozen crowd from the dead
I remember he came on about 5 in the am fog all over i was right in front of the stage ,there were towers right behind me and people started to climb the towers,rod stopped singing and told people they had to get down or he could not sing people started throwing bottles up at the people on the towers a guy next to me got hit with a bottle,knocked him out with a big gash on the top of his head thats the only bad thing happened there the rest was fantastic,i was 19 now im 63 and remember it like it was yesterday they put this girl named Clair Hammel in between two rock acts and she sat on a chair with just a guitar,poor girl got booed off the stage
Wow,, I remember Clair Hammel getting booed off the stage. I always tell that when I talk about the concert.. I think Groundhog came on and we went wild.
I hitched from LI NY and had a great time , but I was so high on acid and mescaline that recounting events in order they happened is difficult . But I do remember people climbing the towers and every band through the night asking them to get down . I was fading by the time Rod Stewart and the Faces came on , their helicopter landing through the fog was something, and only remember them starting the set with Long Distance Operator . The most memorable part of the night , for me , was Edgar Winter and the White Trash- with Johnny playing what seemed like a 2 hour long Tobacco Road. Steve Marriot throwing his voice around with crazy sound system that was set up around the track was like nothing iheard before or since then.
They were selling tickets to get in and I bought them before the concert someone cut the gate just rushed right in. Rained Saturday night got cold had some dry clothes put them on and it was great the whole concert.
I was there also , you must have been tripping because Rod Stewart landed by helicopter , through the fog at about 5am Sunday morning and opened with “Long distance operator ” to an exhausted crowd . Man ! , history is a trip , many versions emerge over time
I was there from Fri to Sunday morning.
I sat thro the rain.But my car was parked right next to the
First Aid Station. So,,, at least I was sheltered from the storm
when sleeping.Also,,,,I had three cases of Rolling Rock keeping
cold for three days.If Iremember, the Stage caught fire from the rain after RAMATAMr THE MIGHTY GROUNDHOGS. Everything resumed when the rain stopped.very very caotic behind the stage with National
Guard Helecopters,and very loud. Some of the bands were stranded at the airport and in traffic on RTE.80. RTE. 80 was shut down across the NJ BORDER. Great time!!!!!!! Iwill never forget it.
rsvp rsvp
Went w/ my younger brother and great high school friend. Just graduated high school. Had to abandon parent’s station wagon on side of road; couldn’t drive anymore. Walking in to the speedway was like a weird bazaar of drug sellers, etc. Traded some beers for hash. Found a spot to “camp out” waiting for show. Got very high. Then the rain, and then the mud. Had some some plastic drop cloths to cover us, but the paint from the drop cloths go all over us. Ha Ha. Music was great. At one point during band changes the whole crowd shifted closer. About 2 in the morning probably. We lost all of our stuff. Sleeping bags, food basket, the drop cloths. We were wet, muddy and didn’t care. People started burning all kinds of shit, including styro ice chests. What with the the smoke and now fog, it got real hazy. But it made the ELP show very cool, or so it seemed at the time.
Remember the Edgar Winter set as great. Rod Stewart and J. Giles also great. At end we some how found our car, somehow did not lose the keys– looking back after 40 years that was a miracle. And somehow made in back to Delaware. Never regretted going despite all the mess and lost stuff.
We too came up from Delaware. I was 18. it’s a good thing they mentioned the dates on here because I didn’t remember. Anyway, I did remember that it was a blast. I couldn’t find tickets ahead of time so figured I’d purchase them there. when we arrived there was a gaping hole in the chain link fence and crowds just poured through.
After a day or so, a truck came through tossing out pint boxes of ice cream. A fellow in our group raised his arm right as a semi-melted box struck him in the rib cage, covering his entire right side in semi-liquid chocolate ice cream.
I do remember Rod Stewart stopping his act because of safety concerns – people climbing on speakers and getting too close to electrical gear.
five of us rode up from ct on friday night on our harleys. I remember getting off rt.80 and all the lights going out. someone gt into the food stand and was passing uncooked food out. remember sitting under plastic that we found and litening to the music all night. great time!! agree with the other post no pics or footage
Drove from Long Island with my girlfriend in my VW Bus.
Got close and had to park in the woods…followed the crowds and
finally sat down in the field about 200 feet from the stage…It started out sunny and nice…Enjoyed the music and weed! Then came the clouds and drizzle…It got cold and we decided to head back to the bus…Found our way but could not get out because we were blocked by other cars…Some group of people started cutting down trees and made a road back up a hill to the highway…They even removed a guardrail so people could leave…They pushed the cars one by one up the hill and we bolted…Picked up 4 hitchhikers and we all headed back to NY….I will never forget it!!! :))
We drove from Fort Lee in two VW beetles for twelve hours. Route 80 wasn’t finished yet and had to get off in Hackettstown on to Route 46 and there was that one friggin traffic light that jammed the whole ride up. Remember getting to Mount Pocono and walking in the last mile to the infield of the raceway. The Pagans were wailing on their hogs on the racetrack and it was a real mess. No food to be had as the concessions had run out pretty early. Recall finding a box of Ritz crackers on the ground and eating them! Would do it again in a minute!!!
THE SUMMER OF 72′ MY HIGH SCHOOL BUDDIES AND I HITCH HIKED UP TO
POCONO. I HAD A BROKEN COLLAR BONE SET IN A HARNESS I HAD TO WEAR
THANK GOODNESS WE BROUGHT MY TENT – HEAVY BITCH BUT A BLESSING
ARRIVED NIGHT BEFORE AND CAMPED OUTSIDE THE SPEEDWAY IN THE WOODS. LIKE WOODSTOCK THERE WERE PARTIES EVERYWHERE AND WE WE & WEED WERE FREE – NEVER FORGET THAT ATMOSPHERE. PARTY HARDY ALL NITE. NEXT MORNING NO TIX. AS WE WALKED TOWARDS THE SPEEDWAY TRACK OVAL WE OBSERVED 3 GIANT FENCES THAT STOOD BETWEEN US AND GETTING IN. HOWEVER AS WE GOT CLOSER WE NOTICED
THERE WERE 3 HOLES ALREADY CUT INTO TH FENCE. WE WALKED RIGHT IN.
I EVEN WENT UP WHERE THEY WERE TAKING TIX AND GOT. PROGRAM. CONCERT LINE-UP BEFORE THE RAIN WAS EXCITING. SET UP MY TENT WHEN THE RAINS CAME . SAT UNDER THE CANOPY & PASSED THE BAMBOO
BONG AROUND. WATCHED THE PEOPL GET UP AND RUN AROUND IN CIRCLES DURING THE DOWN POUR OF HARD RAIN. PASSED OUT AND WOKE UP BRIEFLY TO HEAR ROD STEWART AND FINALLY WOKE AFTER ELP SHOW.
IT IS VERY HARD TO STAY UP FOR 3 DAYS PARTYING CONSTANTLY EVEN WHEN YOUR 15*. ANY WAY GREAT MEMORIES…FOUND A PROGRAM ON EBAY
Same year as I graduated from high school. Drive up with 4 other friends on Friday night. Got up early to get a good place on the field. It was a great day even with the rain. Was looking forward to the famous and not so famous bands, Like the Mighty Groundhogs & Cactus. Neither disappointed. After the long rain delay,(show was supposed to only be 1 day), where the “big” acts. Everyone one contributed to the great “hippie” vibe. It was impressive to see the sunrise on Sunday morning as Rod Stewart was doing just an outstanding set. We were in our element that weekend. I even had a t-shirt from the show for about? 30 years? I have no idea where it’s at now. Always, always will have great memories of this event. i would love to know who has the tapes of this event.
Thanks for the site. I had been trying too get info about this concert for years. Got in through a hole someone had cut in the wire fence and ripped my leather jacket. Karma. Hope the statute of limitations has run out!
Drove to the Pocono’s from Long Island with two friends that I was a lifegaurd with. We got to see the tail end of J. Giels, Humble Pie- they tore up ” I don’t need no doctor”- Emerson Lake and Palmer and then Rod Stewart and Faces. I remember Rod hitting the stage in the early morning hours and telling the crowd “We’re gonna wake you up now”. AND THEY DID!!!!! I will never forget that show or the two friends I went with. So, Jimmy and Jim , if you read this, here’s to you. Keep on Rockin’
I was just 17. Me and my older brother hitch hiked up from Camden, NJ. Left Friday night. A Volkswagon with 2 girls and guy picked us up, we squeezed in. They were going too. Saturday morning we were stuck in traffic a few miles from the raceway, so we got out and walked the rest of the way. Went in through a knock-downed fence. We didn’t need the tickets we had bought in advance. Ran into some friends from back home, so we had a ride back (yeah!). I fell asleep during Emerson Lake & Palmer. My brother woke me when Rod Stewart took the stage. I jumped up, but could not see the stage through the fog. Humble Pie rocked! I remember Steve Marriot doing his talking / singing thing about the helicopters landing and taking off. We were so tired, we left while Three Dog Night was still playing. Had a great time!
Hitchhiked from Long Island on the morning of Friday July 7th with a friend when I was 15. I remember my mother asked me if I needed money, I said “no”, even though I didn’t have much if any in my pocket. Maybe a dollar or two. I still question why I said “no”. When we arrived there were lots of people hanging out, barbecuing, partying. We didn’t have tickets so we climbed the fence in the early morning. There were security cars circling the racetrack so we had to sneak and time ourselves. When we got in we hid until the gates were open. Had a great spot in front of the stage and met some great people. At some point I lost my friend and was on my own. When the torrential rains came I was lucky to have met a girl who invited me into her tent. We had a great time together. She was really pretty and a few years older than me.
At the time I was a fan of Humble Pie, ELP, & J. Geils, and remember Edgar Winter put on a great show.
I left on my own planning to hitchhike home, even though I had no clue as to where I was going and the route home. Walking out of the venue I ran into an acquaintance from my home town, who also got split from his friends. We hitchhiked home together. I remember it took forever to get rides, with the longest gap probably 5 hours. The trip from Pocono Raceway to Glen Cove took at least 15 hours. I guess nobody wanted to pick up two long-haired, dirty, grungy kids. It was a great time. Even without money, I don’t recall being hungry.
I only lived about 20 miles from the race track in Jim Thorpe PA. I was about 18 at the time. A friend of mine and I got a ride from his father but due to the traffic back up had to walk the last 3 miles or so. The sides of Rt 115 leading up to the raceway was nothing but abandoned cars and a sea of people walking the road. As Friday evening set in I remember thinking that I never saw this many people in one place before. We went there will little money and just the clothes on our backs, no tent, sleeping bag, nor any supplies. One of the first things to stand out to me was a guy walking down through the crowds of people holding up a coffee can full of bags of weed yelling “lids for sale” That evening I remember sleeping sitting up on the rear step bumper of a pick-up truck. The next morning I remember some guy driving through the fence with his car and we hurried into the track. We purchased tickets ahead of timebut ended up selling them to people trying to get in after the fences were repaired. After getting it together and finding a space the rain started. I also remember being so hungry after standing in line to get pizza that the wax paper was stuck to our pizza so my friend just ate it wax paper and all. Great times ELP was fantastic as were most of the other acts. Yes I also would love to see pictures of this show. Never thought of it back then to take a camera along. Too bad 🙁
I was 18. Drove up with some friends from Va. Beach. Got there sometime on friday I think, around noon.. When we got off I-80 the 2 lane road to the speedway had 4 lanes of traffic going in one direction.. I think it was 4 hours to go the last 2 miles.. The music was fantastic. Loved E.L.&P.! It got so foggy everyone was stumbling around in circles…Great memories..Well, at least what I can remember!
Rolled around in the mud like everyone else – sat under a sleeping bag to keep warm – only flashes of highlights come back to me now.
It’s funny too since I lived in Blakeslee (5 miles from the site) for 3 years not long ago and the residents STILL talk about this!
Yes, I cannot believe there are no photos from during the event although I do still have some old news clippings showing route 80 as a parking lot.
I was a bit too young to see what I saw that weekend-I was 15 and drove up from Upper Bucks county with a guy who was 17… Fortunately or unfortunately we both had to work Sunday afternoon at an upper end restaurant. We drove up early Friday, parked right next to the fence, looked around and saw we needed to get some food. Drove over to a gas station, which was already pretty picked over, and managed to buy some PB and bread, some breakfast food and we were good to go.
Parked back next to the fence, fast forward through a night hazy with details, but had the luxury of a car to sleep in. In the morning, hear commotion outside car and look up to see a guy with wire cutters take out a whole section of fence, which was never repaired before we left. We went in, sat in the morning sun then the rains came. Once again went back to the car, soaked but at least a place to hang out, came back in for the rest of the acts. The concert was billed “10 bands in 10 hours for $10 bucks”, but the schedule was so off that the State Police insisted to the promoters that they could not end the concert in the dark. I was a hugh Faces fan, as well as Humble Pie, but for me Keith Emerson performing Knifes edge on his Moog stole the event. Fog rolling by, soaked and able to walk up within a hundred feet of the stage was very cool.
As I mentioned, we both had to be at work so we jumped into the car after faces and drove off listening to Three Dog Night. We faced almost no traffic and was back home before 11 AM. On the dining room table was the Morning Call showing an view from a plane of the crowds. My parents asked a number of probing questions that I faithfully evaded. Made it to work never missing a beat, except for exhaustion.
i agree with most of the comments, it was grate really everybody was a brother and a sister we were 4 coming from N.Y. we got plenty of food for the 2 days but it lasted 1 we shared it and they gave us water and wine also rained for a while but was part of the fun about music I always remember Edgar Winter, Rod steward and his red square pants and Faces, 3 dog night, and the 5 oclock in the mourning super music of Emerson Lake and Palmer unforgetable, the best.
I liked when Emerson Lake and Palmer left the stage and the Moog kept playing on its own
I was 18. Who knows how far we walked. Thankfully some nice young men drove us back to our car the next day. The rain was cold, but Southern Comfort kept us warm. Remember having about 5 people in a very small tent. Remember EL&P and Humble Pie.
Drove up from Philly with my girlfriend. On I- 80, a State Trooper had me park my car in the right hand lane behind other parked cars. Only the left lane was left open. Walked miles to the track, just following the crowd. It didn’t seem that far because of all the people. Everybody was happy. It was a good time. When we got there, we didn’t have to use our tickets to get in. Friends were supposed to meet us there but it was too crowded for that to happen. We sat close enough to the stage, and I remember a topless girl dancing behind me early in the concert, whacked out. I remember Edgar Winter was great. And of course, I remember the rain. We finally had enough in the early AM and we left. I could hear Rod Stewart as we walked down the country road in the dark…. going the wrong way. When we reached Rt. 80 we were (as I calculated later) 10 miles east of where my car was. We were so cold and wet and tired, that I built a little campfire in the woods beside the highway and my girlfriend slept a little while I tried to keep the fire going. By the time we got to the car, it had been moved (somehow) to the shoulder. That was a long 24 hours. I vowed I would never go to another all-day concert again.
Although I AM glad that I went, and seeing and hearing the bands that were there was great. PA, we had a good one!
My sister and I had tickets and drove up from Lake Hiawatha NJ. My Mom packed my VW bug with food and bedding. Dad knew all the back roads and drew us a map. We left after work the day before. As we were driving and listening to the radio we heard all the traffic was at a standstill on the main roads. Our road was dark and empty. Thank you Dad! We did have to go through one town where my Dad neglected to tell us the road was a one way. So as I was making a left from the middle of the road a station wagon with a Father and his 2 young sons hit us on the back left fender. We made our turn and everyone got out. No one was hurt, his car and kids were fine, my VW has a small den. I apologized for my bad driving. Got into my car and it would not start. The Dad and kids pushed us and we jump started the car. We were on our way. When we arrived at the Pocono 500 that night there were only a few cars. We parked by the gate, backed in, turned off the car, and slept. When we woke up the place was packed, we were not going to find our friends. The gates open, then the gates went down. We sat under a plastic cover to watch the concert in the rain. That night cars paraded by where we were parked and we saw our friends sitting on one. That was the last we saw of them. When the concert was over we had to be pushed again. VW’s are great! Then we when to Banger PA to visit friends, parking on a hill so we could get the VW started. Then home. It’s all in the journey.
17 b’day
I was there. Arrived by bus from 42nd street terminal. Twas dark and the driver pointed to a trail in the woods and said stay on the trail. Got there while they were still setting up. Only peeps there along with others from the bus. Rest of the night very foggy, if you know what I mean. Stepped out of my tent to find people as far as I could see. Edgar and Johnny, Rod, J.Girls and ELP. Much more, but again, very foggy.
Hi Rob,
I saved this link a few years ago and decided to revisit.
I was there for my 17th birthday as well!!! Was yours July 7th?
What a blast. We were in a Jeep and pulled dozens of cars out of the mud….
Gina
Just got out of the NAVY and thought this would be our Woodstock since I was in the Philippines for all of ’69 and ’70 then Taiwan until March ’72. We are from Allentown and got there really early so we had a great place to park and start the party!! If I remember, the first 2 nights and day were great then came the rain… And we started to run out of everything; food, drinks, etc. and warmth, it was extremely cold after the rain. One of the girls got really sick so we had to leave a little early but overall a lot of fun and good memories when we talk about it…
Wow…I was there with my good friend, Darien. We hitchhiker from New Jersey. We methink some very nice…and hot guys….from Canada. We definitely indulged and enjoyed ourselves…a bit too much. Unfortunately, I lost Darien after a visit to the Johnny on the Spot….got caught in the rain…and couldn’t find my way back but miraculously ran into a friend and was able to get back home…eventually. I actually still have the ticket from ticketmaster!…I believe we were 15…..ahhh…to be young and stupid!!
Two other bands were supposed to play but canceled due to the weather – Black Sabbath and Badfinger. I was really hoping to see them both but was glad for what I did see.
Three of my friends plus one girlfriend and older brother and I drove out from Hawthorne, NJ to see the show. One of my friends was only interested in seeing ELP. We arrived Friday night, where the older brother’s ex-Navy buddies had arrived even earlier to secure a tree from which a huge parachute could serve as a tent with the tree as the tent pole. While pounding in stakes used to hold the tent down and pulled up by idiots too dumb to find the door, the older brother accidentally got his hand axe turned around and buried it into the back of his left hand. He had to be airlifted to a hospital for treatment and went out in one of the choppers used to bring in the bands. One down.
Next, we ran into a cool dude from somewhere in NYS who sold us some windowpane. It seemed a good way to pass the time. One of my friends said that it was beat and he didn’t get off, so we found Lamont again, who happily gave him a freebee to make up. Well, my friend downed that one as well. When they both hit about the same time, he got so freaked out that he went back to the car, where he spent the entire concert. Two down.
My third friend’s girlfriend claimed that some guys had groped her. We didn’t actually see it happen, but it was dark, lit only by campfires, almost hellish in a way, very tribal at the very least. We tracked the guys down and were going to do them harm but their denials were convincing. She was inconsolable, though, so they spent the night in the car and left first thing the next morning, hitchhiking back to NJ. Three and Four down.
At last it was down to myself and the last friend, still waiting for ELP. The rains had come and gone, We ran into Lamont, who was here to see Black Sabbath. Word had already come down that they and Badfinger could not negotiate the fog, or something, so they canceled. As Edger Winter finished up my set and they brought out Emerson’s gear. I noticed that my friend was no longer standing next to me. He had climbed into my sleeping back, now caked with mud and piss, and was sound asleep on the ground. I kept waking him up – “Hey man! ELP!” but to no avail. Five down.
I alone remained standing, along with Lamont, who was still disappointed about missing Sabbath, when Greg Lake was singing “Take a Pebble” and “Pictures at an Exhibition”. The fog rolled across the stage, no special effect but Nature’s Own. J. Geils played but were almost irrelevant after what I had just witnessed. Perfection.
Then, the older brother found us, his brother groggy in my sleeping back, all the others scattered to the winds. I almost felt like I needed a t-shirt “I Survived Concert 10”, because in the end, as we drove away while Three Dog Night began their show to a muddy, bedraggled few remaining, I was the only one of the original group who really did.
Hell of a concert. By the time we got there it was roaring. It was going good but then it rained and then got cold. All the concessions ran out and people broke in them for foid and warmth.i was in the army then and me and my buddy hitched there from indian town gap pa. After the rain it was on. Humble pie i don’t need no doctor. Edgar winter j. Giels. 3 dog knight. 750000 people. It don’t get no better than this. I was 19 now I’m 64. Enjoy your life
Like everyone else walked in the last few miles and had tickets but went in through the hole in the fence. Saturday a truck was diving around selling half watermelons and we bought one and ate it by scooping out pieces by hand. We got all done and were complaining of being all sticky and wished we had a knife when Dicky, my friend Bobs (stoned) younger brother says “A knife, I’ve got a Knife!”. He never lived that down! My other memorable moment was tripping and watching Emerson Lake & Palmer then loosing my friends until Sunday on the walk out. It was my Woodstock, never forget it!
It was my WOODSTOCK!! Some buddies & I drove from Lakehurst NJ ( PR school-Navy) I remember driving untill we had to just shut off the car, angle parked right on the shoulder of the road and walk the rest of the way in. We were all sure we’d be AWOL by the time we got back because of the traffic jams. Well we got settled into our location on the infield and watched as the parachuters landed and the skies opened up. It rained for what seemed like hours upon hours, the music was great, the hippie freedom was strong & I’ll remember it for as long as I live. My buddies name’s not so much, but you know who you are. Like I said my WOODSTOCK at 19 years old. Now 65 it was great.
I was 15, a friend of our family dropped me and another girl off, i remember it was wet and muddy and i broke my buffalo sandal, so i ended up walking barefoot, The drugs were flowing like crazy but we didnt do any of them. He was suppose to pick us up at the ramp but something happened and we never got that ride home all i remember was sleeping in a BIG Hippie bus with Jethro tull aqualung playing over and over and over Oh i just turned 60 this year.
I was 17. Drove from New Jersey with friends . My memory of it is foggy. except that it rained got really cold and there were long delays … in fact, about ten years ago (2010 ish) i was in line for coffee in Harvard sq. behind Peter wolf. Told him it was my first concert. Asked him what he remembered, ” Cold . Rainy… The Faces played.”
This was my Woodstock too. I was 21 yo, and had just moved to Portland, ME, with my buddy Ralph. Somehow he found out about Concert 10 and he asked me if I wanted to go. I said “Hell yeah, I’m in!!!” July 7th, 1972, we left for Mt Pocono Raceway. 8 hours later we were driving down a 2 lane road leading to the festival on my Honda 750 doing a 3rd gear wheelie, splitting the crowd like it was the Red Sea!! Obviously we were high and Ralph tapped me on the shoulder and said ” I think you should put it down!!” and we drove near the gates to find that most of the fence had been torn down. We walked in to find a muddy mess and great music playing. Cactus the the main event because Ralph scored some psychedelics and we were f…ed up all night long. Remember J. Geils Band doing “First I look at the Purse”. Three Dog Night did all their cover songs. What a great time. Great music, naked, muddy hippie chicks and memories a bunch. I may have missed Woodstock, but Concert 10 was one for the history books. Thanks for creating this “blog”
I was in Allentown on leave from the Navy for my brothers wedding on the 1st of July. Meet up w friends from Scranton on Friday and headdd to the Raceway. I remember the rain and mud everywhere. I had to catch a flight from Allentown at noon on Sunday back to SF. The VW add called Rain reminds me of that weekend. Was a great time.
Hah! Yeah, that was my “Woodstock” when I was 20. Hot as heck during the day until it rained. Then, during the concerts at night it got pretty darn cold. I loaned some girl my jacket since she looked like she was freezing, then I had to grab her since when was trying to scale the fence in front of the stage wearing it. I remember Edgar Winters had his keyboard on a strap hanging from his neck and he was awesome, but to be honest I don’t remember a lot more.
I was there. Me and my buddy, Scott. Both 15 yrs old. We talked scott’s dad into driving us up from Allentown. He dropped us about 5 miles from the place. You could not get closer driving. The old man gave scott a walkie talkie so he could find us after it was over 2 days later. We had a small backpacks with food and stuff, a couple of ponchoes. We at 15 had our shit together much more than the majority of the crowd. There was no water to drink. We had ours. You could trade water for just about anything. I remember ELP and edjar winter the best. It was so crowded you couldn’t hardly move anywhere. Neat experience, wet, muddy, and miserable.
Could have sworn the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts also performed. Can anyone confirm that and tell me I’m not crazy?
I didn’t even know Joan Jett existed then. she would have only been 14 then.
My buddies and I spent our summers in Blakeslee, just a few miles away. Pitched a tent on the Wed. before had a keg of beer, and one hell of a good time. One of our guys had a trailbike and we would take a trail back to our home for food and a change of clothes. I still have a metal tankard that I bopped some dude in the head with, when he tried to steal our keg. Being there made us feel what Woodstock was like. It was an unforgettable memory
I was 18. My husband was 24. Our friends two other couples, drove with us up to the festival. We arrived at this little town that had a general store. We went in to buy some food. They didn’t have much but we were able to get some pasta and drinks and, yes, Ragu lol. We had all packed tents and because was afraid of bugs, my husband had sewed a bottom on our large tent. I had no idea where we were. We drove until we couldn’t drive anymore because of the road turning into a parking lot. People were everywhere! My husband pulled over and the guys got out and walked till we reached grass. It was so dark one could not see anything past all the people and fires that were going. The guys started to pitch our tents, 1 large, 2 small. Ours was the only one with a bottom. The people around us started heckling us calling our guys boy scouts because of the tents. Once set up, we started smoking our weed and made a fire and cooked the pasta on a little sterno stove . It was cold and it got colder and colder as the night went on. We were prepared with “stuff”. We had a orange plastic sink that was full of water and had a spout. We had pots and pans and food. We had blow up mattresses and a double red white and blue flag sleeping bag. We dropped some acid, Orange Sunshine I believe. We tried to sleep later on, after partying like crazy. The noise of all the people outside attracted us and enticed us to get up and walk around. So, totally wrecked, we wrapped ourselves in our flag sleeping bag and walked around. That night is burned in my brain. High as a kite, there were fires that looked like they were 6 feet high lol, people running around naked, and people offering us hit’s on their joints everywhere we walked. We finally found our way back to the tent, the noise died down and we fell asleep. I woke to the noise again of people talking and laughing and walking right by our tent so we went outside. It was morning and we couldn’t believe it, but, as luck would have it, we were right outside the main gate. We just walked in. Fog was everywhere but burnt off. I forget who finally came on but someone on the stage was yelling at people to get off of the towers or the show would not proceed. A band came on and the music was really good, then the rain started.. then the show stopped, and it began to pour. We made it back to our tents and sat in ours as we had a bottom on ours lol and we were all dry. With the flaps open, we watched people walking down the road and trying to drive past cars that were parked in the middle of the road. People were pushing cars to the side. It looked like a mass exodus lol. Mud every where! My husband and our men friends heckled the people that had heckled us about being boy scouts the night before, saying, “so, how do you like the boy scouts now”, as they were being rained on and the blankets they had over their heads got soaked and wet. I can still see those soaked people walking in the mud. People falling down, being carried, yelling for friends they had lost. It was crazy. When we got back home, my mother was furious with my husband for taking me there as it was all over the news about what was going on and my mom had figured out that was where we went. Was an awesome time! Wish I could turn back the hands of time.
i don’t remember how many of us went,but the night before we stayed at someones cabin,where we had to walk over one of those swaying foot bridge to get to cabin pitch black darkness couldn’t see anything.Next morning left for raceway we had to walk about a mile.Got in got a spot put the blankets down ,shortly there after rain came.I turned around and everyone who I was with was gone! In my hand I had a bottle of Vodka and my shoes.so here I am 15 alone ,luckily a guy came and asked if he could have some vodka I said sure, (he was fine) .I hung out with him for most of the duration but some how in my drug induced state (Have know idea what drugs I was consuming) and remember passing out and hanging on to someones leg.When I finally was able to wake up ,The fog was rolling in fires were burning and it was awesome.Then my question was how was I going to get home? Met a couple from NYC who had to take rt 3 to get home so I said you drive me home and you can take showers and I will make dinner,and they did.The guy I met did come and see me once wish i could remember his name!
Had just finished my freshman year at PSU University Park. Drove to Pocono from Lancaster County with four or five other guys, Arrived late Fri night. We had tickets, but nobody there was collecting them. The fence had been trampled down and everyone was just flooding in. Got blasted on Saturday, had a great time until the rains came. Departed at around three or four on Sun morning; chilled to the bone. On the way home, in the fog, we nailed a utility line at full speed. (Shortly before we hit the line, someone else had gone through and knocked down a pole, causing the line to be stretched across the road). That brought us to a dead stop, almost causing the roof of our jeep to torn off. We were all pretty looped, but one of us climbed out, removed the line from the jeep, and off we went. Fortunately it must have been a telephone line, as our guy didn’t get fried.
Hitch hiked a ride with two friends from Old Greenwich CT. Had to walk up road to raceway right past state police post. Right across road was a Ryder truck with folks selling weed, was great. Was there til Sunday morning and wet, but what the heck having fun right. Lost one friend during Saturday. The other guy and I, he’ll I don’t even remember how we got back. Good music, brotherhood and sisterhood. Never forget it. Lost track of good friend over the years. Wish I could find him, my ex brother in law really screwed him and it ruined our friendship. Sad.
Union Beach NJ It was great. I mostly just got stoned and hopped on different cars and trucks going in different directions within the concert site meeting a lot of really cool people. It was a great time to be alive because with all these people in one area I did not see any fighting it was just people from all over sharing what drugs and beer they had.
Drove to the concert with my older brother and several friends from Delaware County, PA and when we arrived we followed the crowd. Everyone was climbing over a flattened section of the fence which was ideal for us as we had no tickets. We arrived and found a nice spot not far from the stage, and it was a sea of people in every direction. We even saw others from our small town there at a distance. Weather was beautiful and it felt like another Woodstock to me as I was 14 at the time.
A group close-by shared lambchops with me that they cooked somehow, possibly a portable barbeque, it was the first time I ever ate them. Plenty of weed and a wide selection of psychedelic drugs being circulated. I remember a small stand where drinks were sold. Music was great, Edgar Winter had his brother Johnny with him and “Tobacco Road” was memorable. I remember being impressed by the band “Cactus” and their talent.
The rain during the night was miserable but a buddy and I kept under a sheet of plastic trying to keep warm & dry. Mud was everywhere. Unfortunately, my memory can’t recall any other distinct memories buy know that it was a highlight of my life at the time…
A blast from the past. I had just graduated high school 2 weeks earlier. I was 17yrs old.
My friend Mila(she was 16y.o.) and I had decided to go on the spur of the moment, the night before, and hitchhike there. Saturday morning we started out around 6AM from Mahwah, Nj. Just before we walked up the ramp to route 17 we smoked my only J beneath the underpass. Laughing and excited as we approached rt 17 we started thumbing. Almost immediately a business man picked us up and dropped us off 20 at rt 80. After about 10 minutes a white convertable with top down pulled over for us. Her name was Linda and she was a couple of years older than me. Mila and I told her we were going to the Pocono raceway concert. It happened that she was going also offering us a ride there and back if we hung out with her because she didn’t really want to go by herself but her friends had to work. She also had a J she shared with us.
Once we got there we parked the car and followed a path through some woods and fields. The fence was already trampled down so we walked right in. Another stroke of luck since none of us had tickets.
The music was excellent! Then when the rain started we climbed the bleachers and gained entry into the press booth. We were thelast ones they let in before they closed the doors because there was no more room. The 3 of us stayed dry as we got some zz’s lying down on the floor. Morning sunrise came and feeling refresh we exited the press booth and headed for the stage finishing out the concert with some more great bands and music. All the bands were fantastic but for some reason it was Three Dog Night and ELP that sticks out in my memory. The way everything worked out in our favor: hooking up with Linda early in our journey; getting in free; shelter from the rain & cold–it was as if a guardian angel was watching over us. Our only disappointment was not having any pot during the time we were there. But as luck would have it again, on the way home Linda picked up 2 dudes hitching. One of them had a big bag of pot and generously smoked J after J with us. What an adventure it was for two young small towners. I probably have never had such a streak of luck like that since then.
Almost magical.
I hitchhiked up a couple of days before the concert with my friend. We set up a tent. There weren’t very many people there when we arrived. Went to a local store and bought some stuff. But then everyone started showing up! Wow, the place was packed. Enjoyed the entire experience, the music, the crowd, the atmosphere, even the rain was fun. Remember hearing warning announcements about not taking certain drugs which were bad. Remember trying to get back home to Dover NJ. We just kept walking for several miles before the traffic broke up before we started hitchhiking. Fun time!