Otis Redding was totally out of sight. This was Otis' first major appearance before a predominately white audience and it's reported he was a little apprehensive. No need. He had the crowd eating out of his hand. Especially when he introduced the first public performance of "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay". Everyone loved him.
Otis Redding
Lou Rawls. I've heard criticism of Lou's performance that weekend as being too much like a "lounge act". But, I thought he was great. No other voice, either before or since, has impressed me like Lou's.
Paul Simon is one of the premier songsters of our day. But, I'm sorry, Art Garfunkel can't sing. He was constantly going off key. I wonder how many takes it took in the studio to get it right? Look at his solo career. What career? Garfunkel's performance at the Simon & Garfunkel Concert in the Park in New York was equally as bad. Paul Simon was wise to distance himself.
Country Joe
Country Joe and The Fish
"Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" "Section 43"
Especially memorable, was during one of the anti-war songs, while machine gun sound effects were going off, a big jet came in for a landing at the Monterey airport completely drowning out the PA and lending a powerful realism to the performance.
One, two, three, just what were we fighting for, anyway? Too late to wonder why, but I'm sorry so many had to die.
RETROSPECTIVE
I wouldn't go so far as to say Monterey Pop changed my life. Not by a long shot. But it was a unique experience. As I said earlier, I had led a rather sheltered life growing up in small town America. I knew my first hand experiences with the world were limited and that there was a lot more out there than I had seen. (We did have TV, you know.)
In 1967 there were only a few "hippie" types in my town. My friend and I took a lot of abuse for the way we looked and dressed. In high school I spent a lot of time in the Dean's office just for the way I looked. Even my older brother, who played in a rock band, did not have long hair yet. (He was playing rhythm and blues mostly.) So, even though it was our own choosing, we felt a little out of place at home. That weekend at Monterey gave us a sense of belonging to a family that extended outside of our closed in borders. We made a lot of friends and developed a real sense of kinship. We also left Monterey with a heightened sense of awareness that there were more of us out there who really wanted to be and do something special in the world. Make a real difference and change the world. Not just fit into a slot and spend the rest of our lives behind a desk. Hello...???
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