July 28, 1973: The Band, The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead for $10 (Watkins Glen)

[Miles Archer]

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/bigger-than-woodstock-remembering-summer-jam/

Rock folklore remembers landmark festivals such as Woodstock, Monterey and the Isle of Wight as legendary occasions. For some reason, it has tended to overlook the event that was bigger than any of them.



The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, the Grand Prix racetrack in New York state, took place on 28 July 1973. It was attended by a mind-boggling (and record-breaking) total of 600,000 people, who enjoyed hours and hours of music provided by just three acts, the Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead and The Band.

That attendance was sufficient for the Summer Jam to be given the title of “largest audience for a pop festival” by the Guinness Book of World Records. While estimates of festival crowds often vary wildly, the figure dwarfed the 400,000 that were said to be at Woodstock. Also, in retrospect, that summer’s day at Watkins Glen defined the very idea of the extended jam session that became one of the characteristics of 1970s rock.

The seeds of Summer Jam were sown the year before, when promoters Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik had staged a Grateful Dead show in Hartford, Connecticut. Three members of the Allman Brothers Band — Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley and Jaimoe — all showed up on stage for an impromptu jam.

[Bonhomme Richard]

1. Was there but the truth is....

I don't remember anything.

[Miles Archer]

2. I'm sure others who were there have the same recollection.

[Bonhomme Richard]

5. If I remember correctly....

we were on the backside of a hill and the music went right overhead of us.

[Loge23]

3. From the scene

I was there. It was a blast.
I was living at the time in the northern Catskills - still a good ride away from Watkins Glen.
What I remember best is the heat, the rain, and the generosity of the locals.
The music? The Allman's were the best as I recall.
The Dead came on in the dead heat of the day and it was not one of their better performances. By then, I was well into whatever it was I took that day and the slow-pace set that the Dead did that day fit right into my condition! To be sure, I really don't recall the entire show.
After a drenching T-storm, the Band came on for a good set, but by then everyone was completely cooked and drenched.
The next day, it seemed like no one had left the raceway. Food was scarce. The locals set up folding tables full of sandwiches and drink - bottled water wasn't a thing back then.
We recovered well and spent the day after in the State Park - beautiful place as I recall.
This sort of made-up for the Woodstock debacle, which we spent in nearby Harriman State Park - soaked to the bone. Long story!
The year after Woodstock, I had tickets for the Powder Ridge Festival in Connecticut. That was cancelled the night before the thing was to start, me and my buddy were already there. Melanie (remember her?) came up and entertained us, but no one else showed. We spent 3 or 4 days up there anyway.
Ahh, youth!

[Cattledog]

4. Hitch hiked up there but never got close enough to see.

Did hear the music...faintly in the distance.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

6. Of importance in the audio engineering world,

this was the first use of digital delay in sound reinforcement. All the speakers were delayed so that you didn't hear echoes.