In 1967, history was made at the Monterey International Pop Festival at California’s Monterey Fairgrounds. The festival became iconic almost immediately for both the legendary musical performances of the Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar, and other musical acts who came to define the music of the time. It’s also known for its widespread cultural impact, ringing in the Summer of Love and setting the tone of the counterculture of the late 60’s and 70’s, more or less paving the way for the music festivals of today. To celebrate the iconic festival, the Monterey Pop Festival is back this summer to celebrate its 50th anniversary, returning to the same fairgrounds and falling on the exact dates of the first festival on June 16th through 18th.
In addition to a number of performances by musicians who played the Monterey International Pop Festival during its inaugural year — Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead will be joined by The Terrapin Family Band, Booker T. Jones appear with the Booker T.’s Stax Revue, and Eric Burdon will perform with Eric Burdon & The Animals — the festival has tapped a number of modern acts to base their performances off seminal sets from the first iteration of the festival fifty years ago. Thus far, seven tribute acts have been announced, including:
- Jack Johnson honoring Steve Miller Band
- Leon Bridges honoring Otis Redding
- The Head and The Heart honoring The Mamas & The Papas
- Gary Clark Jr. honoring Jimi Hendrix
- Jim James honoring The Who
- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats honoring Big Brother & The Holding Company
- Nicki Bluhm & Dirty Dozen Brass Band honoring Jefferson Airplane
While these seven tribute acts have been announced, the Monterey International Pop Festival says to expect more announcement in the coming weeks ahead of the festival. Tickets are on sale now via the festival’s website, while a scheduled lineup can be seen below.
