Friday, January 16, 2009

Byron (2nd Atlanta) Pop Festival


I left for the Byron Pop Festival Friday night July 3, 1970 from Southside. I had actually bought a ticket for $14 and talked a friend into going so I could catch a ride. All my friends had already left but I had to work Friday evening. We planned to meet at the festival, but I never saw them. There were about 500,000 people there- the site was a racetrack surrounded by peanut fields and it was totally the coolest thing ever.

We arrived early Saturday morning on the 4th of July and it was soon about 104 degrees. We slept in the shade of some pecan trees. It was like a gigantic living carnival, full of characters, sounds and vibes that seemed to come from another dimension. I set out on my own to procure some things needed for the evening, and then found the person I came with again- miraculously. We got situated near the stage and stayed put. I remember hearing the Chambers Brothers sing "Time". Mostly I remember Hendrix. Yeah, I was there. The whole thing. The Star Spangled Banner AND fireworks and the real Jimi. Something in my 18 year old soul told me to be there. I have trusted my instincts ever since.



8 comments:

  1. I was there! It was one of the (many) great experiences of my life. HOT?!? It was cookin' but I was 21 and didn't care. Too bad folks today can't share that sense of community...

    Larry Butterton

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi all, I don't know who will read this, but I hope someone who was there does. I now own the property that was just below the free stage, I am doing a report for collage, and it's about the history of my little peace of land, and the 1970,s Byron Pop festival is a peace of my lands history that I would like to share. The Null as they called it then has revealed some of it's history while digging to plant trees, and the kids have dug up a shoe or two, some odd trinkets, and LOL some unmentionables. Anyone with information to share about this occasion please e-mail me at jcahlvin@gmail.com ATT: 1970 Byron Pop Festival. Thanks in advance. Choya Ahlvin. Owner of a peace of history!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband (at the time) decided this pop festival on 75 south of Atlanta would be a great happening and decided to go down about a week early, get a job helping organize, set up the stage, whatever; he had nothing else to do. A friend and I were to meet him there on Friday. We left work on Friday and started driving our fully stocked '70 VW camper into history. She had never seen corn fields so we stopped along the way (we weren't really moving anyway) and walked through the fields. We finally arrived late late that night, set up camp in the pecan orchard and never slept again (I don't remember buying a ticket or paying to get in). Saturday morning was Jimi Hendrix but like a lot in the 60's, I can't remember any of the other headliners! I do remember people complaining that the acts couldn't get in due to the crowd and a rumor that a fence surrounding the area had been torn down and the festival was then "free." About mid day we wandered down to a nearby river and went for a swim to cool off (yeah, it was really hot). Several Hells Angels were swimming, too, in full leathers and boots! Later we met up with some folks from Miami in the orchard, pooled our food - and everything else- cooked out and threw a huge party. We partied all night. I remember meeting lots of interesting people. Everybody was very friendly. And then we all went on to the rest of our lives carrying great memories of a few days that will never be replicated.

    ReplyDelete
  4. well i was 16 and a friend told me of the upcoming 2nd atlanta pop festival and he had us a ride .well i worked my ass off for my dad who was a paint forman for a constuction co. to get up the money to go.gave my friend the $14 bucks and he got our tickets.we went down on thursday,day before the festival was to start.traffic was already backed up and we moved at a snails pace.i remember one guy walking down the road yelling "well have you lost your smile yet?" i yelled"nope not yet".the guy whose car we were in asked to be quite as he was a fraid!me i was grinning from ear to near,freaks every where,i was home!actually my home was and is a little redneck town in north ga. long hair was not cool there in 1970 and really wasn't cool in 68 when i started growing it out.man at the fights with my parents,teachers,other kids,damn they were all stuck in 1950"go team go rah rah....shit! etc. that is why it felt so good to be with so many of my own kind and some of these people looked like they had been freaks for years!!by the way the guy who took us to the festival was supposed to be going to catholic youth seminar on drugs!!ha! he sure got an education that weekend.on fri. afternoon while waiting for some music to start people were walking through the crowd yelling out whar drugs they had to sell just like people selling beer at sporting events.i called a guy over and bought two tabs of acid.bad,bad mistake.i took one[thakfully i did not take both] the acid was way too strong so friday is confusing for me as i weave in and out of conciousness.i remember the alman bro. then....i hear johnsabastin singing what a day for a day dream what a day for a day dreamimng boy!that did it that song of all things pused me over the edge! i flipped out,thought it was really ten years in the future and i was really in a mental hospital from taking the acid! i thought evey thing around my was just in my head and wasn't real and i had to get out somrhow! i run through the cfowd screaming hiting small gaps between row after row of people sitting crosleged on the ground. at times i would fall and some onewould curse me,other times i would fall and some one would say here brother drink some of this beer. i paid no attention cause they were not real no damn way.i finally get outside the circle of people sitting on the ground and have a little walking room and felt better. i could write about bout all that happened that night but will cut it short.i remember the cold rain and johnny winter playing,the crowd getting wilder,the wind getting wilder like it was all conected someway by some force! i thought of moses on mt.sani getting the ten commandmants and the children of isreal worshiping the golden calf which was johnny winter. NOW HERE IS WHERE I NEED HELP CAUSE 40YEARS AND A SRONG HIT OF ACID CAN MAKE THE MEMORY FAULTY,I SWEAR IT WAS LATER THAT NIGHT OF THE 3RD THAT HENDRIX PLAYED [I HAVE LEARNED HE WENT ON RIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT THE 4TH] II SAW JIMI CRYSTAL CLEAR FOR ONLY ONE SONG"ALL ALONG THE WATCH TOWER" I WAS NOT FLIPPED OUT AT ALL AS HE PLAYED THAT SONG,WAS BEFORE THAT SONG AND AFTER THAT SONG.I REMEMBER THE FIREWORKS TO ME I WAS REALLY GETTING SHOCK TREATMENTS TO BRING ME ROUND! PLEASE SOMEBODY LET ME KNOW DID HINDRIX PLAY AFTER MIDNIGHT OF THE 3RD GOING INTO THE FOURTH AS SOME HAVE SAID HE PLAYED AT MIDNIGHT OF THE 4TH.THAT REALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE 5TH THOUGH SINCE I READ HE WENT ON AFTER MID NIGHT!!PLEASE HELP!!!I CAN BE REACED ON FACEBOOK UNDER THE DISCUSSION OF JIMI HENDRIX,MY DISCUSSION ON THERE IS ABOUT THIS AT BYRON 2ND ATLANTA POP FESTIVAL. THANK YOU GOD BLESS YOU IN SPITE OF THE BUM TRIP IT WAS A FANTASTIC THING JUST WISH I HAD NOT TAKEN THE ACID. I AM A CHRISTIAN NOW,HAVE BEEN SINCE 71.I AM JUST AN OLD JESUS FREAK HIPPIY THAT LOVES JESUS AND GOD AND THE REAL PEACE AND LOVE I FOUND WHILE I WAS SEARCHING FOR IT! JAMIE

    ReplyDelete
  5. Owner of a peace of history!
    Sometime back. I requested information on the Byron Pop Fest, and was fortunate to have had many e-mails in response to the questions I needed answered for a collage paper I was working on regarding the history of "The Null" That little piece of history that I own. LOL. Thank you to all those who responded. I would like you all to know that the paper was great, and my final grade was......98.5 I had some spelling errors I dint catch. LOL. Thank's for all the great sharing of your stories and such details about events that happened over those three long way back when days. BTW Now when I drive by the river, I can't help but smile, and I get a flashed image of folks out in the water just having themselves a great time. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a time it was, i had just gotten back from vietnam. From cinn. i grab my buddy dave and we drove down there parked my 66 right in the middle of the field , ,midnight jimmy played the banner . what a time, the song time lasted 1/2 an hour by the c. brother,s and the song white bird lasted as long looking back

    ReplyDelete
  7. i worked the festival. they hired me to do artwork (translated = signs). i set up shop under the raceway stands in an area that served as a lounge for the drivers. turns out the air conditioner worked so it became a popular hangout for a lot of the festival crew. I also worked as a stage hand and was given the honor to go retrieve Hendrix from his trailer for his set.

    ReplyDelete
  8. After looking at the black and white photo I realized that I was the girl in the foreground with the cut offs. 18 and fearless, especially knowing I was going to see Jimi Hendrix. I am enjoying hearing from everyone.

    ReplyDelete