# Woodstock or Monterey Pop Festival **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838 "2012-12-22T15:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/1 "2012-12-22T15:35:00Z")
Which would would you have preferred to have attended? Leaving aside geographical or status reasons- which of these two would you have liked to have been at. \*I know from a previous thread Colibri and Panache did go to Woodstock). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/2 "2012-12-22T15:38:07Z")
Monterey seemed to go smoother. No rain and I think the crowd was smaller. I liked the music better too. (based on concert recordings) Janis was still with Big Brother and really good that night. Just getting to Woodstock was a problem. I’ve read the local highway bottle-necked and people left their cars and walked. Making the bottleneck even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/3 "2012-12-22T15:38:36Z")
Just for clarity, here is a list of what acts were there: [Monterey](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Pop_Festival_%28Set_List%29) [Woodstock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_performances_and_events_at_Woodstock_Festival) ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/4 "2012-12-22T15:39:53Z")
Heh- I hadn’t finished posting and there were three votes. I feel vindicated 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/5 "2012-12-22T15:43:31Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Monterey seemed to go smoother. No rain and I think the crowd was smaller. > > Just getting to Woodstock was a problem. I’ve read the local highway bottle-necked and people left their cars and walked. Yeah, I’d choose Monterey for the same reason. (My #1 favorite band of the era, The Who, performed at both festivals, so I’m set either way on that front.) I suppose attending Woodstock would give one more bragging rights later, but someone I know said her mother had gone to Woodstock when she was in college and whenever the topic came up the mother said how horrible the experience was and how she got awful blisters from having to walk so much. I feel like I’d probably be the same way. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/6 "2012-12-22T15:48:58Z")
This thread reminded me of a blooper on the Tonight Show. Some guy proudly brought his Woodstock ticket. Perfect and never torn. Carson carefully picked it up and it came apart as Carson held it up for the cameras. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/7 "2012-12-22T16:23:39Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Which would would you have preferred to have attended? Leaving aside geographical or status reasons- which of these two would you have liked to have been at. \*I know from a previous thread Colibri and Panache did go to Woodstock). Not even close - Monterey Pop. It was the coming out for Hendrix, the Who, Otis Redding, and others. Woodstock was a big phenomenon that the media could point to. Monterey was historically significant because of the music; Woodstock was historically significant as a cultural phenomenon. That sketches way too broadly, but feels like there’s an essence of truth at its core. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/8 "2012-12-22T16:25:12Z")
Monterey in a heartbeat. Better acts and no mud. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/9 "2012-12-22T16:34:43Z")
I would rather _have been to_ Woodstock, but I’m sure I would have had a better time at Monterey. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/10 "2012-12-22T17:20:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Monterey in a heartbeat. Better acts and no mud. Oh. I voted just based on the acts, in a very abstract and idealized sense, leaving all those considerations aside. I voted Woodstock. But if we have to take into account the reality of how the day played out, sure, Monterey. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/11 "2012-12-22T17:26:59Z")
Altamont Speedway Free Festival has to be the most screwed up. Hells Angels for security guards? Knifing a guy in front of the stage while Jagger sings Satisfaction. Such a low point for 60’s culture. ---
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/12 "2012-12-22T17:57:16Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Not even close - Monterey Pop. It was the coming out for Hendrix, the Who, Otis Redding, and others. Woodstock was a big phenomenon that the media could point to. Monterey was historically significant because of the music; Woodstock was historically significant as a cultural phenomenon. That sketches way too broadly, but feels like there’s an essence of truth at its core. This sums it up. Monterey. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/13 "2012-12-22T18:38:32Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I would rather _have been to_ Woodstock, but I’m sure I would have had a better time at Monterey. Count me in for Monterey, because I would have gotten to see John Cipollina play with Quicksilver Messenger Service. Plus, I know Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane, and he told me HE had a better time at Monterey than he had at Woodstock. That’s good enough for me! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/14 "2012-12-22T19:02:12Z")
The acid was better at Monterey and you could have just walked up to Brian Jones and said, “Stay away from swimming pools!” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/15 "2012-12-22T19:26:46Z")
I actually considered going to Woodstock, but it was too far for me. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/16 "2012-12-22T21:40:28Z")
Monterey. The performances were better. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/17 "2012-12-22T22:32:38Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Not even close - Monterey Pop. It was the coming out for Hendrix, the Who, Otis Redding, and others. Woodstock was a big phenomenon that the media could point to. Monterey was historically significant because of the music; Woodstock was historically significant as a cultural phenomenon. That sketches way too broadly, but feels like there’s an essence of truth at its core. Agreed. Woodstock had greater cultural significance (and far bigger attendance) but Monterey had the edge in terms of selection of acts and music. For comparison, here are the performer lists for both festivals. **Monterey Pop** **Friday, June 16** The Association The Paupers Lou Rawls Beverly Johnny Rivers Eric Burdon and The Animals Simon and Garfunkel **Saturday, June 17** Canned Heat Big Brother and the Holding Company Country Joe and the Fish Al Kooper The Butterfield Blues Band The Electric Flag Quicksilver Messenger Service Steve Miller Band Moby Grape Hugh Masekela The Byrds Laura Nyro Jefferson Airplane Booker T. & the M.G.'s Otis Redding **Sunday, June 18** Ravi Shankar The Blues Project Big Brother and the Holding Company The Group With No Name Buffalo Springfield The Who The Grateful Dead The Jimi Hendrix Experience Scott McKenzie The Mamas & the Papas **Woodstock** **Friday, August 15 - Saturday, August 16** Richie Havens Swami Satchidananda (invcation) Sweetwater Bert Sommer Tim Hardin Ravi Shankar Melanie Arlo Guthrie Joan Baez **Saturday, August 16 – Sunday, August 17** Quill Country Joe McDonald Santana John Sebastian Keef Hartley Band The Incredible String Band Canned Heat Mountain Grateful Dead Creedence Clearwater Revival Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band Sly & the Family Stone The Who Jefferson Airplane **Sunday, August 17 – Monday, August 18** Joe Cocker and The Grease Band Country Joe and the Fish Ten Years After The Band Johnny Winter with Edgar Winter Blood, Sweat & Tears Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Paul Butterfield Blues Band Sha Na Na Jimi Hendrix / Band of Gypsys ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/18 "2012-12-22T23:08:03Z")
Tough choice! Monterey would be awesome because of the chance to rub shoulders with assorted famous folks in the audience. But I have to go with Woodstock, just so I could witness the _ **El Kabonging** _ of Abbie Hoffman. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/19 "2012-12-23T00:25:45Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Just for clarity, here is a list of what acts were there: > > [Monterey](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Pop_Festival_%28Set_List%29) > [Woodstock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_performances_and_events_at_Woodstock_Festival) Based strictly on these lists – Woodstock, by far. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838/20 "2012-12-23T00:45:18Z")
Both had artists I would have killed to see. Monterey had Buffalo Springfield, but Woodstock had CSN&Y. Unfortunately I was in Vietnam for Monterey and out in the fucking Aleutian Islands for Woodstock, and missed both of them. I think Monterey gets the edge, just because Woodstock looked like a muddy, uncomfortable, stenchy place. There were naked wimmins and sex, though. A dilemma, for sure. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodstock-or-monterey-pop-festival/644838.md?page=2)