Horrified, confused news staffers? Dazed and confused teens? Some of the most popular rock bands of the day? It all comes together in a fantastic video.
On June 13, 1970 the Cincinnati Summer Pop Festival took place at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. The festival featured rock acts Grand Funk Railroad, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Mountain and Iggy Pop and the Stooges.
The video below is from the television broadcast of the event, which was titled Midsummer Rock. Television station WLWT filmed the 14 hour show, and edited it for a 90 minute airing in August of 1970. Besides the great band performances, there are some eyepoping moments in this vid. A pre-goth Alice Cooper and his wild set. Iggy Pop and…peanut butter (I’m just gonna leave it at that). Steve Winwood belting blue-eyed soul while fronting the band Traffic.
The most interesting part of the video however, is the culture clash that was still happening in 1970 with Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Between WLWT news staffers nervously and awkwardly interviewing the young concert goers, and the smug on-air commentary, we get to see how Rock & Roll as a culture still visibly upset older generations. I’m not surprised this special never aired again on television.
Click on the video below and take a wild trip back to the Summer of 1970 in Cincinnati.
