User reviews

I'm over 2020 and want to escape - so Monterey Pop was my choice tonight. No regrets. It acted as the perfect form of escapism and time machine back to the 1960s. You almost start to feel a bit high just watching. It captures the concert experience perfectly and this pivotal moment in time.

I would've happily enjoyed a longer film, with full sets. As it was, it seemed like a mini taster of the event, that just meandered around. Featured a bit too much sitar at the end.

My highlights were Mamas and Papas, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel.

And damn, 60s women were something else. So beautiful. In fact, all the people here seemed beautiful, happy and free-spirited. Just what my soul needed after a long day.

It's the legendary California music festival in June 1967. D. A. Pennebaker films the incredible iconic concert. There is great music. It is an important time capsule for popular music in general. Two of the most notorious performances are Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar and Joplin singing with Mama Cass watching in shock from the audience. One does learn a few things. I didn't think they had chairs but the metal chairs are all neatly lined up in their rows. This is more than a movie, a documentary, or a concert film. It is music history.

This has to be one of the greatest concert documentaries ever made. You get to see some of the greatest early performances by some of rock's greatest legends (Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Janis Joplin) as well as the performance of one band on their last legs, the Mamas and the Papas. The festival also could be seen as a turning point in popular music due to the fact that after the festiveal the more singles oriented acts were being pushed aside in favor of the more progressive album oriented artists.

Also, if you need more convincing of how much of a pivotal event this was, check out the outtakes video. It contains many of the performances that didn't make it to the film, including Buffalo Springfield without Neil Young who had quit the band a month before their scheduled appearance. Replacing him for this performance was David Crosby, who performed earlier with the Byrds but joined his friend Stephen Stills and the rest of the Springfield for the show (less than a year later Crosby and Stills would team up with Graham Nash and the rest is history). Also check out Laura Nyro. Legend has it that she was booed off the stage. However, she gets a nice applause for her renditions of her classics "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Poverty Train".

I've heard it commented that Monterey Pop is less of a `movie' than Woodstock because it doesn't really get to know the Audience as a character (through interviews, pointed observation, thru-stories, etc.). This is nothing more than old-fashioned critic snobbery. The distance is precisely the mystique of the film. Do we need to talk to the audience or to Janis Joplin, for example, after her performance? As an impressed Cass Elliot looks on, we see Joplin playfully skitter off the stage like a schoolgirl to embrace a friend after her victorious `Ball & Chain,' and we totally feel her sense of accomplishment and state of exhaustion after delivering such a powerhouse. Sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words.

Monterey Pop, in comparison to Woodstock, does indeed have a distant feel and, overall, lacks that film's spit & polish. But this is like comparing two different directing styles – say Kubrick vs. Ford. Based on its own merits, this film is a fantastic, bare-bones look back at the state of (what was then!) underground music…before drugs & death took their massive toll, before it all became `classic rock' commercialism, and before everyone (including myself) had a chance to pontificate on its merits ad nauseum. The distance afforded their subjects by the filmmakers adds to this experimental `street' allure and is actually very appropriate. Have you ever felt cheated by a band simply because they went commercial? How it just doesn't feel the same because what once seemed like a hip secret kept by a choice few had now gained Mass Audience Appeal? The jig was up. Alas, for those old days… Monterey captures that spirit of an unbridled, non-compromised and spontaneous movement that has just the right touch of danger attached.

Even though Monterey Pop has a garage rock feel, it's not really about `garage rock' per se, which has its roots back to 50s. It's more about a time when rock really went through a kind of psychedelic overhaul that continues to influence today. Besides the psychedelia, however, rock went through a diverse artistic transition that begun to incorporate music from other countries, styles and mediums (You want diversity? Try Otis Redding and Ravi Shankar on the same bill!). Although the Beatles had already begun to incorporate this stuff, most had not by '67 and were just perfecting their own innovative sounds (Janis Joplin, for instance, did not bring in a full horn section until a couple of years later, and Big Brother remained very guitar-driven). The jazz of Hugh Mesekela, for instance, is a standout here. I don't see Woodstock as having such a wide scope.

On the other hand, comparisons made to Woodstock are valuable enhancements to this film's enjoyment, not necessarily the base of negative critique. One reviewer, for instance, pointed out the medium hairstyle length of most of the men here (most were so new to The Scene that they hadn't had enough time to grow it out yet. Crew cuts and horn-rimmed glasses also abound). Many of the bands also look surprisingly young & innocent when compared with their Woodstock performances only 2 years later (the results of hard living?). Hendrix at Woodstock, in particular, comes off as nearly sedate when compared to his historic appearance here. Such details are what make Monterey Pop a gorgeous document of this period.

This is a classic documentary of 60s rock, captured live before all the hype and hoopla of hippiedom sank most of these acts (and many others). The Monterey Pop Festival kicked off the Summer of Love and remains the prime event of that epoch. The film should be seen by anyone who claims a passing interest in "Woodstock" or "the 60s." I give it 10 stars.

It was a great experience. I was 18 and hitch hiked to Monterey with a girl and her Doberman. One ride all the way. As soon as we got dropped at the fairgrounds, some people asked if we had a place to stay, took us to their pad, let us shower, and made breakfast. That was a good sign. I had no desire to go to Livestock; nothing could ever compare to those three days in Monterey. You see all the people with coats and blankets because it was cold at night and early morning. For weeks before we had been hearing the ads on the radio (KRLA)about all the performers and they kept saying the Jimi Hendrix Experience. We had no idea who this guy was; we were going to see and hear everyone we could. But that night, after The Who had tried to demolish the stage and Lou Adler and John Philips were scrambling to regain order, the stage went dark and a lone figure walked to the mike at center stage. When the spotlight came on we could see it was Brian Jones. He introduced Jimi Hendrix and when I saw, and heard, the most amazing things ever done or played on a Stratocaster (on any guitar for that matter)life wasn't the same. Hendrix took music to an alien world and came back with sounds and style that were beyond my imagination. This film is not the greatest quality and certainly--in a technical sense--pales in comparison to contemporary concert movies and videos; however, it was the first true rock festival, and if you were there you know what I mean. But if you let go of the need for cinematic purity and enormous production values, what you'll enjoy is an island of (not corny) peace, love, and incredible music.

A most excellent time capsule of a period. No questions. If you want to see what the sixties were like...Then watch. This really does put in a time capsule more of the generation than anything I've seen. You can feel the shift happening via the music. I vote this is infinitely more important than Woodstock because the movement was already in full swing at that point. Witness the birth of so much of what we still are listening to today. This is the real unadulterated thing. Kudos to the "Criterion Collection"! If only Otis Redding would have lived longer?There is no telling the musical legacy he was going to leave? Based on the incendiary performance here it would have been formidable. This is a must see for anyone interested in the procession of rock through all the permutations of soul and blues. Not to be missed.

In June 1967, record mogul Lou Adler and musician John Phillips organized and produced the first three-day outdoor rock music festival, a major, star-studded event held at the County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California and filmed by D.A. Pennebaker and his crew. Phillips is seen performing two numbers with his group, Mamas and the Papas, though their spotlight is definitely stolen by Janis Joplin leading Big Brother & The Holding Company on "Ball & Chain", as well as The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing a fuzzy, funky "Wild Thing" (with a touch of "Strangers in the Night" in Hendrix's guitar solo). Pennebaker is just as interested in the colorful (if curiously sedate) crowd of concert-goers as he is in the music acts, and often we see young men and women in raw, fresh reaction to music which is by-now largely familiar. Jefferson Airplane are intriguing, as is Ravi Shankar on an elongated sitar jam entitled "Raga Bhimpalasi", but Simon & Garfunkel's brief appearance (under a red spotlight) is disappointing. The camera-work is insecure, and the sound (although probably top-flight for 1967) is shaky, but this is a good glimpse at an era long passed by. A must for '60s pop and rock connoisseurs. **1/2 from ****

I wasn't at Monterey in '67, and neither were 99.999% of the people now commenting on this film. To read so many of these comments you'd think that the entire audience was now online and writing reviews. They criticize the song selections, the blaring omissions, the crowd scene inserts, and even the haircuts. They seem to be saying that this film doesn't quite present an accurate picture of the unprecedented 3 day phenomenon that was the Monterey Pop Festival. Well, WHAT would present an accurate picture of that amazing event? I suppose, maybe, hearing someone who was ACTUALLY there tell us his or her story of those wild days. Someone like, I dunno... D.A. Pennebaker? Hey, right, he WAS there, and this film is HIS story (history). At only 78 or so minutes it's more so his impression, his true reaction, in condensed user friendly form, like a good story is supposed to be.

It was a powerful moment in pop culture - something of an evolutionary turning point. Monterey Pop was very soon understood to be the coming-of-age party for the next generation of cultural leaders. As I watched it the first time some 25 years ago I remember feeling like I was witnessing a natural birth. The birth of a new social order that cherished and honored peace and love above all else. Like all births it wasn't all pretty. Often it's messy and painful and even scary.

Pennebaker opens his story with the splendid Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company's up tempo "Combination of the Two" playing over pre-concert footage. The hippy dippy love and peace vibe was so thick and fun. Appropriately, Scott McKenzie is then heard over more concert prep footage singing "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)", which festival co-founder John Phillips wrote to promote the event. The first stage act we see are The Mamas and The Papas doing "California Dreaming" - a fine expression of the spirit of the day. Sensational rock acts including Canned Heat, Simon & Garfunkle, and Jefferson Airplane follow. Big Brother & The Holding Company really get things deep with Janis wailing a remarkable "Ball and Chain." The romance sours a bit as Eric Burden and The Animals perform a sinister "Paint It Black." It then gets very rough when the Who really beat up the crowd with what sounds like early Punk, their ultra loud hooligan posture in stark contrast to the relatively mild preceding sets - ominous signs of a possibly troubled pregnancy. Destroying their instruments at the end of their set in a fit of hyper adolescent rage seems to be a not-to-be-topped show-ender. This may be a stillbirth.

And it would have been if The Who hadn't been later followed by the yet not well known Jimi Hendrix who then assumes total control of The Delivery. The water's broken, The Baby is coming and Doctor Jimi is Chief Physician. But he's not your typical Md with an axe. He is transforming before our eyes, mutating, expanding into enormous dimensions and capacities into a monumental Shaman. A molten force from prehistorical depths erupting and reforming endlessly, now being entirely recreated. He writhes and coils as if caught in the throws of powerful contractions. An electric, sonic fetus has instantly developed on stage into a gargantuan, cosmic sound. His symphonic offspring, now fully formed, complete, gorgeous, pure like Apollo, the god of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who can not speak a lie. And then Jimi sets fire to his guitar - a ritual sacrifice, appeasing the greater gods that this brand new, better, infant world he has just ushered in might live and prosper.

Pretty heady stuff, aye? And the truly amazing, wonderful bit that still thrills me is that Ravi Shankar outdoes Jimi. Ravi had done it earlier on the preceding Sunday afternoon, but realizing the awesome achievement of Shankar's act, Pennebaker wisely saves this astounding performance for last. Time, after all, is just an illusion. In what starts like a modest and polite display of a bygone technique, Ravi's raga soon has summoned the attention of everyone and directed it to the Here And Now. The rhythmic syncopation building upon itself, repeating and quickening, everyone's awareness now finely focused on the increasingly heated, emphatic call and response between Ravi's Sitar and Alla Rakha's Tabla. The pace and intensity increase and hold the entire population helplessly captive. It's a formidable, inexorable current that has grasped everyone's consciousness as the pace continues to build and grow. Each pass seems to be the limit but the next surpasses. Everyone's psyche is pummeled with ferocious spasms of rhythm. We are not just witnessing but actually experiencing the conception of our new life. A great cosmic mind f*** with the potent seed of eternity being implanted into the open, pulsing, unsuspecting, tender minds of all.

Tho they didn't know it yet, on that Sunday afternoon of the final scheduled day of the Monterey Pop Festival, a roundish, dark skinned, simple cotton cloth swaddled gnome had very thoroughly, graciously ravished the collective mind of that naive bunch. And you can see it on the stunned, gaping faces of anonymous spectators and fellow performers alike. They just didn't have the words or ideas or emotions to grasp what was happening.

So it was in such a fertile, pregnant state that Janis, and Pete and Jimi took that evening's and next morning's stage and completed the inevitable, miraculous act that Ravi had so cunningly initiated.

This is what I felt when I first watched that edited, incomplete personal tale that is "Monterey Pop." That deformed near-abortion is, to me, perfect. As perfect as any life can be.

Good music, but some of those musicians are so strung out it's amazing they don't snap. Admittedly, a few of the shots make me think the cameramen were also chemically enhanced.

And why does John Phillips always wear that hat?

I think, that once you see this masterpiece, especially the finale... which ranks with probably the greatest art in music, you'll agree, simply that it is beyond excellence.

Nothing will ever come close to encapsulating the 60's (and I wasn't around then) than this work of art. I could almost live, breathe, smell and rejoice in the atmosphere.

It was a rare combination of genius, the times, and a great filmmaker that made something that I consider one of the greats of my life.

Great Moments? Mamas and Papas, the jet that flew over the festival, the (amateur?) film maker and his camera (reminded me of Donald Sutherland) and the camera moving past the sultry youth during Ravi Shankars finale. Big pieces and little moments.

For the most part, the "talent" is sub-par. And let's be honest: more than half these acts have been thankfully forgotten today.

Janis Joplin was great. The audience stares at her in amazement. It's before she left Big Brother.

Some of the performance from well known artists are sub-par.

The Who rock their signature song. Keith Moon was quite an erratic drummer. The direction, however, is so bad that when Entwhistle has his solo, the camera is on Pete! Maybe it was his full head of hair! Ugh.

Hendrix was good, but there was something wrong with the sound quality in the recording. The most amazing thing about Hendrix was he hit the notes without ever looking at the fret board. This while jumping and somersaulting all over the stage.

Then you have to sit through Ravi Shanker who -- let's face it -- is dated. In sum, not a particularly good concert film.

There was a time in 1969 when a friend and I went to see Monterey Pop every Friday night at the Kips Bay Cinema in NYC just to hear Janis sing Ball and Chain and Otis sing I've been Lovin You Too Long. Then we'd go to dinner and maybe another movie, but it set up our entire weekend.

Now, I think about how many of the performers were gone too soon, too young -- Janis, Jimi, Otis, Mama Cass... How amazing to have them all there in this one glorious celebration of music and the innocence (yes) of the 60's.

Maybe it's not the best "film-making" but it's a treasure to be appreciated as the years go by. Would love to see a DVD release with any additional available footage. Enjoy and remember, (or discover)

I have a confession to make. I did not know anything about the Monterey International Pop Festival nor about documentary made by the famous filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker until last Saturday when I turned on my TV and it was showing on MHD channel. Even more, I only caught the last 20 minutes of the film but what I saw and what I heard during the great finale simply mesmerized me. The last performance in the film belongs to Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist who along with Alla Rakha on tabla and Kamala at taboura plays 18 minutes long composition called "Raga Bhimpalasi." Along with The Who, Ravi Shankar was introduced to America at the Monterey festival. Eighteen minutes of Raga Bhimpalasi, the final scene of the Monterey Pop film, was an excerpt from Shankar's four-hour performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival his first public concert in front of a new generation of music fans.

What started as slow and exotic sensuality, built up into blissful frenzy duel between sitar and tabla. It is incredibly creative and intriguing how Pennebaker shot the Shankar's performance and made it as much a visual delight as it was a sound. For the first seven minutes, we only hear the sounds of music and see how the audience reacts on the unusual exciting Eastern chords and rhythms, we don't see the musicians. The director moves his camera from one young face in the audience to another, from different rows and different angles. Then, he slowly turns the camera toward the stage and moves it extremely close to Ravi and Alla, so close that we are able to see their faces and the hands, and you would think that Shankar has not two but six hands, just like the Indian God Shiva because it is impossible to believe that such multitude of sounds and emotions could be achieved with two hands only. In the last minute of Shankar's performance, the camera moves aside letting us see the musicians and the totally fascinated and conquered listeners that give the genius performer the long standing ovation, and he thanks them back. While witnessing the incredible act of music born and performed in front of me, I only wished this moment never end. After the scene (and the film) was over, the first thing I did was to find out what I saw and to order the DVD on-line. Only when doing research, I learned about the Monterey International Pop Festival that was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The celebrated Woodstock happened two years after Monterey, in August, 1969.

My Criterion "Monterey Pop" DVD arrived surprisingly fast, and I was able to enjoy all performances recorded by D.A. Pennebaker's team that used newly newly-developed portable 16mm color cameras equipped to record synchronized sound. Sound was captured by Wally Heider's mobile studio on state-of-the art eight-track tape. To see and to listen to the talented and famous musicians, many of whom were just in the beginning of their careers was an unforgettable and joyous experience. Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, and Otis Redding, all became the celebrities after their first major public performances during the first and sadly the last Monterey International Rock Music Festival. Summer of Love started that weekend, forty one years ago at the small town of Monterey, CA, and that summer made Monterey immortal.

More than once I thought I wish I was there and could be a part of the magic festival. I know that the Monterey Pop will be one of my favorite DVD's and I will return to it over and over again.

Now this is what a rock festival is all about. Just imagine seeing the top performers of the 60s all in one concert. This was it. Complete with camping on the scene and drugs. This is what the 60s was all about-hippies and great music. If you like 60s rock, then this flick runs fast and is really great. I think this is the kind of movie you ought watch every once in a while if you are a rock fan-because this is a classic-like Woodstock. Hendrix is awesome and don't forgot Ravi Shankar on sitar. Joplin is really good-so is Grace Slick. The mix of performers is great. The only thing better than watching this movie might be to attend such a festival-it must've been great.

At the height of the hippie culture and music scene, filmmaker DA Pennebaker went to the first 'event' concert. It lasted three days in Monterey California, and hosted almost all of the pivotal, immortal acts in the rock n roll scene of the say- Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas & the Papas, Canned Heat, the remnants of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield (later CSNY), Big Brother & the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin), the Who, Jimi Hendrix, and even a special appearance from Ravi Shankar. It's a shame that it's sort of a let-down for a rock fan such as myself.

It's not that the performers aren't in their peak form, or that it is filmed poorly (most of the time Pennebaker and his photographers- one of them the incomparable Al Maysles- work in the roots of cinema verite in their documentary approach). The songs themselves aren't really the choice peaks. Some of them are, but some of them aren't, and the overall (and kinda over-bearing) air of the hippie world is a little much. The difference between Monterey Pop and Woodstock is that the later combined a focused, absorbing look at the audience while giving room for the prime cuts of the best sets from the acts. At the length of Monterey Pop, which is a third of the length of Woodstock, it's too short.

And yet there is much to admire and watch for, aside from the appeal of it being a period piece. Jimi Hendrix, in his first American show after forming the Experience, gives a drug-loaded showstopper (and one of his most revered and almost over-rated trademarks) of lighting his guitar on fire after going through a blistering, raw rendition of 'Wild Thing'. The look on the audience during this scene is priceless. The Who are very good, if a little under-used (I've seen their performance from the show of 'A Quick One While He's Away' that is ten times better than their 'My Generation' encore in the film). Big Brother/Joplin and Simon & Garfunkel give soulful, peaceful numbers. And the final act- Shankar- is absolutely mesmerizing, showing how much he was ahead of his time with music (his speed and inventiveness with the sitar rivals most of the great hard rock guitarists). It's not the best of the 'peace & love' rock docs, but if you're into it anyway you should see it at least once.

I've seen various run times listed for this film. IMDb lists it at 78 minutes which is probably it's runtime for it theatrical release in January of 1969. When it premiered at New York's Lincoln Center in late December of 1968 it's runtime was a mere 72 minutes. 18 of which is Ravi Shankar from his 3 hour set that was only attended by 7,000 concert goers on the afternoon of the final day. That's a lot of time devoted to a film that covered a concert that featured 33 acts. Originally in late 1968 when the film was complete it's run time was 138 minutes which at 2 hours and 18 minutes the film makers decided was too long and it was cut to 98 minutes. For some reason this still was reduced further. Making the films final cut are Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, The Mama's and the Papa's, Eric Burdon, Hugh Masekela, Otis Redding, Canned Heat, Scott Mckenzie, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Ravi Shankar. Director D.A. Pennebaker in collaboration with filmmakers Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles were originally hired by ABC to film the Montery Pop Festival in June of 1967 for a televised special which the network decided not to go ahead with so the footage was released as a documentary film. Dunhill record founder Lou Adler and Mama's and Papa's founder John Phillips and Beatles publicist Derek Taylor were the organizers of the festival and Adler and Phillips are the film's producers. Along with Pennebaker, Leacock and Maysles additional photography was filmed by James Desmond, Barry Feinstein, Roger Murphy and Nick Proferes who used 16mm cameras to film the event. Nina Schulman is the principal editor which must have been a monumental job. Pennebaker spent most of his film career producing music/concert themed documentaries. He gained attention for his 1967 documentary Don't Look Back about Bob Dylan's 1965 British tour. More of the Monterey film shot by Pennebaker, he would release as two other documentaries Jimi Plays Monterey and Otis at Monterey. These three documentaries on Monterey along with additional footage of acts cut from the original film called Monterey Pop The Outake Performances have been released as a four hour 3 disc DVD set called the Criterion Collection. I have not seen that yet and can only limit my comments here to the original Monterey film that I did not see in it's theatrical release but have seen many times on television. It is not the cinematic achievement of Woodstock but it is of historical significance. I would have rather it remained that original directors cut of 138 minutes. 18 minutes of Shankar would have played in better context. I would give this an 8.0 out of 10.

I was but 9 years old when this event happened but was/am certainly familiar with most of the performers. The DVD has outtake performances. Many are absolutely dismal. Performers who made poor showings include The Byrds (David Crosby drove me nuts), The Mamas and Papas and Al Kooper. Of course the outtakes don't include the complete performance of these performers but the ones on the film are bad. However, I give this package a rating of "7" for a few gems. I'm into harder music for the most part but the biggest surprise for me was the song "Poverty Train" by Laura Nyro. Absolutely incredible. Her backup band was somewhat questionable but her singing performance was incredible. I became an instant fan. Unfortunately she passed away circa 1997 from ovarian cancer :-( Another gem was The Blues Project with their "Flute Thing". Somewhat dated with the flute through a tape echo unit, the musicians were nonetheless capable and the tune was musically interesting. Of course Otis Redding (with Booker T. and the MGs) and Hendrix were great. The one tune by the Electric Flag proved an excellent blues number. Interesting early showing by Mike Bloomfield and Buddy Miles (who later appeared on Band of Gypsys with Hendrix).

And my kids love it. It's worth a look.

One of the great concert films. Up there with The Band's The Last Waltz, Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same (ignoring the surreal non-concert nonsense) and Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense. And yes, I do rate it higher than Woodstock.

The list of artists is amazing: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, Mamas and the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, The Animals, Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar and Booker T and the MGs, plus Hugh Masekela, Canned Heat and Country Joe and the Fish.

Great performances, with, I believe, Janis Joplin giving the stand- out one. Of course, this was the concert where Jimi Hendrix and The Who tossed a coin to see who of the two of them would go on first. Neither wanted to be last, as the other one would be a tough act to follow. The Who won the toss, went on first and, after their set, smashed up their guitars and drums. Hendrix managed to upstage them by setting his guitar on fire...

An incredibly historic concert, for many reasons.

Organized and planned by Mamas & The Papas leader John Phillips and associates The Monterey Pop Festival was a concert featuring various acts of the time from different parts of the world. Held in Monterey, California from June 16-18, 1967 the two day event hosted an array of musical luminaries some of whom gained bigger recognition from the concert. The highlights of the gig showcase the eclectic talents involved: Hugh Masekela's loud Afrobeat Jazz; Big Brother & The Holding Company's memorable lead screecher; Ravi Shankar's lengthy sitar workout; Otis Redding's rocking Soul; The Who's pioneering high decibel destruction; and Jimi Hendrix's legendary show stealer which elevated Rock performance like no other since Elvis and raised the standard of guitar playing unparalleled since. Interposed with the performances are shots of the crowd (lots of pretty girls) and interviews with the audience. One can immediately see the influence the event and the film had on the Woodstock and Isle of Wight concerts and documentaries. A simple and effective document of a place and time, "Monterey Pop Festival" is a visual and audio legacy of an age when legends walked the earth and the promise of a better future seemed truly and genuinely real.

Music is marginal at best. More useful as a time capsule of the sixties hippie dress code.

I found this documentary on DVD at my local library.

I know all about the 1960s, I graduated from high school, I graduated from college, I completed my graduate studies, I got married, I started my career, I had my first child. She will be 49 later this year, 2018.

But I never went to any music festivals. So finding this film on DVD was a joy. It has a good mix of on-stage performances and views of the mostly young crowd away from the stage. While I didn't know any of them I recognize all of them. That is how we looked and behaved in the late 1960s.

Funny, when I was younger I avoided Janis Joplin, I just hated her singing style. But I saw a documentary on her, I became a fan of sorts. And here at roughly 25 minutes into the documentary she performs "Ball and Chain" which was a real show-stopper., showing her extremely wide range of talent. There is a memorable shot of Mama Cass Elliot in the crowd mouthing "WOW" when Janis' performance was over.

Anyway, good film that brings back good memories.

I was expecting better coverage of the performances. It is a documentary, so we only see a small sample. I think there should have been at least 2 songs by each band. We get a couple by the Mamas and the Papa and Jefferson Airplane, but only one by the rest. At least Ravi Shankar's was a long piece, and I loved seeing how the audience gradually gets into his music. I first saw him in Concerts for Bangladesh. Seeing this audience reminded me of myself, not sure I could get in to the sound, only to find I wasn't ready for him to finish, when he did.

This also made me appreciate Janis Joplin. Like another commenter, I not only didn't like her singing, I couldn't stand it, and usually turned her off back then. Watching this--finally letting myself take her in--I was kind of like Cass Elliot at the end, and was hoping for another number. Overall, I enjoyed most of what was their, but would love to see more.