When one stage was in use, the other was being prepped for the next band, ensuring no downtime between acts. Two stages were mounted on a temporary railroad track. Band members were transported to the concert by helicopter. “With temperatures hovering near 85, bikinis, shorts and bare chests were plentiful, and the scene at times looked more like a Sunday afternoon at the beach than a rock festival.”īands stayed at a Holiday Inn whose marquee sign read “Welcome Western States Police Officers Assn.” to scare off fans. “Even from a vantage point 40 feet above the stage, the sea of humanity stretched as far as the eye could see,” David Shaw wrote in the Los Angeles Times. Ontario Motor Speedway, in existence from 1970 to 1980, took up 800 acres between Haven and Milliken avenues between Fourth Street and the 10 Freeway.įans lay on blankets and towels in a grassy area northwest of the speedway, passing drinks and marijuana as bands performed off in the distance. Unlike earlier festivals, a security force of 700 managed mostly to discourage gate-crashers, meaning that most of those in attendance paid to get in. “It wasn’t quite Woodstock, but it was up there,” Dorst-Porada said.Ĭalifornia Jam was notable for its peacefulness, efficiency and profit, not the hallmarks of legend. The latter two and 1973’s Watkins Glen drew 300,000 to 600,000 people, not counting the millions who later claimed they were at Woodstock. Rock festivals began with Monterey in 1967 and continued with Woodstock and Altamont in 1969. I don’t think anyone expected the kind of crowd they drew,” said Debra Dorst-Porada, a councilwoman who actively documents city history.Īfterward, many returned to their vehicles to find they’d been either ticketed or towed. “Hearing past stories, it was quite the event. Even four decades later, California Jam - and its 1978 sequel, which drew 300,000 - almost certainly remain the best-attended events in Ontario history. Highlights were aired on ABC’s “In Concert” over four nights.Ĭalifornia Jam was the Coachella of its day, except that the modern-day festival, which also takes place in April, draws 90,000 per weekend, not even half the numbers of the 1974 concert. Produced by ABC Entertainment, the event featured, in order of appearance, Rare Earth, Earth Wind and Fire, the Eagles with guest Jackson Browne, Seals and Crofts, Black Oak Arkansas, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. On a perfect Southern California day, concertgoers massed at Ontario Motor Speedway for the one-day festival to hear some of the day’s top acts. It was 40 years ago today - Apthat 200,000 music fans descended on Ontario for one of the last rock festivals of the era: California Jam.
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