Disaster Or Best Show Ever? ‘Notorious’ Ozark Music Festival Jolted Missouri 50 Years Ago
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Fifty years after the ill-fated Ozark Music Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, a documentary relives the weekend of 1970s rock and roll that completely overwhelmed the small town.
For the last 15 years, documentary filmmaker Jefferson Lujin has been on a quest.
The native of Sedalia, Missouri, wants people to know more about the legendary Ozark Music Festival - a three day event that literally overwhelmed his hometown in July of 1974.
That was 50 years ago, and people are still debating its merits.
“I would say it was notorious,” Lujin grins. “And a hell of a lot of fun if you were the right age.”
That’s what Lujin (he was 3 at the time) has learned from dozens of interviews with those who attended it and others outraged by the whole affair.
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We drove in from Arkansas and it was glorious. We were veterans of the annual Mountain View bluegrass festivals so we had all the outdoor gear and met a lot of the contacts we'd made in Mt View so we had a very comfortable camp with everything we needed. Weather was great, bands were great and we only got stopped and searched once getting there and twice getting home. Cops never found our stash box under the car attached to the frame with a speaker magnet.
I grew up in Sedalia and graduated at Smith-Cotton HS in 1974 and it was the greatest senior party EVER! haha
I was 15 that summer. Some of my friends from the Chicago suburbs went down there.
It was a great time to be a teenager. The generation gap was huge, our parents had no idea what we were up to.
I didn't to make it to Sedalia but I did see David Bromberg Leo Kottke REO Speedwagon Bruce Springsteen Bob Seger Marshall Tucker Elvin Bishop within a few years of that Festival.
It was Hot Fun in the Summertime. When we weren't going to concerts we were having keggers in the forest preserves with live music just partying our lives away, no cares in the world.
Love seeing the old footage. Thanks
I was there. Hitchhiked with 20 dollars and was broke in 20 minutes! Didn't sleep for 3 days! WOW!!!
I went to concerts at Fairy Land Park in KC & they were great. I was 20 years old when this Concert was incredible! Unforgettable! Great video -
@oceangirl_505,
What shoes were at Fairy Land Park? I moved here in 90 and there were only remnants of an amusement park by then.
My cousin is Charlie Martin, original drummer of the Silver Bullet band. The bill only mentions Bob Seger, but the band had just formed earlier that year and this was their first BIG show. He was 22 at the time and remembers it fondly, especially the helicopter ride in over the crowd.
They went on to be huge later in the 70’s, but this was the beginning of that journey.
Loved Charlie Martin’s playing on “Live Bullet” 🤘🤘
@@ELMonstero2 That’s cool thanks for sharing!
@@ELMonstero2 Ok cool!...my famous cousin is Charlie Tina! From time to time we hang out on the Sea, Just looking for the a and other fish of the Sea!! I'd prefer that my 2nd cousin was Charlie Watts, but he's not; Just a lazy Bumb!! Anyway I'm glad to hear that you actually have an actually a real life cousin name Charlie Martin, and he is an incredibly talented .from Bob Serger & the silver bullet band....keep us updated.
Tuna!
How is that guy?? He was trying to sell his drums from the days of Silverbullet on Y/T. I’m from Flint and those guys were gods. I couldn’t come up with the 9k he needed. We talked online seemed like a good dude.
I was there Thursday thru Sunday 17 yrs old at the time changed my life😅
I was there all 3 days! Still got the green bracelet you wore. One of my favorite memories was a fog had descended over the crowd and kinda half to three fourths out of it. Joe Walsh came on the song Turn To Stone was something special. There was fog so thick the crowd was buried. It seemed like every major group was there.
I lived in Sedalia back then. This was the summer between my 5th and 6th grade. I never went to any of the concerts, but our family took a drive through the fairgrounds one of the days. I saw some things that blew a 10yr old's mind. I remember many folks sat out on their front porches at night, rifle in hand, in case any of the hippies try to cause any problems. I remember the entire town was out of bagged ice. And after it was all over and our school year started (it was still hot as Hades) the town was covered in flies. Remember, this was before every school had air conditioning. All we had were giant windows, without screens, opened up for air flow.
But all of that aside, I now look back and wish I had been old enough to go and enjoy all of those great bands. I'm rather envious of all of you concert goers.
Never heard of this festival
Fascinating and well done
The bands are awesome, they should have known it would be nuts! The 70's was a giant festival.
I was there! I'm 70 now and living in Des Moines, Iowa. It's all a little fuzzy. It was HOT.
I remember wading in the Coed Showers. The drain was clogged up and the water was about a foot deep. There were naked bodies here and there. I remember Aerosmith and Ted Nugent. I think we had a cooler but ran out of ice. Don't know what I ate. Loosy Goosy Summer.
I hitchhiked from Chillicothe and had one crazy great time. Loved every minute
I did acid for three days. It was awesome. I remember the tunnel was a sea of people. And this naked blond chick with two leashed black doberman pinschers walking down the tunnel and the parting of crowd for them.
I'd been married a year. We drove from central Kansas, got the 3-day ticket and got there early enough to park on the other side of the race track from the grandstand. We were noting the car tags from all the different states and all the hitchhikers who had taken over the rest areas along the interstate. We had our own tent, brought food & water. The stage was at the north end of the fairgrounds, about 250 yards from our tent. It was so hot and dry there were cracks in the ground an inch or more wide. Leo Kottke said his guitar was "melting," meaning he had to keep retuning. Most of the nudity I saw was at the public showers which turned co-ed. We didn't go because the drains were clogged and the water was ankle-deep & murky. There was a hydrant by our campsite and we just did sponge baths. It was hard to get close to the stage because there were so many makeshift shades. I have about 3-4 hours on reel-to-reel i taped off of a radio broadcast of some of the shows. it wasn't like a concert where you can get immersed in the music; it was more about the crowd experience.
I missed this one. Too young by a year. Went to a lot of Chris Fritz productions at Arrowhead and Royals Stadium through the rest of the 1970s though. Good times for a young man in his puberty. Wild shit and good drugs! Some bad drugs too. Got lucky as hell.
I was there one Saturday the 20th. It was so incredibly hot. I don't remember much except walking towards the main entrance and there was a young guy playing a drum set of to the right and he was pretty good. I hope he realized his rock 'n roll dreams. Everything else about the festival is a foggy haze of pot smoke, warm beer and naked bodies wondering around.
I was just thinking about Chris Fritz this afternoon after watching a YT video of a KY102 video. The man brought a lot of concerts to KC. Good times.
I agree, he is a bad ass in kc.
I miss KY102. What a great radio station.
I've heard all the stories talking about the vagrancy, the empty shelves at all the grocery stores, waking up and finding people in your yard sleeping, passed out, or using your water hose to bathe and fill water containers. Dad said he and a buddy made a killing just hauling blocks of ice in from KC and selling it. Logistically, it was a nightmare. Law enforcement was completely overwhelmed. A lot of "healing" going on from the Vietnam War and Civil Rights era.
I'd forgotten about this. One of the best shows I (sort of) saw
Thank you for sharing. Went to Sedalia numerous times when assigned to Whiteman AFB in the mid 80s. Incredible lineup at this festival.
In 1972, the Rockingham Jam at the Rockingham NC racetrack was much the same, and the subsequent Fayetteville Jam in 1973 was wide open as well, with the fences coming down early in the afternoon of the show, with the entire area an open drug bazaar; NC's wide open festivals culminated in August 1973 with the Charlotte Jam at the Charlotte Motor Speedway which was 200,000 people totally wide open. As a longhaired wild eyed hippie, these were the high holy days of the era; the danger and insanity never even crossed our minds. The one thing I don't remember was seeing people fighting or any acts of violence. Those days are gone, but they were about the most fun I ever had. Woo Hoo! Thanks for the memories.
cause everyone was a sob drunk😮
The first I've heard of this too, Chris Fritz brought back memories remembering his name from the late 70's and early 80's.
I was there and the bands that rocked my socks off were#1 Nugent on Saturday night. Cactus in the afternoon.
It was great. Thanks 😊Sedalia
I was 18, living in Topeka KS, working on the Kansas Turnpike. I asked my boss for the time off to go to the festival and he told me "No". So I jumped off a ladder and pretended to hurt my ankle, and then headed to Sedalia with my friends. When I got back to work, he told me I needed a doctor's order to be able to return, and to file an OSHA report for the accident. I told him the truth of what I had done, and he said, "Well, it's better to be truthful about these things" and didn't fire me. I'm glad I was there, but I feel bad to this day about being such a degenerate punk to a really good boss. RIP Loren.
No worries. He was probably secretly laughing at the extent you went through to see the Music Fest. I love your story. I've pulled similar pranks. Employers were quick to fire a person in the 70's. I know. I was fired from many jobs. One time for sleeping due to a terrible hangover. Your boss was definitely cool and you got to see an awesome lineup. I saw a few of those bands myself in the 70's.
lol
I remember Wolf Man Jack announcing that a baby was born at the concert! Crazy crazy concert I am glad I got to see!
I didn't go, but I remember people around Tulsa going. It was like the Woodstock of the Ozarks.
Hell yeah I'm from Missouri
Chris Fritz was great, he put on so many concerts in kansas city at several locations in the 70s at one time i had stacks of tickets from concerts i went to.
Thank you for this.
I went with 3 friends. It was different to get away where near the stage because other people spread out blankets staking out their spot. We spent afternoons skinny dipping along with 300+ people at a rock quarry outside of town. There was a Winnebago in the middle of the parking lot with big speakers on top playing music and advertising for people selling drugs. Name the party drug, it was there for sale.
That was one hell of a line up. Wish I could have attended.
I was four when this came to Sedalia mo I lived in beaman on a farm with my parents
"Woodstock in Purgatory" ... 3 days over 100, with no shade. The concrete "Swine" pavillion became a refuge since it had running water.
Best Show Ever, I was 15 at the time with $20 in my pocket. Lost 14 pounds that weekend 🥵 but Loved every min. of it. Would do it all over again in a Heartbeat. Thank you very much for the video, enjoyed going back lol.
Missouri was great place to grow up.
We went to Six Flags from 72 on, dropped off from 7 years old.
I saw Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Head East, KC Sunshine Band, Alice Cooper.
St . Louis killer music town, Marshall's Tucker was my 1st " real concert " in the city, @"15 1980.
I was at that MTB show. Six Flags had some great concerts too
I bet it was as lit as Summer Jam was at Arrowhead Stadium.
I have the hand bill or advertising poster in perfect condition from that festival. The video brought back good memories
Looked like a good time with some really good music! Which was your favorite?
@@mat11trick Black Oak Arkansas it was the first time I heard Hot and Nasty . Were you there we came from SE Iowa to the festival
@@kenvik6192 No I wasn’t there.
First time I’ve ever heard about this festival. I would have kept the poster and ticket stub for sure. I love some Black Oak Arkansas.
@@mat11trick we just walked in the festival it was crazy busy to many hippies to control. Peace out man
For anyone interested, here's the lineup of bands that actually performed after several cancellations: Aerosmith, Peter Sinfield, Eagles, America, Marshall Tucker Band, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,
Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, David Bromberg, Leo Kottke, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Electric Flag, The Earl Scruggs Revue, Charlie Daniels Band, Joe Walsh and Barnstorm, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, Jimmie Spheeris, Triphammer, Bill Quateman, Fresh Start, Babe Ruth, Locomotiv GT, REO Speedwagon, Bob Seger, Elvin Bishop. Host/Emcee Wolfman Jack.
I was there! I was 19.
It was a good time I was 14 . In 74
Sounds like a great show with a stellar lineup to me, like an American version of the UK festival Glastonbury - at least nobody got stranded on a distant island like what happened at Fyre Festival a few years ago
I was there. It was great‼️💥💥‼️
Best performance?
Joe Walsh & Barnstorm Friday night, studio quality sound to a mile track crowd souped up on their favorite narcotics after at least 1 intense day of OMF under their belt.
Walsh still playing , strolls to second stage as lights come up to reveal Eagles , he plays a bit.
Eagles were epic but...
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH - Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
I was about 2 months old when this happened, wow
50 years were did it go
50 years I don't know
19 at the time 69 know
4 guy from the copper mines of AZ
Saw things I never seen before
Biggest party we ever been to
Only three of us
Good time, great memories
They can't take that away😅
So like wtf is the concert footage?
I have lived in or around KCMO for all of my 49 years and this is the first time I've heard of this event.
It was real, they also had another one that I didn't get to go to. I forget the town.
Was there. Quite the time
I have heard first hand accounts, and it put Woodstock to shame!
Did the Dare Devils play??
yes,it was quite the show.i came early with some friends and it was nice before the crowds came in.
I was 7 years old in Tulsa, Ok.
Man does that bring back wonderful memories, I think lol Thank you
I bet Galloping Goose and El Forastero were there that weekend.
Don't recall seeing either patch. It's possible, but not probable. Have never heard it mentioned. However, I can ask ... .
🎸🥁📺
Colonel Sanders was never the same.
I saw pink floyd at the memorial hall in kck
Sedalia isn’t really in the Ozarks though
Lemme explain something, you have a large age group of folks wondering about packing up and joining the military, going overseas, experiencing the debauchery well these kids want that too but without a contract. So for a couple of days they want to dwell in hostile debauch filled FOB like Nam, then go home Monday. Most back to the factory in thoes days.
That was me, I missed it. Was stationed in Germany and many of the same bads ca.e there latter in the summer.
I remeber Fairyland Park
Springsteen on the bill and he doesn't get mentioned!! Seems there was a lot going on.
Yeah I saw his name toward the bottom. Being a guy that graduated in 84, it’s hard to fathom.
He didn't play. Bruce was still almost unknown in 1975. In the summer of 1975 my college bookstore would buy back your books after exams. Some books you sold back as you would never need them again. There were selling copies of Born To Run for $3. Looked like it might be okay so got one. In Mobile Alabama on May 9th and 10th of 1976 Bruce played in a side hall of the Mobile Auditorium. There were less than 300 people either night. I was there for both nights. In early 1981 was in graduate school Springsteen came back to Mobile. I camped out starting at midnight to buy tickets for myself and a group of friends. I was 12th in line when tickets went on sale. The 5000 tickets for the floor were sold out when it was my turn. Bruce was a little more popular by then.
I graduated high school in 1971, never was part of that group, stinking, dirty druggies, whoring around. don't be deceived by what you hear, there was a lot of losers, drugs, booze, filth & intoxicated who pee'd everywhere!
That was not the thing I remembered about the 1970's ! We were at a private lake lot that was named after our family, my grandpa built the lake so people could waterski, picnic, use their sea-doo's & enjoy the beach with kids & family. We spent time with our family, friends, cousins, grandkids, grandparents having the best of times for 50 plus years. ❤😅❤😅❤😅❤😅❤😅❤😅❤😂❤😂❤😂❤😂
Do you want a pony?
I sees theys in duh 1970s. Theys b otta sites. Far outs man. MAKE AMERICA TRUMPLESS AGAIN FRANKLIN 🤘🃏🎸🥃🍺🤤☮️👁️👁️
Your play station break down
Communism is not what you think it is.
@@amerocker I b duh rocker. U b duh fakes. 🤘🃏🎸
Pretty lame story
I was there for the whole thing…camped on the hood of my car with my girlfriend of the time…we had a blast