NPR

A Look Back At Monterey Pop, 50 Years Later

Festival organizer Lou Adler, documentarian D.A. Pennebaker and more recall the historic music festival that helped define the Summer of Love and set a template for rock extravaganzas to come.
Jimi Hendrix prepares to "sacrifice" his guitar at Monterey Pop in an iconic rock 'n' roll moment.

In the 21st century, destination music festivals seem like a dime a dozen. But just 50 years ago, there was only one: the Monterey International Pop Festival, which featured more than 30 artists and bands playing over the course of three days in the summer of 1967.

Monterey Pop set the template for all the huge rock festivals that would follow — Woodstock, Coachella, Bonnaroo and all the rest — and its influence would spread even further via a documentary, , that was helmed by D.A. Pennebaker and

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