Who was there .... and so was I

[pepperband]

Have you ever experienced magic? By accident? By dumb luck? By being "bad"?

I have. But, it was 40 years ago.

It was 1967, the ~summer of love~. I had just graduated highschool in the "Bay Area" ... near San Francisco. My friend Rachel got a car, a new Mustang convertable. I had a bike. I had 2 loving parents who were attentive and agreeable, when I was behaving myself.

Rachel may sound like she was a well loved and a very lucky girl, because a Mustang convertable is a very cool car. But the sad fact was, she was living with her mother and her mother's 5th husband, who had been molesting her for a long time. The car was bribery of a sorts.

I can appreciate looking back, the Mustang was a way for Rachel to get away. Rach and I devised a plan. Her mother did not care or hardly notice when she went somewhere, but my parents were another story altogether.

Rach and I told my parents we were going to San Francisco to spend the weekend with her auntie. We told them the auntie was picking us up at Rach's house.

We lied. It worked, I got permission. I had a very sweet face back then, and I could look innocent and sincere ... while telling a whopper!

My parents dropped me off at Rachel's. She and I got in her Mustang, put the top down and headed out ... "over the hill". First to Santa Cruz. Then on to Monterey. There was something NEW happening in Monterey, and we wanted to check it out.

We did not have tickets. We had no reservations. We had no food. We had very little cash. We did have a convertable Mustang, and youthful moxie.

Rachel and I went to the Monterey Pop festival.

Not knowing that we were about to experience an iconic moment in American culture.

This morning, I opened the Los Angeles Times newspaper, and I read:

~Tuneful trip down Monterey Lane~ by Steve Hochman.

And memories began to flood. I was 17 all over again. Being bad. And (almost) getting away with it. :sneaky:

For you young ones who have no idea what 'da'hayul I am talking about....

look up Monterey Pop Festival on Wikipedia (I tried to post the link, but a message pops up that says I can't do that until I have made 15 posts) :-5

check this out:

Friday, June 16

The Association

The Paupers

Lou Rawls

Beverly

Johnny Rivers

The Animals

Simon and Garfunkel

Saturday, June 17

Canned Heat

Big Brother & The Holding Company

Country Joe and The Fish

Al Kooper

The Butterfield Blues Band

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Steve Miller Band

The Electric Flag

Moby Grape

Hugh Masekela

The Byrds

Laura Nyro

Jefferson Airplane

Booker T and The MG's

Otis Redding

Sunday, June 18

Ravi Shankar

The Blues Project

Big Brother & The Holding Company

The Group With No Name

Buffalo Springfield

Scott McKenzie

The Who

The Grateful Dead

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Mamas & The Papas

Yes, kids, Jimi F'ing Hendrix !!!!!!!!!!!!!!:guitarist ....he lit a fire on stage ! Musically and literally.

Rachel and I took no pictures. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. History.

So, like I said, I ALMOST got away with it.

When I arrived home, I greeted my Mother with a beauteous smile:D

Mom calmly said, "How was the music festival?"

I was stunned! Teenagers think their parents are stuuuuupid.

Mom said through clenched teeth , "I saw you on the news."

BWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA