On This Day, July 28, 1973…
Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band and the Band headlined the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen rock festival in upstate New York.
Held at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway, an estimated 600,000 fans attended the concert, which was a Guinness Record for the “largest audience at a pop festival.”
Of the 600,000 in attendance, about 150,000 tickets were actually sold in advance for about $10, with the rest of the audience basically allowed in for free. Like 1969’s Woodstock, the concert caused a huge traffic jam in the area, with many fans abandoning their cars on the highway and walking to the concert.
Following the Summer Jam, no other concert had been held at the venue until Phish held a three-day concert, Super Ball IX, in 2011. They held a second one, Magnaball, in 2015.
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