Laurel Pop Festival Explained

Laurel Pop Festival
Location:	Laurel, MD United States
Years Active:	1969
Dates:	July 11–12, 1969
Genre:	Rock, pop, etc.

The Laurel Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Laurel Race Course in Laurel, Maryland, on July 11–12, 1969.

Background

The festival featured Buddy Guy, Al Kooper, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter, Edwin Hawkins Singers and Led Zeppelin (on July 11); and Jeff Beck, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, The Mothers of Invention, Savoy Brown and The Guess Who (on July 12).^[1]

On July 12, there was a significant rainstorm which delayed the opening set by two hours. As a result, Savoy Brown did not perform.^[2]

Despite its line-up of top flight acts, the festival remains unheralded and somewhat forgotten. It took place one month before Woodstock.^[3]

See also

• List of music festivals in the United States
• List of historic rock festivals
• Led Zeppelin Played Here

Notes and References

1. Web site: Laurel Pop Festival . April 11, 2004 . e-rockworld.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040813183651/http://www.e-rockworld.com/Laurelpop.htm . August 13, 2004.
2. Web site: The Laurel Pop Festival: Maryland's Woodstock-Before-Woodstock . July 21, 2017 . Boundary Stones . WETA . May 30, 2024.
3. Web site: Tani . Maxwell . Did Led Zeppelin Play A Maryland Youth Center In 1969? Jeff Krulik Thinks So . Bandwidth . WAMU . January 12, 2015 . May 30, 2024.