Monday, April 21, 2025

Was the world's first rock festival staged in Spalding?


Oakham 1966 was a flop, but Spalding 1967 was a big success. In fact, an article on BBC News (which links to a radio report) suggests it pipped the Monterey Pop Festival in the US to the title of the world's first rock festival.

Barbeque 67 was held at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall, Spalding, on 29 May 1967. On the bill were:
  • The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  • Cream
  • Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band
  • Pink Floyd
  • The Move
  • Zoot Money and his Big Roll Band
If I recall rightly, the acts had been booked well in advance and had all grown in stature in the mean time. Someone had very good taste.

The Spalding Guardian didn't think much of Pink Floyd, but its report on the event was largely positive. You can go to UK Rock Festivals for a fan's-eye account of the day.

4 comments:

  1. You might be interested to know that there was a BBC Radio 4 play about the Spalding Festival called Barbeque 67 – The Original Summer of Love, written by Andy Barrett. Quite entertaining. It included reminiscences from Geno Washington, Zoot Money and Nick Mason. It’s still on the iPlayer – here’s the link…..
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017t8m

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  2. I first heard about the event a few years ago, when my next-door-neighbour-but-one told me that he had seen Jimi Hendrix at an event in Lincolnshire, and had spoken to Ginger Baker at the same event. I dismissed it as some sort of acid flashback, but it seems he was right. He’s very upset that he’s lost the poster he had for it.

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  3. The Spalding Guardian gave Pink Floyd a fine review. Just said they were weird, which is what we want from Pink Floyd in 1967.

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