Listening to rock music is a way to both relax when you’re bored and get energized when you want to throw a party or play live blackjack online. So it has lots of fans, and millions of people visit rock festivals regularly. Here are 9 of them with the biggest number of spectators.
First Rock In Rio Festival, January 11-20, 1985, Rio de Janeiro, 1.5 Million People
It was the biggest marathon of the mainstream era, a fusion of heavy metal, glam rock, rock and roll, and pop music hits! Highlights included Queen, Iron Maiden, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Yes, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Scorpions, Nina Hagen, The Go-Go’s, and The B-52’s.
Garth: Live From Central Park, New York, August 7, 1997, 750,000 People
Who would have thought country music would have so many fans! Yet, the “cowboy rock” star wearing a hat lassoed the audience out of the crowd, brought them to the stage, and made them sing along. To be fair, it is worth noting that there were not only country songs that night but also cover versions of the Beatles.
US Festival, Devore, California, May 28-30, 1983, 670,000 People
The event was organized by Steve Wozniak. This way he tried to show his enemy and rival Bill Gates “who the real businessman in America is”! The biggest stars of those years – Flock Of Seagulls, Scorpions, Motley Crue, INXS, Van Halen, U2, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson – helped him there. The show turned into a financial disaster. By the way, a dead drunken Motley Crue leader Vince Neil crashed off stage in Wozniak’s expensive Mustang, nearly killing singer Stevie Nicks in the process.
Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Village in Upstate New York, July 28, 1973, 600,132 People
For a long time, this concert at the road-ring stadium entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the most massive one. Although there was a charge for ission, the local hippie commune started a rumor that there wasn’t, and an excited crowd blew the cordons off! The Grateful Dead, The Band, and The Allman Brothers Band performed there, and that too was a record for the lowest number of rock festival attendees.
Isle of Wight Rock Festival on the Isle of Wight, England, August 26-30, 1970, 600,000 People
Memories of Woodstock were still fresh in the mind. That is why the 3rd annual Isle of Wight Rock Festival drew so many fans. Superstars came to the show – Jimmy Hendrix (it turned out to be his last public performance), Miles Davis, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, Johnny Mitchell, The Doors, Jethro Tull, The Who, Ten Years After, Chicago.
Simon & Garfunkel, Concert in New York’s Central Park, September 19, 1981, 500,000 People
It was the culmination of the duo’s reunion after their second career breakup! Simon & Garfunkel had nearly 100 million records sold by that point, no wonder the concert drew half a million fans. The show was marred by the fact that a gang of African-Americans raped a dozen female audience with impunity to the sound of the greatest hit “Sounds of Silence”.
AIDS Benefit Rock Concert, July 30th 2003, Toronto, Canada, 450,000 People
An epidemic affecting mainly Asia was taking its toll on tourism receipts, and authorities in the region appealed to rock stars to lend a hand. The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, Justin Timberlake, and Canadian rock classics The Guess Who responded. Since it was a charity event, the stars and the audience allowed themselves to relax, and by the finale, everyone was pretty drunk.
Woodstock Rock Festival, August 15-18, 1969, Bethel, NY, 400,000 People
Volumes have been written about this landmark festival. It was at Woodstock that the future stars of all time, Carlos Santana, Ten Years After, Mountain, Joe Cocker, Sly & The Family Stone, The Grease Band, Quill first made themselves known. Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who and Jefferson Airplane all performed in the ranks of superstars. The main bands, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, could not and would not come.
Blockbuster Rock Festival, June 21, 1997, Fort Worth, Texas, 385,000 People
This was the premier showcase of alternative rock, which by then had reached its creative peak! The speedway circuit show featured some of the leading bands of the era, including No Doubt, Bush, The Wallflowers, Collective Soul, Counting Crows and Jewel. Many believe that the indie rock star slowly began to roll up from then on.
