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Updated Feb 2019, New
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Dec 2011 new photos of the Pye
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The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.
26th - 30th August 1970.
I'm
looking for any pix you might have taken at the festival.
Contact
us
This new batch of photos ©
Virgil Anderson !
In 1970
I was a 21 year old kid from California spending the first of three consecutive
summers traveling around Europe. I was hitchhiking to the festival from Germany
by myself. On the night ferry from Cali to Dover I met an Englishman returning
to London who said he had a son who was planing to attend the festival and maybe
I would like to join him. Sounded like a good idea to me so I got a free ride
to London and spent a few days with this English family before a total of four
of us headed down to Portsmouth to catch the ferry to the Isle Of Wight. The
ferry ticket was a ticket to the small town on the Isle named Ryde. It was there
and then that I found out what the Beatles song "A Ticket To Ryde"
was about. We arrived at the festival site on the afternoon of Wednesday the
26th and got a camp set up in the camping area.
We
just kind of wasted the day away on Thursday. That night one of my companions
and I decided to spend the night as close to the front gate as possibly so we
could be among the first in line when the gates opened for the big name groups
the next morning. That was a big mistake, we didn’t get a bit of sleep
because there was so much commotion going on. At one point some idiot lit fire
to a van that was not far away and it looked like we were all going to have
to evacuate the area.
We did get a pretty good spot fairly close to the stage the next morning, we
spent the day listening to the bands. Left after Chicago finished their set
and got a good nights sleep in the tent.
The
next day, Sat. I spent exploring the area including a hike to the top of the
hill overlooking the arena. That night was the most memorable for me. We were
in the arena about 2/3 the way back from the stage, just socializing and getting
stoned, not really listening to the music. Then a band came on stage that seemed
to just grab your attention from the first note. It was Ten Years After, they
just seemed to have the whole place rockin. My eyes and ears were glued to the
stage for the entire performance. The final song was Sweet Little Sixteen, which
ended up as the last cut on the Watt album which was released later that year.
Then came The Who. They put on a great show but I still think Ten Years After
had the crowd going better. Went and got my sleeping bag from the camp site
and crashed in the arena listening to the great music.
The
next morning I decided to beat the crowd and leave one day early. This would
mean missing Jimmy Hendrix but after seeing the video of his performance I don’t
think I missed much. The festival did two things to me, first it made me an
avid fan of Alvin Lee and Ten Years After and although I enjoyed the entire
experience, to this day I don’t care much for large crowds.
Virgil Anderson
Berthoud Colorado, U.S.A.
Chicago
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Lighthouse
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Virgil's
companions
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Check out this link
for more photos of the festival
Contents
Isle of Wight 1970 festival
menu
updated March 2019
The Underground
press- NB: opinions
expressed in these articles do not represent our opinions of the organisers
or any other people involved in the running of the festival, it is possible
that they may be innaccurate in some details or facts.
- Friends
Article ; Richard Nevilles review- A Race Of Bloody
Masochists.
- Friends
Article ; Anarchists, White Panthers ,Desolation Hill, The Angels
- Friends
Article : The Police, Drugs, Food.
- Friends
Article : Freek Press, The Beach , Community Aid ,Money.
- Friends
Article : The Concerts, the Music.
- Friends
Article : Guerilla Medicine , The straight press.
- Friends
Article : Hawkwind and PInk Fairies.
- Friends
Article : Rupert finds d...s at IOW
- Freek
press No 1 - 8 -updated August 2007- new copies and updates
- Fairfield
Parlour- Let the World Wash In
International
Times.
Reports from the
"Straight "press
updated March 2019
External
links
The
White Panthers
Other
IOW festivals.
1968
Isle of Wight festival
1969
Isle of Wight festival
If
you have any info you can contribute to the site, especially regarding the 1968
and 1969 festivals, such as details of recordings. recollections, programmes,
tickets, pix or articles
don't just sit there , Contact
us
Back
to the main Archive.
