50 years ago… Remembering the Ozark Music Festival.
A Dream or Disaster?
The Ozark Music Festival was held on July 19–21, 1974 on the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia.
And, here I thought that Lollapalooza and my Summer in 1994 were crazy… This festival, about an hour east from where I grew up, was on a totally different level!
Woodstock may be the best-known rock festival, but it is likely that the Ozark Music Festival was one of the very biggest. It is estimated that around 350,000 people turned up at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia. Initially, the company that organized the event said they would sell no more than 50,000 tickets, but it was obvious on Thursday evening that it was going to be way bigger, as people arrived from far and wide, despite the first bands not scheduled to play until Friday. (1)
Wow! The historic lineup included Aerosmith, America, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, REO Speedwagon, Bob Seger, and Joe Walsh. The emcee was the legendary Wolfman Jack. A three-day ticket was $15. (2)
By Thursday, July 18, it was reported that traffic was jammed for several miles on highways coming in to Sedalia. The congestion was believed to have resulted from only one of the fairground’s gates having been opened. Traffic was at a standstill for hours, resulting in people camping in their cars that night. The problem was not remedied until Friday afternoon when promoters decided to open additional gates. (3)
Aerosmith – America – Babe Ruth – Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Banco – Bill Quateman – Blue Öyster Cult – Bob Seger – Charlie Daniels Band – David Bromberg – Eagles – Elvin Bishop – Fresh Start – Jeff Beck – Jimmie Spheeris – Joe Walsh and Barnstorm – Leo Kottke – Locomotiv GT – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Marshall Tucker Band – Peter Sinfield – Premiata Forneria Marconi – REO Speedwagon – Shawn Phillips - Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes – The Earl Scruggs Revue – The Electric Flag – The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – The Souther – Hillman-Furay Band – The Sweet – Triphammer
I would see a few of these iconic bands some twenty years later in the Summer of ‘94! I’ve heard these artists and their songs on the radio for as long as I can remember. In retrospect, experiencing those concerts in ‘94, along with working on construction sites with fellas 12-to-15 years older than me, helped me rediscover some really great music and riffs from days gone by, especially that of the muscle car-driven mid-‘70s.
Source: YouTube maurodechile1
Source: YouTube bloomsdisco
A shot of the crowd at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, Missouri. (Courtesy | Dust Bin Films)
Source: flatlandkc.org
Source: YouTube Vman Argo
Joe Walsh (second from left) at the Ramada Inn in Sedalia, Missouri. (Courtesy | Jennifer Clemons)
[Sure looks like Bernie Leadon of the Eagles reading a paper on the right…?]
Source: flatlandkc.org
Per firsthand accounts and reporting, by Day 2 things had all but completely unraveled. There was very little water and food. The showers were now coed communal. Nudity was no longer bound by the makeshift shower walls. Overflow from the wash space and pried-open fire hydrants, plus the footsteps of hundreds of thousands turned dirt to mud. (2)
According to Dewey Bunnell of America: “It was just another stop on our endless summer tour of 1974 so we were pretty buzzed, but I do remember we arrived in a helicopter on the last day and it was incredibly hot! Everyone was sweating and sunburned! Flying in we could see it was a very large festival and the first thing I remember seeing as we stepped off the chopper was a bloody t-shirt amid the debris backstage. Dan was from Missouri so he was happy to be playing this big festival in his home state and I think he had relatives waiting. It was obvious that the previous 2 days had taken a toll on the audience, but everyone was having a great time. When we took the stage the festival crew were spraying water and beer on the crowd. I remember we just joined the masses and had a good show, interacting with the smiling faces and half-naked crowd.” (1)
One Toke over the Line…
Source: Dust Bin Films
Drug use and open drug sales were witnessed on the fairgrounds during the festival. Substance abuse, lack of sleep, and temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit combined to make medical emergencies a common occurrence. Medical staff working at the festival were totally unprepared for the volume of patients that they received. Later reports estimated that at least 2,500 people were treated on-site at the festival. Over 230 individuals had to be transported to area hospitals. The majority of patients in both scenarios were treated for drug related issues. One festival attendee died at Bothwell Memorial Hospital from complications relating to a drug overdose. (3)
On the ground, bulldozers scraped up the topsoil, which was (reportedly) littered with discarded drug paraphernalia and gnawed cobs of corn from a neighboring field along with mountains of contaminated dirt and garbage which were hauled to the county landfills. Meanwhile, festival-goers crowded the Interstate 70 rest stops to catch up on sleep lost during the weekend. Tents, cots, and sleeping bags were spread throughout rest stops all along the highway. On Monday, July 22, a day after the close of the Festival, six Missouri State Senators toured the fairgrounds and announced that they were planning on launching a Senate subcommittee investigation into the Ozark Music Festival.
The Select Senate Committee's report was issued on October 25, 1974, outlining occurrences that seemed to confirm the worst fears of those who argued against the Ozark Music Festival being held on state grounds. Open and uninhibited drug sales were described as a common sight on the fairgrounds. The report equated these sales to concession stands at a sporting event, with one witness even claiming that there was a man at the festival walking around with a cartridge belt full of heroin syringes which he advertised and sold to concert goers. Sedalia residents described seeing nude women around the fairgrounds with signs advertising various drugs. A farmer with land bordering the fairgrounds reported that concert attendees killed some of his livestock and caused extensive property damage. Witnesses also testified that two school busses were turned into brothels and that sexual activities were common across the festival grounds, and served as a spectator sport. (3)
“The Ozark Music Festival can only be described as a disaster. It became a haven for drug pushers who were attracted from throughout the United States. The scene made the degradation of Sodom and Gomorrah appear mild. Natural and unnatural sex acts became a spectator sport… Frequently, nude women promoted drugs with advertisements on their bodies.” (2)
However, others who were there paint a less sinister picture; (Bill) Manning, who is the proud owner of thousands of bootleg Bob Dylan concert tapes, looks back on those days fondly. His daughters are envious when he shares photos from the Facebook group. “It was a party city for the kids, what more could you want?” Manning said, adding that the crowd was relatively peaceful and looking out for one another. “It was still back in the day when people were really friendly. Whatever you passed to your neighbor, it might just keep being passed on. To me, when I look back on all this stuff, it seems like this was before the hard drug era.” (2)
1: “The 1974 Ozark Music Festival: Was It Bigger Than Woodstock?”. Havers, Richard - uDiscoverMusic. July 19, 2023.
2: “Remembering Missouri’s ‘Woodstock’: Star-Studded 1974 Ozark Music Festival in Sedalia Subject of Film”. Dennis, Clarence - Public Television 19, Inc. (Kansas City PBS). August 26, 2021.
3: Wikipedia.org
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