***IF ANYONE HAS ANY PICTURES FROM THIS EVENT CONTACT ME***
***IF ANYONE WAS AT THIS EVENT CONTACT ME***
Here it is, from memory, the list of bands that played, that I can remember.
- Foghat
- Black Oak Arkansas
- Flash (kind of like Yes)
- Gentle Giant
- Cheech and Chong
- Brownville Station
- Bob Seger
For all you partying people from around Indianapolis and the central Indiana area, you will remember that the very next weekend there was a concert at Bush Stadium. But that's another story.
Anyway, Bull Island was the largest party I have ever attended. There were an estimated 300,000 people there according to the Indianapolis Star, The Evansville newpaper, and another news paper that I can't remember. The people who put this concert on lost their asses because the powers that be kept then from setting a time and a place for the event. No one in our government wanted another Woodstock! Well Damn them we did! Much to the chagrin of poor Gov. Otis Bowen and his counterpart in Illinois. Assholes all. My hats off to the people who pull this thing off. Everytime they set a time/place a judge would pull the ol injuction no function bullshit. So somehow these guys got an island out in the Wabash River that was unreachable by Illinois, who had jurisdiction over it. There was a road that went down to it from Indiana. Genius! If you read the Estabishment newpapers or wikipedia(which is actaully the Evansville newspapers depiction of the events) they'll tell you how awful the condition were but if anyone has ever done any camping it was about like that.
The concert was supposed to last three days and start on friday. I believe the ticket price was $17.50 but it was a free show when I got there on saturday. I had to park my car on the Interstate 64. I will probably never see an intersate highway turned into a parking lot again. As a matter of fact, I bought an old 1956 chevy impala 4 door($50) just to drive to the concert were ever it was going to be. There were 4 of us who went down there. I remember that I was going to hitch a ride but my girlfriends brother suggested that we drive the car. The reasoning for me was, it was being broadcasted that you could not park for twenty mile of the concert, so why drive. I wasn't that bad , we only had too walk about six miles off the interstate. I was concerned that they would tow my car but that was completely unfounded.[pause]
Thursday 11/3/2005
So here it is, it's Saturday afternoon, Labor Day weekend, and the sky is cloudy and ugly looking but it doesn't look like rain. We get our stuff out of the car and head out to the show. We're already moved by the amount of cars we see, knowing that there's going to be one hell of alot of people here. I vaguely remember the walk in. I do remember passing by an old farm house with people on the porch talking to some fellow concert goers about where the bast place was to buy stuff in Griffin, IN, and asking how far away it was. Seems like we passed a store but ...... We got to what was once the entrance to the show. It was destroyed. We continued on till we reach the stage. It was unforgetable, unimaginable, and wonderful. It was Woodstock. It had that same feel. Everyone was very happy to be there and all the people were "groovy". I haven't said that word for 30 years but it is the only way to desrcibe how the people felt about each other. [pause] I just tried to do a google for groovy and the closest I could come to a definition was "The Oldhippie's Groovy site". The site offers counterculture stuff but it would be impossible describe how it felt to be groovy. Sounds pretty stupid to those younger than me or those of my generation who were not.
[pause]
Friday 11/4/2005
Got a comment from catherine calspa. It would appear that catherine likes kissing? I think I've forgotten how. It's been so long. That's another story.
It's not that I'm not happy, hail yeah I am. I'm close to 50 and unlike when I was in my twenty's or thirtys, a relationship with someone is not a priority. Maybe that would change if I found the right person? I hope not, lol.
I'll be back, later.
[pause]
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Was talking about it with a friend tonight. Mostly a vague memory. One band we did recall was Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes.
Others, was Foghat there, I seem to recall them.
Perhaps Richie Havens, or maybe that was Woodstock and they just seem to blur together.
Hi all...I can't believe I found something on this concert...first of all it took us 16 hrs to get there from ohio...we parked in the median of the highway and just walked off and ended up hitching a ride in the back of someones pickup. We found our friends who were in an old green school bus and it was absolutely crazy. We were tired from the drive, so we tramped down some tall grass between the buses and made a campfire and crashed. Well...I was asleep and didn't know that the fire went out and it looked like a blank space..so, someone in a pickup truck thought they would drive through it and over me!!!!
It took a concerted effort to get me with my broken ribs and all through that crowd and to the red cross tent. They wanted to take me out in a helicopter, but it started to rain, so they took me out in a jeep and all the way to evansville in to the hospital. So, I'm the chick that got ran over by the pickup truck in Bull Island....At the time, i was probably some sort of a celebrity. interviewed on the radio and newspaper while in the hospital, plus many gawkers walking by my room to stare at the "chick ran over at the big concert"
Cheech and Chong later used the incident in their schtick....referring to being high...
Glad to see someone else remembers this concert...I tell people this today and they refer to me as Forest Gump....
Rode up on the back of a motorcycle (this was a good choice)from Birmingham,Alabama. Had a great time. Seems that even though there were those profit minded there was no serious gouging and in general a communal & generous spirit. Cheap everything and lots of it. The "looters" if I recall were more Robin Hoods than robbers. They literally tore open the semi trailers and began throwing food and cigarettes out to the crowds of hungry people. We caught several cartons of smokes and used them to barter for ... Some of the bands that I remember were same as had been mentioned plus a great band called Bang.( I wish anyone who had recordings of these guys would share- I can't find any) Also Bertha(all girl band) We were camped about 1/4 mile from stage. We were able to get so close I'm sure only because we were able to get in on the bike. I know that they either played a tape of Mountain or Mountain played..I think it was a recording it came on early the first morning(Saturday)I think the Eagles played. This was an amazing experience of course and wonderful that we all lived through it. I have more info that I would love to share with folks if anyone else wants to hear. Fun fact: We all had nick names..I could go on.
Lots of friendly and topless girls.
Remember me and three other buddies went down ther from Brooklyn Indiana lot of traffic made it in the place ,remember driving down dirt road and guys were screaming where they had shot up some powered bleach, once inside we set up camp at a old farm fence we streched a tarp on top and that was our home for 4 days.first night this bunch made camp across the way from us and had a big bon fire going all of a sudden this guy starts jumping over this fire naked and jacking off swear to God.uYou could see this guys legs just blistering with every jump.One of my buddies said if i didnt have any more than that i wouldnt be showing it ,but he had no clue what he was doing,finally some of his buddies got him and was calling for a medic.Seeing no food was around there came a guy in a truck selling watermelons I got one on the way back I dropped it what a bummer so I bought a bunch of white crosses end of hunger,so many memories that week end. Those were the days .
I was only 15 when i got a ride with my older brother in the familys gremlin. We parked on the intestate and that was the last i saw of him. Being alone i sat about 100 yards from the stage.
I still have several clips in my scrapbook. The $20 show was supposed to feature Black Sabbath,joe Cocker, allman bros,john mayall,Cheech & Chong, Black oak arkansas,Rory Galagher,Ballinjack, Amboy dukes,Bob Segar, Bang, Doors,Albert king,mike Quatro, Gentle Giant, Eagles, Chambers brothers,Boones Farm, Slade, Delbert and glenn and Ravi Shankar.
I remember being bored with Ravi and watching Nugent shoot flaming arrows into his amps while wearing only a loin cloth and swinging like Tarzan whilst playing guitar.
Most of the top acts cancelled probably due to weather and an unruly crowd. Towards the end i remember people burning trucks and barns. There was a shortage of matches so i traded a light for a joint all weekend.
The Gremlin got towed so I hitchhiked back to Springfield Ohio with ony $3. That vending machine soup once sold in gas stations never tasted so good.
I can remember Suzi Quantro, Sha na na also playing there. My most vivid memory of the music was when the drummer from Black Oak did a long drum solo sans sticks, he played with his fists. Another memory was the naked guy stumbling around the crowd cussing. I went there with no money in my pocket and came back with 60 dollars. If i ate, i don't remember it, i don't think i slept either. 3 days of fun.
joe cocker was to play there he flew over and saw the crowd and wanted more money,years later he played evansville,In and got thrown in jail for breech of contract!
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