3. Apocalyptic Success
For the organizer, Jim Koplik, the ’73 event was a success. “Things went so well,” Koplik told Rolling Stone magazine, “there’s a chance we’ll do another one, but not this year.” The owner of the raceway, Henry Valent, felt a little more reserved about the event. “Henry Valent [said], ‘No more,” reported Koplik. “We can’t do one of this magnitude. He asked me, ‘How can we hold things down the next time?’ I told him, ‘I don’t know how we got all those people here in the first place.’” Koplik illustrated the event in a quick anecdote to Rolling Stone: “Wandering around in the rubble, I found a Bible half buried in the mud. It was open to the Book of Isaiah. Chapter 24, The Apocalypse: Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and he maketh it waste and turneth it upside down.” Yes, it was probably best to hold off a few years.