20. Free Entry
Pre-sale tickets to the show should have stopped at 150,000, the intended turnout. By the time the crowds made their way through Watkins Glen to the speedway, the story had changed. “Near the entrance gate I saw a couple of guys talking to two state troopers,” reported mark Spaulding on glenphotos.com. “The funny thing about this was that one of these two guys were smoking a joint while talking to the troopers!… When I approached these two cops and showed them my ticket they told me that NO ticket was needed, it was a free concert, have fun, and take it easy!” There was nothing to hold back the throngs of people at that point.
19. Soundcheck Pre-show
Normally, the sound check for a show takes place before the fans arrive, but the fans showed up July 27th for the July 28th event. When the bands began their soundcheck, it felt more like a show. “That afternoon rehearsal ended up being my most powerful memory,” said Burch Trucks of the Allman Brothers, “because in daylight you could see 600,000 people stretched out in front of you and my God! What a sight!” The Grateful Dead played two long jams, both of which ended up on a Grateful Dead box set.