Two weeks after the iconic Woodstock took place, on August 30th, Labor Day weekend 1969, Lewisville, Texas welcomed nearly 150,000 concert-goers to one of the biggest music festivals in American Music History at the time: the Texas International Pop Festival!
Fans were treated to incredible acts of Janis Joplin and, at the time, an up-and-coming Led Zeppelin; with a supporting cast that rivaled the legitimacy seen at Woodstock! Other bands included Santana, Chicago Transit Authority (at the time), Free, Sly & the Family Stone, BB King, Johnny Winter, Grass Roots and Canned Heat.
The event was heavily promoted and even was reportedly advertised at Woodstock exactly 14 days before.
Produced in part by Angus Wynne III of Wynne Entertainment; with a budget of only $120,000, festival planners were unable to pay the bands very much, yet some say these were among the best performances by many of these bands, including the mighty Zepp!
Along with a weekend of music, attendees could browse and shop products promoted for ‘flower children’ such as tee-shirts, handmade jewelry, incense, candles & obviously food! ‘Carnival-style’ entertainment graced the event too as artists, astrologers, painters & craftsmen helped to supplement the entertaining three days.
Although the festival reportedly “lost” money, concert-goers considered it a success and in the end, the historic event is still remembered to this day for its contribution to music-lore.
