The Monterey Pop Festival was the first of its kind and touched off the big rock festival as a new way for people to see many of their favorite acts over a weekend. It took place during the "summer of love" and is seen as a gathering of the hippie set and the performers were a who's who of the musical luminaries of the time. Though the artists represented many different genres: folk like Simon and Garfunkel, soul like Otis Redding, pop like the Mamas and Papas, there was a predominance of heavy or acid rock. Both The Who and Jimi Hendrix made their American debut and Bay Area giants like The Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and CountryJoe and the Fish were in the lineup. The festival even had sitarist Ravi Shankar. With all this "hippness" it is interesting that the festival started with The Association. At the time they only had one hit, "Along Comes Mary" which was surmised to be about Marijuana. But over the course of the next few years they would litter the airwaves with soft rock hits like "Never My Love," "Cherish" and "Wendy."

The Festival was organized by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papa and record and film producer Lou Adler. Unlike Woodstock, The Monterey Pop Festival was a financial success. In addition there was also a film directed by the legendary D.A. Pennebaker which also turned a profit. The complete concert is available and worth watching if one is a fan of sixties rock and roll.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org