THE DOORS DON'T GO TO MONTEREY: JUNE 16-18, 1967
From 16 to 18 June 1967, the Monterey International Pop Festival took
place near the Californian town of the same name. It was one of the first major
collective music events to shape music history.
What were The Doors doing during those days of fantastic music and
extensive use of LSD?
At that time, the group was recording their second album, “Strange Days”,
which was released shortly after the summer (on 25 September). Moreover, the
band was on a near-constant concert schedule.
It may seem strange that they, a Californian band, were not invited to
this festival. However, the quartet did not participate in this significant
musical and social event.
There are three main reasons for The Doors' absence from the Monterey
Pop Festival.
Firstly, in May–June 1967, the band was not yet famous and was mainly
known within California.
This alone would not have been enough. In fact, there were other bands
invited to the festival who were not much more famous than The Doors.
The second reason was the type of music The Doors played. Their music
was too dark, mysterious, experimental and aggressive, and their lyrics were
too controversial and profound.
This contrasted with the 'Summer of Love' taking place at the time,
which was all about peace, joyful love and carefree living. Monterey was
emblematic of this relaxed climate, and perhaps The Doors' music would have
been out of place in this context.
The final reason for the group’s absence from the festival was that they
had unavoidable prior commitments.
At least, these were the reasons given by some members of the band in
interviews several years later.
So what were the Doors doing instead of performing on the famous
Monterey stage? They were on the East Coast, on the other side of the country,
during all three nights of the festival.
On 16 and 17 June, they played two problematic shows near New York City,
during which Morrison was so drunk that he could hardly sing.
The second show was cancelled altogether due to the singer's
catastrophic condition and inability to perform. These mishaps were the result
of Morrison's alcohol (and probably hallucinogens) abuse, and they helped to
build the transgressive and outrageous image that still surrounds the frontman
today.
A rare and emblematic photo from the 16th June show captures the
frontman while taking off his shirt on stage.
On the third night of the Monterey Festival, 18 June, The Doors were in
Philadelphia. This time the concert went better than on the previous two nights
and was completed. According to papers reviews of the time it must have been an unforgettable concert.
The Nazz opened for The Doors on this occasion. They were the first band
of guitarist Todd Rundgren (playing pop rock and rock genres) and would release their
first of three LPs the following year.
P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.
Here’s a link:
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