Ongoing History Daily: The worst music festivals EVER (part 2)

August 11, 2026 Alan Cross 0 Comments 19 Views

Many of the worst musical festivals have been blissfully forgotten, which is not a good thing because promoters and fans should learn from past mistakes.

Take the Ozark Music Festival of 1974. Although it featured a killer line-up that included the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the promoters had promised it would be a country music event that would attract 30,000 people. Instead, 160,000 people showed up, half of whom were not allowed in because there was no space.

But I’ll tell you who DID get in: Several biker gangs armed with long steel bars. The drugs were bad, with a thousand people requiring emergency treatment. Another 2,000 were treated for heat stroke. Three hundred people ended up in hospital, including a guy who had his face gouged by someone with a prosthetic hook for a hand.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 42498 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Alan Cross

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Ongoing History Daily: The worst music festivals EVER (part 1)