The Complete Monterey Pop Festival (The Criterion Collection)
Directors: Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker
270 minutes, 2009

"The Monterey International Pop Music Festival" was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California.
Monterey was the first widely promoted and heavily attended Rock festival, attracting an estimated 55,000 total attendees with up to 90,000 people present at the event's peak at midnight on Sunday. Tickets for Monterey ranged in price from $3.50 to $6.
On a beautiful June weekend in 1967, at the height of the "Summer of Love", the first and only "Monterey International Pop Festival" roared forward, capturing a decade's spirit and ushering in a new era of Rock and roll. Included are performances by "The Mamas and The Papas", "The Mar-Keys", "The Jimi Hendrix Experience", "The Association", "The Paupers", "Lou Rawls", Beverly, "Johnny Rivers", "Eric Burdon and The Animals", "Simon and Garfunkel", "Canned Heat", "Country Joe and The Fish", "Al Kooper", "The Butterfield Blues Band", "The Electric Flag", "Quicksilver Messenger Service", "Steve Miller Band", "Moby Grape", "Hugh Masekela", "The Byrds", "Laura Nyro", "Jefferson Airplane", "Otis Redding" with "Booker T. and The MGs", "Ravi Shankar", "The Blues Project", "Big Brother and The Holding Company" with "Janis Joplin", "The Group With No Name", "Buffalo Springfield", "The Who" and "The Grateful Dead".


This director-approved special edition Criterion Collection contains four performance films by legendary documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker from the unforgettable 1967 "Monterey Pop Festival". Titles included are MONTEREY POP, JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY, SHAKE! OTIS AT MONTEREY, and MONTEREY POP: THE OUTTAKE PERFORMANCES. MONTEREY POP: This documentary features live performances, behind-the-scenes and audience footage, and other selections from the 1967 "Monterey Pop Festival", which was considered to be the forerunner to Woodstock. The concert was organized by "Alan Pariser", an L.A. Rock scenester; "John Phillips", singer for "The Mamas and The Papas"; and "Lou Adler", a record producer, along with a board of musicians such as "Mick Jagger", "Paul McCartney", "Paul Simon", Donovan, "Brian Wilson", and "Smokey Robinson". JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY: A filmmaking legend meets a Rock legend in this fantastic historical concert video. Documentarian D.A. Pennebaker captures master guitarist "Jimi Hendrix" on film at what has become one of his most renowned performances.

Jimi Hendrix at Monterey Pop Festival
Most fans will recognize the image that has produced a thousand posters--the red-and-orange-clad Jimi passionately setting his guitar on fire and watching it burn, with an exultant look on his face. More than just a concert film, JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY is an iconic record of 1960s Rock. SHAKE! OTIS AT MONTEREY: Pennebaker captures "Otis Redding" in his prime at the 1967 "Monterey Pop Festival", performing such hits as "Try a Little Tenderness", "Shake", "Respect", "Satisfaction", and "I've Been Loving You Too Long". MONTEREY POP: THE OUTTAKE PERFORMANCES: This Rock document features more than two hours of performances not included in the original MONTEREY POP film.