It's the legendary California music festival in June 1967. D. A. Pennebaker films the incredible iconic concert. There is great music. It is an important time capsule for popular music in general. Two of the most notorious performances are Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar and Joplin singing with Mama Cass watching in shock from the audience. One does learn a few things. I didn't think they had chairs but the metal chairs are all neatly lined up in their rows. This is more than a movie, a documentary, or a concert film. It is music history.

The ensuing forty plus years have not been kind to "Monterey Pop", the rockumentary that intended to capture the spirit of the three day concert event that kicked off the San Francisco 'Summer of Love'. I found the film to be rather underwhelming, and find it surprising to be so much at odds with other posters on this site regarding it. Honestly, the only acts I found to be entertaining both musically and artistically were Janis Joplin (Ball and Chain),Otis Redding (Been Loving You Too Long),and Jimi Hendrix (Wild Thing). All performers were personal favorites of mine back in the day, and I still listen to their music now, maybe even more so than I did back then.

As for the rest, mainly disappointing. The Mamas and the Papas with their opening number sounded more often than not to be off key with unsteady voices. Canned Heat, Simon and Garfunkel, The Animals, not very exciting, while Hugh Masekela didn't convey an identity with his rambling performance. Jefferson Airplane - as uninspiring as their Woodstock clip, though they might have had a good reason for that one, coming on a Sunday morning to a worn out crowd with absolutely no energy. The Who was OK, but you could tell that smashing guitars and destroying their instruments was something new for the audience, even Hendrix' electrifying performance elicited puzzled looks from the crowd. Like, didn't those instruments cost you some money?

As for it's influence on the hippie movement and flower power, the seeds were definitely planted and nurtured here, but contrary to what other reviewers on this site propose, this was not 'hippies and great music'. Except for the brightly painted buses and a few other colorful nods to psychedelia, many of those spotlighted in the crowd were rather 'normal' looking by comparison, not even sporting long hair in many cases. Need further proof - how about all those neatly lined up chairs for the concert goers? And if you ask, what about all the cool lava lamp effects that back lit a lot of the performers, try catching any of these headline acts on variety shows of the era and you'll see much of the same.

I hate to come across as being that harsh, but for all of it's fame and notoriety as a seminal American music event, "Montery Pop" the movie doesn't do justice to the memory of Monterey Pop the festival. I guess you had to be there.

This terrific rock concert documentary radiates a delightful sense of joy, optimism, and totally infectious positive energy. Many of the top musical acts of the period are present and accounted for and for the most part are in peak form: Janis Joplin does a blistering performance of "Ball & Chain," Jimi Hendrix likewise kills it with his ferocious cover of "Wild Thing," Canned Heat seriously smoke, Otis Redding puts on a hell of an exciting show (Redding really knew how to work over a crowd),the Who do a raucous version of "My Generation," Simon & Garfunkel offer a peppy and pleasant "Feelin' Groovy," and Ravi Shankar tears it up on his sitar. Moreover, it's a treat to see the happy and attractive hippies in attendance having what appears to be a grand merry time. Done in a rough'n'ready style by D.A. Pennebaker, this baby overall hits the rousing rock'n'roll spot something sweet.