Your Memories from 1982 & 1983 US Festivals
From: Kevin Collins, kevin@kcollins.com
Ah yes- fantastic- the last three bands of the first day was incredible. Indelible image- Sting pointing up at a full moon during 'Walking on the Moon'

From: Kevin Nelson, kevin_nelson@non-hp-sandiego-om2.om.hp.com
One of the best times of my life. I was a young kid working as an Apple service tech for a large SoCal Apple reseller at the time, so it held special feelings for me (GO WOZ!). I had friends from all over California converge on my house as I was designated the staging point. It looked like a Dead concert in the making. People everywhere on Harleys, an old school bus, a refrigerated shrimp delivery truck (?), clunker cars, everything. The neighbors freaked out and called the cops which then in turn freaked out my parents. The whole thing was a blast before it even started.

We finally all got rolling after many beer and beef jerky shopping trips. The whole caravan making the trip from San Diego to Berdoo via I-15. We almost lost the shrimp truck along the way because of the steep grade, but alas a mechanic was to be found in the group. We finally rolled in LATE the night before and found what we figured was a close parking lot. Out came the bedrolls etc. and we all finally wound down and crashed out. At first light we figured out that our close parking lot was MILES (OK, maybe not miles) from the entrance & we started hiking. About an hour into line the chicks started passing out from the heat & who knows what they had ingested? All in all, quite the scene.

Finally we got into the show and it was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. People for as far as you could see. Everyone happy & diggin each other. The music was never ending as was the heat. Thanks god & the event planners for putting up the sprinkler towers. It was my life saver and my shower for three days.

Thanks for the memories.

Kevin Nelson

From: Donald May, mail@donmay.com
I'd forgotten about my son and myself attending both US festivals until I got to the US festival page from my Alma Mater (EECS at UC Berkeley). We kept our festival tee shirts till the Malibu firestorms 5 years ago. Everything was lost including those shirts. With the loss of so many associative hooks, your life kind of starts over. Seeing the US festival page brought back the memories which are fabulous, treasured, and (under normal circumstances) unforgettable. Being in a crowd of half a million people and Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, or the Dead playing...and all of US as one consciousness. What a feeling this revived memory brings back. Thank you. We now celebrate the anniversary of the fire as a day of liberation, and it is our most important personal holiday. Ultimately we rebuilt a great fireproof house. My homepage, www.donmay.com currently has my resume and a few links, but I'll be adding stuff on steel home construction, and some other things. Of course, I must add a link to the US festival page! Thanks for the return of such positive, bonding, loving, spiritual, mystical memories.


From: Hama Sanders, hama@smtp.warrenweb.com
Hello, I am trying very hard to get a list of performers from the 82 & 83 US Festivals. Please let me know how I may find this information. Thanks in advance, Hama Sanders


From: N242fu@aol.com
Hello, I was one of those 'US' people in the crowd with my buddies, we all were wondering if we could get the 'US festival' on video? Maybe on DVD or CD-R? It was a great time in our lives and a great concert. All we have is a bunch of 'US' T-shirts, 'US' mags & ticketstubs. Nobody could video it because the Cam-corders back then were extremely big & bulky and expensive. Besides it was too HOT to carry one of those things. If it's not available for purchase , do you know (if ever) it will be available? (music stores/online markets/etc.) I think this would sell pretty good considering the HUGE turn out at all the different days of 'US'... CV


From: scott ballard, s.ball@iwaynet.net
Trying to get some information on the first US Festival which I spent all 3 days at. The page that I visited said there were Set lists, and merchandise, but I couldn't find where to click. Please send me any info on where to go for information. This was 3 great days of my life. I would like to share with other people. Thank You Scott. B


From: Johnny Angel, jab_77@hotmail.com
Hey Man You guys forgot some acts from the first (best) US Festival. Flock of Seagulls played on the first day, and the Police played on the second day. You left them both off the list of performers. John

From: Allen Stith, gto69surfcity@email.msn.com
Ya! do I have mems. of those 3 days.....man....2nd day sat with nudist deadhead chix.....drinkin beer.....soooooo hot...........awsome........drove back to SFV early that morn....as provisions were low.......I remember the parade of mounted cops round the campground.....Ill tell ya guy,it was Awsome!!!!!......thanx Steve
Big Al....Granada Hills Ca. ________________________________


From: Tom Roberts, tom.roberts@utoledo.edu

Hi Folks,

I attended the first US festival in '82 and travelled from Hawaii (where I was living at the time) with three of my friends. I am very interested in any information or souveniers available to enchance the experience.

I have many memories I could share. One that I wanted to add about the performances was that the comedian Gallagher did a short stand-up routine before the Talking Heads peformed on the first evening.

Stay in touch, Tom Roberts


Open Letter to Steve from an Unrelated Wozniak
Well, you know Steve, the US Festival is rock and roll legand at this point. People I work with still talk about it as the Woodstock of the 80's. If you'd have made a movie it would probably be in re-runs on PBS. I wish I could have been there to experience it. Of course, I was twelve years old and 3,000 miles away. I did get to go to the Live Aid concert at JFK. But somehow the comparison to the US Festival is silly.


Apparently, your show was the template for this new Woodstock thing.

One of the coolest things I've ever done, I did several weeks ago. We were asked to play at the Woodstock III concert (A Day In The Garden) as part of an Infoseek Webcast that one could tune in to using the Real Player software. It was held on Max Yeasger's original farmland. A 3 day festival very similar to the US Festival. The first day was pop music, the second day was "classic rock", and the third day was "alternative-rock." Needless to say, we played on the third day. There were about 50,000 people there, and a movie crew filmed us playing. I got to meet Joey Ramone after the show. He interviewed me for the Webcast. I was also treated to a tour of the Infoseek location trailer (the webcast mothership if you will). It was really quite impressive. But the thing that I'm reminded of now is, while I was in the Infoseek trailer I happened to mention that I knew you. Almost immediately everyone just sort of stopped what they were doing and started remaniscing about the US Festival and laughing and just generally carrying on about how thems was the good ol' days when people knew how to put on a good concert, etc. I had struck an Infoseek nerve. Apparently, your show was the template for this new Woodstock thing. So, if it means anything coming from me... damn good job.

If you want to see the studio I'm getting myself into, you can go to the website at: www.show-control.com/ms.html As always, it's awsome to hear your stories about your life. You're an interesting guy. I wish I could have been there to see that concert.
cheers,

John Wozniak


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