Since the very first American music festival took place in California in 1967, thousands of fans have continued to converge in parks around the country each year to watch massive lineups filled with the world’s best artists. With over 50 years of festivals like Lollapalooza, Coachella, Austin City Limits, the legendary Woodstock, Monterey International Pop Festival, and countless others in our history, attempting to rank the greatest U.S. music festivals of all time is no easy task – but Consequence of Sound and Vivid Seats teamed up together to try and do just that. See below for their top 5 picks, and click here to see the full list of their proposed Top 100 Music Festival Lineups of All Time.
1. Monterey International Pop Music Festival (1967)
Headliners: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Ravi Shankar, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and Simon & Garfunkel
2. Woodstock (1969)
Headliners: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Who, and Santana
3. Newport Folk Festival (1965)
Headliners: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Donovan, Son House, Pete Seeger, Peter Paul and Mary, and Johnny Cash
4. Coachella (2004)
Headliners: Radiohead, The Cure, Kraftwerk, AIR, and Pixies
5. US Festival (1983)
Headliners: The Clash, Van Halen, David Bowie, and Willie Nelson
