In the summer of 1970, a soybean field next to the Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia became one of the most densely packed patches of earth in American music history. The second Atlanta International Pop Festival was scheduled to run from July 3 to July 5, but the music kept going well into the early hours of July 6. Promoter Alex Cooley — the same man behind the first Atlanta Pop Festival in 1969 and the Texas International Pop Festival — organized the entire event. Tickets were set at $14, but when crowds outside the fence began tearing down the plywood barriers, Cooley made the call to open the gates entirely. Just like that, the festival became free.
Estimates of the final crowd range from 350,000 to as high as 600,000 people. That massive turnout put it in the same conversation as Woodstock, which had taken place the previous summer. Attendees camped across the surrounding fields, creating a sprawling temporary community around the main stage.
The lineup was extraordinary. Jimi Hendrix performed for what was the largest American audience of his career. On the Fourth of July, with fireworks going off overhead, he played a feedback-drenched rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” that became one of the most talked-about moments of the entire festival.
The Allman Brothers Band, still rising in popularity at the time, delivered a standout Southern rock set. B.B. King brought the blues. Ravi Shankar offered Indian classical music. Procol Harum, Ten Years After, and Johnny Winter each brought their own brand of hard-driving rock. John Sebastian played a relaxed solo set, and Mountain — led by guitarist Leslie West — hit the stage with full force.
Spirit, known for blending rock and jazz, also performed. Local Atlanta acts Radar and the Hampton Grease Band earned spots on the bill, giving them a rare chance to play in front of a half-million people. Not every act made it — Jethro Tull canceled due to laryngitis, and Captain Beefheart also dropped out.
Beyond the performances, the festival grounds were filled with food vendors, craft stalls, and information booths. The open-gate decision meant people from every background showed up, turning the event into something far broader than a ticketed concert.
The photographs taken across those four days captured a specific moment in American youth culture — sun-baked fields, bare feet, and a crowd that stretched far beyond what any camera could fully frame.
