Water jug ​​toss at California Jam in Ontario left dark memories – Daily Bulletin

The day after the 1974 California Jam rock festival, plastic water canisters were littered throughout the Ontario venue. Hundreds or thousands of these canisters were thrown into the air during a show delay. (Courtesy of Allen Pamplin)

I asked for your comments on a retrospective of the 50th anniversary of the April 6, 1974 California Jam rock festival that drew 200,000 people to the Ontario Motor Speedway. Recollections poured in right up until press time, then beyond, and then in the days following publication.

Hey, man. At a rock festival, nobody has a strict schedule. That's not cool.

Well, we'll get to your comments. They're pretty good. But first, let's address a Cal Jam oddity: the throwing away of empty water jugs.

Kent (Bayless) Romero, a reader from Eastvale, described it this way: He first thought he saw bouncing ping pong balls. “What I saw,” he told me, “were 5-gallon water cans” — which had been distributed earlier as relief on a very warm day — “being thrown into the air by the thousands.” He and his friends took cover.

Dave Ramirez from Covina also addressed it: “Throwing water bottles was dangerous. My friends stood in a circle and defended themselves because some still had water in their bottles.”

As I was scrolling through the photos on the California Jam Fan Club Facebook page, I saw a photo taken the day after the festival but before the cleanup. There were jugs of water lying around the grounds. I guess that was real.

I asked the site's moderator, Allen Pamplin, about the pitchers. He was a 15-year-old from Northridge at the time and watched the strange incident from the front. It occurred during the delay before Emerson, Lake and Palmer took the stage, probably to kill time.

“What started as a harmless water fight behind the mixing tower escalated into a full-blown water jug-throwing contest involving the entire audience,” Pamplin told me. “It looked like a giant popcorn machine with about 20,000 jugs bouncing up and down.”

Anchor Don Branker ordered the field lights to be turned on, told the crowd to stop, and warned that ELP would not come out until the pitchers stopped throwing. This was done without having to call security.

Which is good. Imagine getting thrown into the pitcher for throwing pitchers.

To refresh your memory, the Cal Jam lineup was: Rare Earth; Earth, Wind and Fire; The Eagles with guest Jackson Browne; Seals and Crofts; Black Oak Arkansas; Black Sabbath led by Ozzy Osbourne; Deep Purple; and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Cal Jam was considered the largest one-day event in the state's history at the time. A sequel, Cal Jam II on March 18, 1978, attracted 300,000 visitors to the same race track in Ontario.

(For the record, the smallest one-day event in state history was my book signing on November 20, 2014, at Barnes & Noble in Montclair, which only one person showed up at.)

Eric Groeber sent me his memories of the 1974 Cal Jam, starting with the original announcement.

“When I saw the list of artists,” Groeber recalled, “I couldn't believe that such a big concert with so many of the most popular bands in the world at the time was coming to Ontario. Aside from the Swing Auditorium and a few smaller venues, the IE was a ghost town of rock 'n' roll.”

The 16-year-old from Upland and a friend drove to the show the night before on back roads in his parents' Dodge van. Parking was so chaotic that the couple parked in a nearby vineyard to sleep instead. When they woke up the next morning, they were surrounded by cars and tents.

At the speedway grounds, “it was dusty, crowded, loud and a little crazy,” Groeber said, but fans were friendly and laid back and came to enjoy the music. “For me,” said Groeber, who now lives in Fontana, “it couldn't have been more perfect.”

If you want to delve deeper into the festival, I recommend an essay on the blog Rock Prosopography 101 (rockprosopography101.blogspot.com) that puts the festival in context.

Here are excerpts from your recent Cal Jam comments.

John Kramer, Ontario: “Okay, I admit I was there with some friends. I don't remember the music, but I do remember the infield turning into mud, so there really wasn't any seating.”

Kevin Bash, Norco: “I went because the girl I was with at the time was into it. I hated every minute there because there were so many. But later I realized it was worth it. I haven't thought about the California Jam or the girl in decades. Cool that I was there, but I can't believe that was 50 years ago.”

Dave Ramirez, Covina: “I really enjoyed your article on Cal Jam. I've been to both Cal Jams and have to say the first one was better. I disagree with Robert Hilburn's assessment that the lineup of talent wasn't that memorable. They had Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and ELP on stage when they were at the peak of their careers. Maybe because he was old (34) at the time. I was 20. I've been to over 200 concerts in the last 55 years.”

Bryan Mclean, Rancho Cucamonga: “I was a 17-year-old from Montclair. I got up at 4 a.m. and waited in a huge traffic jam to even get close to a parking spot! There were few restrooms, but the music was amazing! By early afternoon I was sunburnt and dehydrated and had to leave early.”

Dale Fredericks, Yucaipa: “I can relate to every single fan's story from that day. Personally, I think it was a great show and an unforgettable event. I was at the second Cal Jam in 1978, but the first was the best.”