This Iconic Hippie Festival in California Was a Surprisingly “Posh Affair” Backstage, According to Co-Organizer Michelle Phillips

When one thinks of the West Coast hippie scene in the late 1960s, images of class and luxury don’t often come to mind—and frankly, that was by the hippies’ earthy, offbeat design. But according to Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, one of the most iconic gatherings of barefoot, dancing Summer of Lovesters was actually a “posh affair” backstage.

Phillips was among the several collaborators who helped put on the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. Speaking in the 1988 documentary Straight Shooter, the singer recalled what the seven-week process was like. She credited producer Alan Pariser with the main idea: an eclectically curated festival full of bands that wouldn’t traditionally share a bill. With the combined efforts of Phillips, her then-husband, John Phillips (also of The Mamas and the Papas), Lou Adler, and Derek Taylor, Pariser’s initial idea could come to life.

And in terms of eccentric lineups, the organizers certainly succeeded. Performers included Simon & Garfunkel, Laura Nyro, Otis Redding, The Byrds, Ravi Shankar, Buffalo Springfield, The Who, Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and, of course, The Mamas & the Papas. If a musician wasn’t a star before they took the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival, they were when they left.

The Monterey Pop Festival Had Some Luxe Backstage Hospitality

Rock ‘n’ roll festival culture was still in its infancy in the late 1960s. As organizers learned what to do (and not to do), these events became better for everyone involved. But before that could happen, many of the most iconic festivals also had the harshest conditions, whether due to the weather, lack of proper infrastructure, bad drugs, or a mix of all three. However, as Michelle Phillips remembered the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, she painted a much posher picture—at least for those lucky enough to be backstage.

“It was extremely well-organized,” Phillips said. “It was a very posh affair. Anything that John [Phillips] and Lou [Adler] ever did was a very posh affair. I remember we had cracked crab at the buffet and French champagne. It was a very classy three days. Everyone was put up at the best hotels, and they were flown in by private jet, or they were flown in first class. They were all treated like John and Lou treated themselves.”

Phillips said that although the organizers had no way of knowing the legacy that the Monterey International Pop Festival would leave behind, everyone knew that the idea was potentially massive. And indeed it was. Even without becoming an annual festival, the Monterey Pop Festival became a blueprint for multi-genre festivals moving forward. “The Monterey Pop Festival was such an incredible success that no one could have known then what we know now,” Phillips said.

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