We’ve all heard of atrocious music festivals like Fyre Fest and Woodstock 99. However, unless you were there to experience the whole thing in 1972, I’ll bet you’ve never heard of Bull Island Rock Festival, also known as the Erie Canal “Soda” Pop Festival.
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So, what was it about this particular music festival that made it so bad? Big names like Black Sabbath and Joe Cocker were slated to perform, after all. However, a majority of the musicians billed never showed up for their sets, specifically because of the complete lack of safety precautions, lackluster security, and straight-up flooding that occurred.
The Legacy of Bull Island Rock Festival
Bull Island Rock Festival took place on September 2 through 4 in 1972 on Bull Island. That particular island was a small strip of land technically in Illinois, but on Indiana’s side of the Wabash River.
Quite a few big names were promoted to headline the festival, including Black Sabbath, Joe Cocker, The Allman Brothers Band, The Doors, The Eagles, and many more. The head promoters, Tom Duncan and Bob Alexander, managed to launch the successful Freedom Festival in Indiana just a few months earlier.
What started the big issue with Bull Island Rock Festival was short-notice issues with zoning. Shortly before the festival was scheduled to begin in Chandler, Indiana, restraining orders were issued by the local government, which did not want massive crowds of people in the area. White County, Illinois, was unable to file a restraining order in time to stop the move to Bull Island.
About 200,000 people (or 300,000, depending on your source) attended the three-day fest. That was substantially more than anticipated by the festival’s promoters. Just as well, the festival was only accessible via two roads. While stuck in traffic on the I-64, numerous festivalgoers sold each other drugs while at a standstill. And, of course, the actual festival grounds had only three deputy sheriffs in attendance as security. It was bound to be a free-for-all.
Because of these issues, coupled with incredibly unsanitary conditions on the island and flooding risks because of the heavy rainfall, the vast majority of headlining acts cancelled their appearances at the festival. This made the crowd angry. And when you combine unabashed drug use with thousands of angry people, disaster is bound to strike.
One person overdosed. Another drowned in the river. Some attendees killed a local farmer’s cow because of the lack of food available on the island. To top everything off, the crowd set an enormous fire and looted nearby parked cars. Legal problems associated with the madness that occurred on Bull Island continued for the better part of a decade after the festival ended.
Ah, the 70s. What a time to be alive.
Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage
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