- California Jam, or Cal Jam 1 was held this week at the Ontario Motor Speedway in California attended by 300,000 plus rock fans on a sweltering April day. This twelve hour one day event was kicked off by Rare Earth at ten in the morning and ELP closed the show after one in the morning the following day. (I’ll get to why ELP came on so late in a minute)Earth, Wind, And Fire, Eagles, Seals And Crofts, Black Oak Arkansas, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Emerson, Lake , And Palmer were also on the bill that day. Believe it or not, the event was AHEAD of schedule all day due to the fact that organizers used three movable stages constructed on railroad tracks and one stage would be permanently set for the closing act that could be moved by rail already for the next act to perform which meant no delays between acts…so bring on Deep Purple. According to Ritchie Blackmore, the band agreed to perform at dusk so they could use a massive lighting display. So, instead of taking the stage around five or six, they waited until dark to come on. (Much to the dismay of organizers and keeping the fans restless for an hour or two.) Cal Jam 1 boasted the loudest sound system at that time 54,000 Watts or 105 dbs at one mile. This massive system had to reach the fans way in the back and it delivered! Imagine seeing these acts, some of the most influential artists to perform at a one- day event for ten dollars in advance and fifteen dollars at the gate! Cal Jam 1 was one of the most planned and financially successful rock festivals for its time with the highest paid attendance highest gross in history…
