The first day of The Goose Lake International Music Festival began in Leoni Township near Jackson, Michigan. Over 200,000 fans attended the three day festival, yet unlike Woodstock, it didn’t rain and most of those folks actually paid to get in. Despite this, Goose Lake remains an obscure footnote in Midwestern rock history, the big show that hardly anyone outside Michigan has heard about.
Performers included, Jethro Tull, The Faces, 10 Years After, Mountain, Chicago, Bob Seger, John Sebastian, James Gang, Iggy & The Stooges (with Iggy Pop), Brownsville Station, MC5, Rod Stewart, and the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Goose Lake was not without controversy. Local residents opposed the festival, fearing the commotion that would result when thousands of young people gathered near their homes. Before the festival, concerned local officials sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the event, but a judge denied the request. Many Canadian rock fans were turned back at border crossings and were unable to attend.
The lead promoter was Richard Songer, a wealthy 35-year-old man who had been successful in the construction business. Songer teamed up with experienced Detroit disc jockey and promoter, Russ Gibb, and his associate, Tom Wright, to help plan the festival.
Goose Lake Park was built on 390 acres of land, with a budget of $1 million, and was billed as the “world’s first permanent festival site”. It was projected that between 40,00 and 60,000 fans would attend the first festival.
The stage was built on a large, revolving turntable with two performance spaces so that the previous band could disassemble its gear and the next band set up while the current band was performing. At the end of each performance, the stage would rotate 180 degrees, and the next act would begin performing almost immediately. The backstage area had a tent where 20 to 30 groupies described as “sizzlers” were available for the performers.
Those who attended were provided free campsites, free parking and free firewood. There were restrooms and showers every 500 feet, medical staff, motorcycle and dune buggy trails, a lake with a beach, and also the “longest slide in the world”. To keep gate crashers out, the site was surrounded by a high chain-link fence topped by barbed wire. The admission price for the three-day event was $15.00, and entry tokens in the style of poker chips were sold to avoid the counterfeiting of paper tickets.
Masters of ceremonies were Teegarden & Van Winkle, who also performed. Savoy Brown, Joe Cocker and Alice Cooper were announced acts that did not perform due to contractual problems.
Despite the huge crowd of people, there were no reports of physical violence. A University of Michigan doctor, one of a dozen doctors at the festival providing free medical treatment, thought the absence of violence “was a credit to a generation”. While there was no violence at Goose Lake, the popular use of illegal drugs, especially marijuana, was a concern for authorities. To avoid sparking a “riot,” the police only arrested drug users or dealers who were outside the park. After the concert, Governor William Milliken was outraged about drug use at Goose Lake. “Rock festivals are a great idea,” the governor said, “but without the drugs.” A doctor at the concert wondered if the reports of drug abuse “may have been exaggerated.” At the festival’s four hospital tents, 400 people were treated for an assortment of illnesses and injuries. But there were only a few drug overdose patients.
When the Goose Lake festival ended, local citizens expressed their thoughts about having hosted the biggest rock festival in Michigan history. Some complained of a lack of sleep because the music was so loud. One local resident found the concert “a nerve-racking deal,” while another said he would fight future rock festivals “to the last ditch.” Others disagreed. A Goose Lake farmer said all the noise and activity did not affect his cows who he said were “contented.” A gas station attendant said the station was unusually busy during the weekend, but things went “smoothly…we had no problems at all.”
John Laycock of the Windsor Star praised the festival, writing that “The Organization Men of Goose Lake have resurrected the spirit of Woodstock without the discomforts” and that “the giant amphitheater was superbly equipped.” Laycock mentioned the performances of Frost, Savage Grace, Chicago, The Flock, Jethro Tull, John Sebastian, Faces, Ten Years After, Mountain and The Flying Burrito Brothers as particularly memorable. Tom Wright, who was responsible for staging and logistics at the festival, including design of the revolving stage, reported that it had gone off “virtually hitch free”.
The rotating stage was a success. Record store owner Dave Bernath remembered, “The band would literally hit their last note, say ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye,’ they spun around and the next band started within a minute… in seconds! The first band was still fading out when the other band came on! That’s the way it should be!”
Despite some problems, “most fans and musicians recall a sunny attitude surrounding the weekend”. Rod Stewart enjoyed his Friday night performance so much that he stayed to watch Alvin Lee perform with Ten Years After the following night.
The participation of the White Panther Party and the affiliated Serve the People (STP) Coalition added some “street credibility” to the event. The festival took place at the time of the 25th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and peace groups publicized an anti-nuclear weapons message during the event.
Detroit rock historian David A. Carson wrote that “drugs took center stage” at Goose Lake, and that the park was “reminiscent of Attica” because of the barbed wire topped perimeter fence. There was a report of a rape by a group of bikers while The Stooges were performing
There were 160 arrests of those leaving after the event, mostly on drug charges. Jackson County sheriff Charles Southworth estimated that “75% of the youths were on drugs”
Extensive newspaper coverage concentrated on the open drug sales and use at the festival. Michigan governor William Milliken denounced the “deplorable and open sale and use of drugs” at the festival, and called for investigation and prosecution of the “drug pushers” who were present. Michigan attorney general Frank J. Kelley said “I think we have seen the first and last rock concert of that size in Michigan”.
Promoter Richard Songer was indicted for promoting the sale of drugs. No further rock festivals ever took place at Goose Lake.