Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival (1996)

This is an invaluable document. End of review.I was an Isle of Wight resident, 18 years old, and didn't go to the Festival - I was working (I went to the previous year's Festival with Dylan headlining).Some background may be welcome. The Isle of Wight is and was a low income economy, with the bulk of the year's income coming from the summer holiday season, a short 10 weeks or so, with the peak earning period being the bank holiday weekend at the end of August. The first Pop Festival in 1968 was a surprise, the second in 1969 drew 250,000 people who went straight to the Festival site, stayed the weekend and then went straight home. By the time the third Festival loomed, it was clear that it completely destroyed the two key weeks of the short holiday season - family holiday makers didn't want to travel back and forth to the Island with (as it turns out) 600,000 rock fans, perceived as dirt smelly druggies. So this third Festival was not welcome on the Isle of Wight (even I could see that, and I wanted to go!), and had trouble finding a site.The only site it could find, in the end, was at Afton Down, on the less inhabited side of the Island. Unfortunately, the topography of the area meant that the performance arena had to be at the bottom of a gentle valley. Although that area was fenced off, it was a simple matter to find a spot on the Downs which formed the sides of the valley, and to sit and watch and hear the whole thing completely free. This had the effect of making the whole thing an economic disaster (which perhaps explains the somewhat acerbic style adopted by MC Rikki Farr, one of the organisers). It meant that organisers Fiery Creations were not able to mount a fourth Festival although, even had they been able to do so, they would have been prevented from doing it on the Isle of Wight due to the Isle of Wight Act being passed as a law, which prohibited large open air assemblies on the Island in order to protect the economy.The current Festivals on the Isle of Wight have a limited attendance and are run by the Council.But this last one featured a lot of noteworthy things: Hendrix' last live performance Jim Morrison's last live performance Nude swimming in Compton Bay The end of the hippie dream (in the UK at least) Joni Mitchell being scared by someone rushing the stage Kris Kristofferson being booed off stage Substantially better toilet facilities than the 1969 Festival (I need to mention this because the 1969 facilities were almost non-existent). Modesty - and a healthy dose of embarrassment - prevents me from providing details.Ah, the good old days!

For fans of the musical acts that performed at this one of a kind concert, Isle of Wight is a must-see look. The interview sections are not of the high quality of those of Woodstock where you might have taken away something from what was being said. Here it's mostly a lot of ultra-hippie types (one who apparently gave his 3 year old son acid and pot), as well as some British fellows who run the concert. These interviews are OK enough on their own, and maybe the biggest liability from Lerner on this end as well as the music is in the editing. It's only a 2 hour film, which regrettably (like Monterrey Pop) is way too short in viewing such a monumental moment (and fleeting one like Altamont) in such a short running time. Still, almost every musical act is worth checking out in their limited time frame, and a little extra sadness comes along in seeing that a few of these people didn't live long after the concert ended. Some of the memorable acts include the Doors (all too brief of course), Jimi Hendrix (ditto), the Who, Miles Davis (in different form from his 50's days), Ten Years After, the Moody Blues, and Free.

More so than the Altamont debacle, the Isle of Wight Festival was the end of an era. Morrison and Hendrix would soon be gone, and the impracticalities of mass concerts like this is shown in all the turmoil that occurred here. This is a documentary movie with terrific musical numbers in a wild mix, from Leonard Cohen to Ten Years After, from John Sebastian to the Who, from Tiny Tim to Miles Davis to Taste. The most revealing glimpse into the future is the progressive rock juggernaut taking sail, with Emerson Lake and Palmer a million miles away from Joni Mitchell-type hippiedom. The invasion of the stage by a man during Joni's set serves to contrast the "do your own thing" attitude with the "let's tighten up security and make some money" realities which would become the norm soon enough. There's a middle ground here which is energizing. Certainly this is no Woodstock '99, which was simply a horrible evil place with no redeeming qualities.

Forget Monterry or Woodstock! This is 100 times better! First of all, the comments are like razor's edge! That was peace and love? Never! Money was everywhere! That was trouble? Some sort! This is a great film in a cinema point of view? Kind of. But where it stands in 2000 is about the music. It rocks hard in a way Woodstock had never done! Violent performances by The Who! Hendrix, Ten Years after, Free are great! Watch early bluesy Jethro Tull doing a fantastic number! But not really the Doors... More rare moody numbers are delightfull, like Leonard Cohen. See Joni Mitchell full of emotions, because a freak have gotten on stage to make music with her. To me, this is the truly early 1970's rock music. Not that hippie music from Woodstock.