Documentary To Cover Upstate New York’s Largest Concert In History

Sure, New York City is the heart of New York State, but in the late 60s and early 70s, everything ran through Upstate.

Woodstock is still considered the greatest music festival of all time, but another fest in Upstate just a few years later shattered every record they could've imagined...

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Summer Jam at Watkins Glen

On Saturday, July 28th 1973, Summer Jam at Watkins Glen took place. It was at  Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway, just outside of the city itself. The lineup was The Allman Brothers Band, The Band, and The Grateful Dead, a small lineup, but one that carried weight.

150,000 tickets were sold in advance for $10 a piece, but over 600,000 ended up in attendance, with those who didn't buy tickets getting in for free. It was such a massive show that it literally had a higher attendance than Woodstock (somehow), and was considered to be the largest gathering ever in the United States.

The Documentary

A show like this deserves its story told, and so it is. The promoters of the show, Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik, began to work with a group of veteran filmmakers to tell the story of the show to a new generation.

The documentary is still in production, as it has been since 2023, but steady progress is being made. The hope is to create an experience not unlike Get Back, the 9-hour documentary following the last days of The Beatles. You can check out clips, info, and more on the project at the documentary's website HERE.