The Monterey Pop Festival, known as the first large-scale pop and rock music festival in America, kicked off at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California on June 16, 1967. The festival drew crowds that peaked at over 90,000 fans and laid the groundwork for later events, including Woodstock.The Mamas and the Papas, Laura Nyro, Simon and Garfunkel, the Grateful Dead, the Association, Canned Heat, and Buffalo Springfield all performed at the event, which included many sets with historic value. The show marked the first major U.S. performances for Jimi Hendrix, the Who and Janis Joplin and would be the final public appearance for the original lineup of the Mamas and the Papas.Organizers for the event also reportedly attempted to book Eric Clapton and Cream but the band’s managers refused the invitation thinking that event would not provide a grand enough scale for the band.