The Camden Festival free concerts .

Camden festival

Parliament Hill Fields .Hampstead Heath May 1968-69.

Euge Gannon was at this one

It was pouring for the Jefferson Airplane and I remember Grace Slick saying 'what is wrong with you people, it's raining, go home'.The Jefferson Airplane show had to be early in the evening or in the Summer as it was still light. There were not too many people there due to the heavy rain. I was a blues fan and would not been too interested in a hippy band but I wanted to see what the hype was all about .I think they did a few numbers before I quit to go for a drink.

Chris Jones was also there and gives this detailed account.

I went to the Parliament Hill JA/Fairport gig with a friend, and these are our recollections:
Parliament Hill, London UK
(free concert, Fairport Convention opened - Sandy Denny was late getting from the airport)
It was actually on Wednesday 4 September - I recently found an old diary which recorded the occasion and this is what I put in it at the time:
"Saw Fairport Convention & Jefferson Airplane at Hampstead Heath - fucking far out - pissed with rain - went with Ray Day."
Paul Kantner thanked the few hundred of us who were there and said (something along the lines of),

"You folks are marvellous to come when it's raining so hard. Back home in San Francisco nobody would have turned up. We're used to it being eighty in California."
Then Grace said, "If it ain't eighty, it ain't hot."

Grace was beautiful. The band were hot (Fairport convention were pretty damn good too).
Part of the reason that the number who witnessed the event was so small was that there was almost no advanced publicity. My friend Ray and I found out almost by accident - and felt extremely lucky to be one of the few people
who were there to see and hear it. We were able to get very close to the stage - it was almost like a private performance.
Ray remembers the setlist as follows (I don't really remember the details at
all - hmm, wonder why?)

Paul was wearing an Afghan, Jack was wearing the cardigan he wore on Pointed Head, Grace had a black number on.
They had a big stack of Marshall Amps which Fairport used afterwards.
Sandy turned up when the Fairports were playing Stormy Weather.

CJ

I also went to the JA/Fairport show at Parliament Hill on Wednesday 4 September 1968.
That gig is one of my fondest '60s moments'. I only found out about it a day of so before from a tiny advert in "it' (Int. Times). But I just HAD to see JA - they were playing at the Roundhouse with the Doors that weekend - out of my league - but then this free concert just appeared!!! a real "so-there-is-a-god!" moment.

I never realised that it was put on by Camden Council (gawd bless 'em). I went to William Ellis School on Parliament Hill, who's back gate is only about 100 yards from the corrugated-iron band stand where they had the gig. (We exited from that gate on cross country runs when it was too wet to play rugby - wonderful times!) Richard Thompson was at WES as well and I had always imagined that it was some local thing set up by Fairport.
Geoffrey Watson
Brisbane
Australia

Fairports and Jefferson Airplane at Parliament Hill
I think I heard about this gig on the radio the Sunday before (John Peel?)

There was a bit of discussion as to whether or not the Airplane would actually do White Rabbit (apparently they had run out of time)
But they did....

There was then an announcement about not being allowed to play any more and they started packing up
Then (in breach of council regulations) Jack Cassidy picked up a tambourine and shook it, the crowd cheered (the revolution starts here)
I still think Fairport were better
Scott Birnie

1969

At the all nighters refreshments will be available and lighting provided All the groups will be playing free and there will be no charge for admission.