07/27/2026
The Iconic Watkins Glen Summer Jam—53 Years Ago: How could an empty field transform into a sea of humanity? Little did folks in Watkins Glen know what they were in for 53 years ago tomorrow. It was on July 28, 1973 when the Finger Lakes village on the south end of Seneca Lake was completely overwhelmed by some 600,000 concert goers for the Summer Jam at the historic race track there. The massive crowd—there to see the Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band perform—was SO gigantic that the next day it made front page headlines in newspapers across America. An estimated 150,000 tickets were sold in advance at $10 each. Astoundingly, another 450,000 showed up and basically experienced a free concert. The Associated Press photo here of the endless crowd said it all. There are countless tales of folks stuck in traffic, abandoning their cars and walking miles to the race track. Many of my followers here have wonderful memories of that day—I always enjoy reading the tales in the comments. It is a day that will live on forever in the Finger Lakes Region. It was a different era—in large part, folks behaved wonderfully, incidents were held to a minimum and most all had an experience they’ll never forget. Hard to imagine that epic event was 53 years ago tomorrow.
