Denver Pop Festival 1969 — Mile High Stadium

The Denver Pop Festival, held June 27–29, 1969, just weeks before Woodstock, was a major event in the history of the counterculture and notable for two reasons: a remarkable lineup and a riot. Jimi Hendrix headlined (in one of his peak-era performances), alongside Creedence Clearwater Revival, Iron Butterfly, Three Dog Night, Tim Buckley, and others. On the final day, Denver police used tear gas on the crowd — the gas blew back into the stadium affecting performers backstage, and Hendrix reportedly had to be helped away from the stage. It was one of the first major instances of police conflict at a rock festival.

The Denver Pop Festival was held at Mile High Stadium, the city's baseball and football ground, which gave it a more contained and urban character than the pastoral outdoor events of the era. The conflict with police reflected growing tensions between law enforcement and the rock festival scene — tensions that would explode more violently at Altamont six months later. Creedence Clearwater Revival's performance is preserved in a widely circulated film document.

Mile High Stadium was demolished in 2002 following the construction of Invesco Field (now Empower Field at Mile High) adjacent to it. The site of the original stadium is now a parking lot. No permanent marker commemorates the 1969 festival.