My FIRST time SEEING Janis Joplin - Ball & Chain! Yikes!!

That was Mama Cass in the audience watching Janis

The 'chick with the butterfly thing and her mouth open' was Momma Cass from the Mommas and the Poppas, one of the biggest musical groups at the time. I think the crowd was simply tripping balls and completely blown away. Everyone praised Janis, even if their reaction seemed muted here.

This was actually Janis's second performance of "Ball and Chain" that day. After the first one, Cass Elliott asked her to do it again so they could get it on film. Legend has it the 2nd rendition was even better than the 1st.

This was the performance which launched Janis to stardom. She was only 24 years old... 3 years later, she was dead. We were raised about 3 miles from each other. The Pride of Port Arthur, TX..😊

It's fair to compare Janis Joplin and Etta James with one another. No matter what they sang, the audience knew they were in a different stratosphere. In the fifty plus years since I first heard Janis sing this song, it still gives me goosebumps each and every time I hear it.

It was Mama Cass of the legendary Mamas and the Papas, with her mouth agape, clearly in awe of Janis' unbelievable soul and talent. All these decades later, I am also still in awe of a Janis Joplin performance. It ended way too soon, she was amazing!

Etta James was also a hero to Janis. She met her once as a little girl at a concert in Tulsa. That makes your comparison of the two valid and very observant.

Some people sing the blues... Janis lived it

The woman you referenced in the audience was Cass Elliot of the Mama and Papa's, who was an absolutely magnificent singer herself. Seeing her react to Janis Joplin says it all about Joplin's performance.

Finally! You see why she was so mourned and so missed. She practically skipped off the stage because she knew she had shown her skills at her first major venue and surely blew many established acts out of the water! Her bios are touching...what she writes home about how close her dream was. We were lucky!

It was 1967, Monterey Pop fest. Pretty much everybody were probably trippin' LOL. his was Janis' debut performance with Big Brother and the Holding Company

This was a cover of Big Mamma Thornton's Ball & Chain. written in 1959.

Watching Mama Cass in the audience being awed by another singer is awesome. Mama Cass helped put this festival on, and she was floored by Janice, who wasn't well known until that night.

"Monterey Pop" was the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, one of the most momentous music festivals in rock history. Just for starters, it launched Janis Joplin to stardom on the strength of this performance. It did likewise for the great Otis Redding, who sadly died in a plane crash before the end of the year, only three days after recording "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay." But most of all, it marked the triumphant return of Jimi Hendrix, who went to England to become a star as the leader of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and then re-imported into the United States as a sensation. The funniest part? The Who were originally scheduled to close the last night of the festival, since they were one of the biggest bands on Earth at the time - except that they had all seen Jimi perform in England, and they were like, "F that, there ain't no way we're going on after that guy! He won't leave us a stage to play on!" Which was wise - Jimi closed his set with the legendary burning of his Stratocaster. Yes, the film clip you were thinking of in your mind right now as I mention it. That one. That was what The Who didn't want to have to try to one-up, and they were smart not to try. LOL BP, I don't know if you ever do long form reactions, but if you are looking for a humdinger of a concert film to react to in its entirety, you could do far worse than this one. It is jam-packed with absolutely legendary historic moments.

Bobby McGee and Piece of my Heart are amazing.

When you grow up this music you don't know how great it was until your older, my generation was spoiled we were blessed.RIP Janis gone to soon, never forgotten.

You are correct, this is a classic performance. That judgement requires hindsight though.. The Monteray Pop Festival was the first time Janis performed in front of a large audience. No one had seen her before. The female singers of the day were mostly folk singers, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and the like. No one had ever heard a female singer sing the way Janis did. I suspect many in the audience were taken aback. One of the organizrs of this Event was Cass Elliot, of the Mamas and the Papas. That was her who said 'wow' I truly enjoy your reactions. I think your musical background helps you to ground your opinions, and adds context to some of the things you notice and comment on. Cheers.

That was Cass Elliot with the butterfly...also at the end picture of the audience, you can see the legendary Clive Davis wearing a white pullover and clapping. He signed her up with a recording contract that night with Columbia Records.

A couple of fun facts about Monterey pop: It was organized in 7 weeks by John Phillips (of the Mamas and the Papas) and producer Lou Adler. It was the first American appearance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, and Ravi Shankar. It was the first large scale appearance by Janis AND it introduced Otis Redding to an American audience.

This entire show put Big Brother and Janice Joplin on the musical map