Vortex 1: How a rock festival saved Portland from chaos | Oregon Experience 

We need another Tom McCall. He was the best. Such a wonderful leader. ❤

I was there, just before starting my sophomore year at University of Portland........ I happened to be a very young VN war vet. I wasn't really anti war, but I was very much in favor of free love and hanging with beautiful girls. I was just happy to be alive then. Tom McCall was the greatest and waaaaay ahead of his time, but I was too young to ever vote for him. Always felt bad about that. Irony......old enough to go to war, but not old enough to vote for the people who sent me there.

Tom McCall was a genius. He would have been a great president.

Those festival goers we’re tax paying citizens of the United States of America 🇺🇸. They paid for their own festival, it was not “state” sponsored because who is the state? It’s us.

This is so Oregon!!! Having been lucky enough to have travelled with my family through Oregon, Washington and BC that summer I can see all of this. Oregon in those days was just paradice. The rest stops traveling along I5 were new and clean with stacked chipped wood stored away for those using the restop. The Northwest was just, amazing, clean and in a way inocent. People are just not even close to caliber of what existed in those days. Oregon, now is just a mess in many ways. Its just a sad model for what waits for all of us. The people of the Northwest in the 1960s and 1970s where still inocent in many ways.

Dr. Cameron Bangs was one of my high school teachers, he was the volunteer doctor at the festival. He made historical impact upon the state in many ways, his story about creating a physical fitness program for the portland police is pretty funny. He was a wonderful teacher and a great mentor. His legacy lives on through his teachings.

Tom McCall was a genius!

My dad worked with Tom McCall to put this together. I was a young kid but I remember their excitement.

I spent the weekend there. Was the most phenomenal impact of my teen years.

I've lived in Oregon my whole life...54 years. I had never heard of Vortex 1. Honestly I think it was a brave undertaking hoping to quell violence in the city. It worked and proved that a gathering that size can be peaceful. It seems many good memories were made, people were respectful as was the government that started it all. Violence and hatred gets us nowhere. Love and understanding is the key. Don't be biased hypocrites try to see where others are coming from. You don't have to agree but try to comprehend others views and be respectful of them. I feel nobody these days is tolerant to other views they want it their way and will be violent to get it. Violence will NEVER be the answer!

Tom McCall was an awesome guy. We are lucky we had him. Our world is a way better place because of his insight and ability to get the jobs done. Thank You Tom McCall!

I was the pregnant woman that was spoken about. I was actually 8 months pregnant at the time.

Wow, that’s my uncle Dave 26 seconds in. Recently I saw my great aunt in another one of your videos. Are you recruiting my family members for documentaries or something? Lol I told my mom about this video and she said there’s footage of her in here somewhere. My late dad was there too. Apparently a lot of this footage was filmed by their friend Mike Meachum. Too funny

I was vaguely aware of this event as I was employed 12 hours per day, 7 days per week at $1,25 per hour and glad to have a job. In retrospect, I feel somewhat deprived. Two years later, I embarked on a 38 year military career in the Oregon Air National Guard.

In the long run, let's love one another.

Wow! Tom McCall was a smart man! Too bad he’s gone. Oregon has gone to shit. Now there’s Governors who want to destroy downtown. What a difference!

The world needs Vortex 2!!!

Had never heard of this. What a courageous way to channel energy into something more positive and save many lives of people who are still living today. Things could have gone horribly wrong but this gave people a positive outlet for their energy.

My dad was there.

I saw something during one recent night of the riots three people and an Independent you tube and face book reporter were trying to get away from the smoke bombs, ending up at a down town park coughing, it was late, maybe 3am. A girl had a Mike and starting singing. She for sure a shower singer, but the others clapped to the beat, then a guy took the mike and sang, and another, and others came and they shared what food they had, enjoying them selves. Someone showed up with a guitar and no one wanted to go back to the noise and smoke just a few blocks away. I watch them for an hour total relax, singing, passing goodies around, with no mention of a protest. If done right a big concert could work, good fibe type music, Antifa would not be welcome with their steady pounding drum beats that hypnotize these rioters and repeating mind controlling phrases. This young people want a sense of togetherness and freedom from the stress of what next. Rioting can be redirected if it's done right. Must have the elements of water, food, music, fresh air etc. not one pounding drum with someone telling them what to say. Vortex 2! No masks, required. This could be a good detour from what is happening now.

I believe this is exactly what we need!

Hell yeah let's do it again

Attended with parents and 3 siblings. I was 13

I was a ranger at that park.

Epic!!!!

My living in Oregon started 5 Jan '75 on the DD-876 Swan Island till July '79, lived in other places but 15+ years in Yamhill County after that. OPB needs to do a story on the USS Rogers and the USS Hamner that were in Portland for over 5 years. Too bad I cannot post my picture from Willamette Blvd near Portland University overlooking the reserve center and shipyard.

omgosh I was there! I can't remember it haha

I moved to Oregon in 1977 I was a waitress and in Oregon you have to get a food servers card. We watched a movie about what not to do to food. It showed the American Legion's convention being the worst food disaster as the sandwiches made with Mayonnaise were NOT refrigerated. Peopled got sick and died!

I had no idea about this. I go to Mcgiver park all the time.

I was there, and I remember the guy with the ballon. we were all laughing at him.

This story makes me laugh and cry with JOY!!!

On the path down hill I was offered LSD for $2 a hit, huh sez I, can't be that good, gimme two and that long strange trip began...

3:10 If you remember where your campsite was, you weren’t really there ; )

I was in Nam (Navy) when this went down... missed a good party !

Blessed be the peacemakers

My wife was there in high school .my sister in law wanted me to go with her to vortex .but I had to work to payoff my new motorcycle !

Fascinating. I’ve lived in the PNW nearly 50 years, been to lots of festivals and shows and somehow never heard about Vortex. Heard warnings about “The Family” gatherings, however, and remember local officials worrying they’d damage park and forest lands. Wonder if they’re still around.

My mom went to this, she came over from Missoula

Brilliant solution; Brown & Wheeler could learn something from this.

I was there.

The good old days.

Far out man

I was 19. Spent I think 3-4 days there. Memories galore. There were so many rumors of SF bands and named bands coming to play - I wonder if the rumors were spread by McCall's folks to lure all of us loaded freaks. No matter - Portland had some great bands at the time: Portland Zoo, Jacob's Ladder, Brown Sugar were all there, and my favorite of the time: Mixed Blood. Ron Abell led Mixed Blood on drums with his brother Mel on bass and Felix Omar on guitar. I lost track of what happened to them, but would guess the normal: Ego and Drugs did them in. The steam and mud thing was a kick. However, I wonder how many got busted after Vortex due to being scoped out by infiltrated gov't agents.

I was there, I was almost 5 years old. A child should not have witnessed what I did LOL!!

And then Gov. Dan Evans did the same thing a year or two later, with the Sky River Rock Festival.

I understand the enthusiasm for statehood or succession, but with low or no taxes how are you going to afford it - road maintenance and construction, power plants, sewage and waste management, law enforcement, fire medical equipment, and facilities. Emergency equipment and personnel for fires, storms, floods, etc. public spaces like libraries, colleges, career training, airports, parks, hospitals, coastal port construction/improvement, economic development, technology networks, personnel salaries to staff and maintain the needs of the new state or nation. If you become a country you'll also have national defense costs. You're going to have to address these concerns to establish the viability of independence no matter how passionate you are about it.

i was there good times

These are mostly the children of the pioneers and seekers who came to the west for opportunity and freedom. Many of these are the children's children of poor laborers and farmers like my father they were the newly minted educated taught to question and ask Why? Many the mixed children of native Americans who were questioning the White man's war in IndoChina against their native peoples right of self determination it was an excellent example of Natural Law intermingling peacefully to organize and socialize

In National / partisan-political terms, Oregon will always be 'small-potatoes'. I appreciate the the SPLASH created by VORTEX I.

And yet portland is in turmoil today😬😬😃🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Looking back in time and understand what human evolution makes of us, we are all rooooock kind of people, music changed our lives for the last 40 years, it's useless to ignore it, we can be better kind of people thanks these music happenings and festivals, we can manage things in a better human way, we can give spiritual power it's own independent way, now that web connection raise us a big global family and sharing such cyber experiences, trying to meditate upon things and take better decisions for the future. I think most people is expecting from political leaders to accomplish miracles and this ... miracle never happens. Music festivals were good to give an alternative input, manage things in an independent way because... nobody is that lucky to accomplish miracles at all. United sharing the same goals, only solidarity, humanitarian actions are capable to accomplish miracles we are expecting for and. ..this is the very first step for a begining

I and my soon to be husband were there from start to end

I never heard of Vortex. Everything was so cool back then. Where did they all go. I was born in 68. I was a generation to late for every thing. Im from a time of the disillusioned. They ripped the bandaid off in the 60s and the 70s were dirty. In the 80s it was all about $. Who had it and who didn't. I call the 70s dirty because the pictures of NY.

Can we do this again? In the summer of 2024 , let’s go 😀😂🤣😁😆😊😌

LSD historian here. Anybody who can clearly remember what types of LSD were available at this festival please leave a comment below. Include name and type and expected dosage. For instance, Pill-Blue Cheer 300 Mcg, Or gel square-Windowpane 150Mcg, blotting paper-Mr. Natural 800 Mcg, etc. Thank you.

an interesting document of how people looked like back then. Imagine if we did that today. We DO NOT WANNA SEE IT, I am afraid.

that would have ben GREAT too see at 13 years old ? what do you think ?

We got high with Elvin Bishop

Maybe that is why Bagwan Shree Rajnish located there!

@10:32 well that’s kind of crappy.

Geniuses

This seems not as significant after the Mayhem in Portland in the summer of 2020.

Happened in my town, Estacada...NOT Portland...Not even close! hell the old hippie types still wont stop talking about their vortex.

Pax Portlanda, 1970.

@25:58 obviously he’s never been to Seattle for Pride.

17:28

Too bad we don’t have leaders that brilliant today. Now it’s just,”let the chips fall where they may” no matter who it hurts, or how many businesses we lose. Portland has become a third world country.

Fais ce que peut, advienne que pourra. ⚔📺🐬

Peace

I was 3 years old but would have gone if I was an 20 year old kid!!!!!

what a great story! they should have done this during BLM ....

We didn't come down from Seattle to attend because we all believed it was organized and promoted by "the pigs" Republican establishment. Went to Sky River Washougal WA instead

This wouldn’t work today. Portland once again does need to be saved from chaos, but it’s a different kind of chaos and not one that drugs and psychedelic music is going to solve.

It’s sad how much people obsess over nudity even to this day, so what if someone’s nude? Who they harming? There are always far more important things to worry about than a penis lol. It’s awesome that a fest like Woodstock was still realistic at that point.

A Republican governor doing it right!

Ahhh, so this is the reason that Portland is not a basketcase today....Viva le 60's Hedonista!

Lol seems they desperately need another rock concert. From the looks of things in Portland today the only music Portlanders enjoy now comes from Hitler’s personal playlist.

A rock festival with no music venue. Who the fuck played there.

Who’s going to save Portland now from Kate Brown and Ted Wheeler?

The people who went to the rock festival were not real hippies (anti war activists). Protesting against the horrors of the Vietnam War which caused tremendous suffering to the Vietnamese people was far more important than attending a rock festival.

Sounds like a hippie concentration camp to me.

My husband and I refused to be sidetracked from protesting the presence of the American Legion in our city. Marching up SW Broadway with maybe a hundred others the only “violence” that was threatened came from the snipers on every other building, pointing their fire arms in our general direction. I thought ( at the time, and still do) that Vortex was a cop out, a true separation of the sheep from the goats. No peace, no justice - so let’s go smoke pot and get naked and congratulate ourselves for being feckless and self-serving, while our government made war on the Vietnamese in our name!

Don’t give Kate any ideas. We need to finish what we started downtown.

The seeds of Portland's current dysfunction were planted here

But they are enveloped in chaos, crime and addiction.

Goddamn RU-vid ads and fk Solgen Power

The first time I was in Oregon was 1972 , I hitched from SF to Eugene because we heard it was cool , oh yeah it was , it was freakin beautiful, see what happens kids are left alone to be cool with themselves, maybe not these days though.🦬🪶🦬🪶☮️

I was there.

I was there.