This episode brings the story of Jazz Bilzen, the mother of all festivals. In 1965 the Davidsfonds department in Limburg wants something different than the traditional flag waving at the annual 11 July celebration and decides to organize a jazz festival. Nobody realizes that the first edition of Jazz Bilzen is the start of an eventful festival history. Soon Ferre Grignard and Roland color outside the lines of jazz, Humo jumps on the bandwagon and Procol Harum in '67 provides a magical moment. By the end of the 60s, Jazz Bilzen grew into one of the biggest rock festivals in Europe. For the first time, Belgium hosts international rock acts like Deep Purple, The Pretty Things and The Small Faces. Jazz Bilzen becomes the annual high mass of the flowerpower generation. But the weather bumps quickly: criticism in the press about the alleged drug use at the festival and riots on the meadow. The festival is also in danger of coming apart at the seams and the lack of professionalism is sometimes painfully evident. But the audience remains faithfully in post and in the second half of the 1970s it comes to a new boom.
The organizers manage to snare big names like Lou Reed, Blondie, The Kinks, James Brown, AC/DC, Ike & Tina Turner and The Police. In '77 and '78, the passage of punk groups such as The Clash, The Damned and The Kids also caused a great deal of commotion on the field. In 1978, there were heavy riots in the city. Jazz Bilzen gets a bad reputation and three years later the organizers put the obituary of the festival in the newspapers.
Belpop collected a cartload of beautiful and not so beautiful festival memories from the artists, the organizers and the festival-goers. The viewers find out why Golden Earring was chased wildly, why Marc Didden was beaten up by security, why the organs in Bilzen always sounded so out of tune, and what exactly the job of the vice squad was.
With testimonials from: Roland (singer), Jean Blaute (musician), Fred Bekky (The Peb
