Yes, the Texxas Jam was Awwesome!
Yes, the Texxas Jam was Awwesome!
The Texxas Jam (a.k.a. the Texxas World Music Festival) is often overlooked in the narrative of classic rock history despite being one of the most significant and ambitious rock festivals of the late 1970s and 1980s. Held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and later at the Astrodome, the festival ran from 1978 to 1988 (I went in ’79, ’80 and ’88) and featured some of the biggest rock acts of the era, including Aerosmith, Foreigner, Van Halen, Heart, Ted Nugent, Heart, Eagles, Foghat, Journey, and The Rolling Stones. Yet, it remains curiously underrepresented in mainstream rock retrospectives.
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One major reason for this undervaluation is its regional identity. Unlike Woodstock or Live Aid, which positioned themselves as global or national cultural touchstones, the Texxas Jam was deeply rooted in Southern rock culture. Its branding, spelling and location tied it to a regional scene that was sometimes marginalized by coastal critics and historians who tended to focus on movements in New York, Los Angeles, or London. Another factor is the lack of preserved media. There was minimal official documentation, few high-quality recordings or film releases of the Texxas Jam concerts. Unlike Woodstock or the US Festival, which benefited from cinematic and television exposure, Texxas Jam largely lived on through fan memories and bootleg recordings.
Additionally, the festival’s focus on hard rock and arena acts, genres that were falling out of critical favor by the late ’80s meant it was dismissed by the growing ranks of critics favoring punk, new wave, or college rock. As the narrative of rock history began to favor genre innovation over raw spectacle, Texxas Jam’s bombastic, high-energy feel was left behind. Ultimately, the Texxas Jam deserves far more recognition, not only for the sheer scale of its lineups and audiences, but for its role in sustaining rock’s mass appeal during a time of cultural transition.
It was a true celebration of classic rock at its commercial and cultural peak, embodying the spirit of an era that now commands nostalgia, but not always respect.
