May 28, 1983: The US Festival Lineup Is Incredible

The desert heat was brutal. The dust was everywhere. And for four days in 1983, the middle of Southern California became the center of the music universe.

The US Festival kicked off on May 28th, 1983 at Glen Helen Regional Park near Devore, California. The massive event was the brainchild of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who wanted to blend technology, music, and community into one giant cultural gathering. Wozniak believed the self-focused “Me Generation” of the ’70s needed to evolve into something more connected in the ’80s. So he opened his wallet and built one of the biggest temporary concert stages ever assembled.

The festival pulled in an estimated 670,000 people over four days and featured some of the biggest bands on the planet.

Saturday’s “New Wave Day” included:

• INXS
• Oingo Boingo
• A Flock of Seagulls
• Stray Cats
• Men at Work
• The Clash

Sunday became legendary as “Heavy Metal Day” with:

• Quiet Riot
• Mötley Crüe
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Judas Priest
• Scorpions
• Van Halen

Monday’s “Rock Day” featured:

• U2
• The Pretenders
• Stevie Nicks
• Joe Walsh
• David Bowie

Then Country Day followed on June 4th with:

• Willie Nelson
• Waylon Jennings
• Alabama
• Hank Williams Jr.
• Ricky Skaggs

Years before Live Aid became known as the giant global charity concert, the US Festival proved massive multi-day music events could work on a gigantic scale. It mixed genres, technology, giant crowds, and superstar lineups in a way few festivals had attempted before.

Financially, it was a disaster. Wozniak reportedly lost around $12 million. But culturally, the US Festival helped lay the blueprint for modern mega-festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo.

It also produced one of the most talked-about performance paydays in rock history. Van Halen reportedly earned $1.5 million for a single set, an almost unbelievable number in 1983.

For one long, loud weekend in the California heat, the future of live music arrived early.

Doug O’Brien