The 16 Most Iconic Hard Rock + Metal Festival Lineups of the 20th Century

The only thing better than a good rock or metal concert is a rock and metal festival. Seeing several heavy artists play in one day or across the span of several days is the ultimate way to get your metal fix in.

The history of music festivals is a bit of a complex one, considering most people think Woodstock was the first of its kind. Prior to the 1969 weekend of peace and love, there was the Newport Jazz Festival in the mid-50s, the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and other lesser known events scattered between.

Once the British wave of heavy metal made its way over to the U.S. in the late '60s and early '70s, bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath attracted massive crowds to venues, proving how powerful rock and metal shows actually were. As more metal bands started making their way onto the scene, the idea of having several of them play the same bill became that much more appealing.

Now, new festivals are popping up all over the place and occur nearly all year long, but they weren't as frequent prior to the 21st century. Scroll below to see posters of iconic rock and metal festival lineups that took place in the '70s, '80s and '90s, with the biggest names from each bill getting an honorable mention.