Woodstock 1969
Friday, August 15th
Billed as “3 days of peace, love and music”, which someone later named “3 days of drugs, rain, mud and, oh yeah, music! “The festival was a significant cultural landmark reflecting the ideals of the 1960’s counter-culture movement and its lasting impact on society and, oh yeah, music!
I, along with the half a million ‘Hippies’ who attended were experiencing a pivotal shift in modern culture. The young had different lifestyles, values and morals, priorities and ambitions compared to their parents. It was a time of serious social upheaval as the youth were making their voices heard.
Saturday, August 16th
I, along with the half a million ‘Hippies’ who attended were experiencing a pivotal shift in modern culture. The young had different lifestyles, values and morals, priorities and ambitions compared to their parents. It was a time of serious social upheaval as the youth were making their voices heard.
My personal Woodstock experience? The week before the festival, heavily advertised on my favorite radio station, I was in Pascack Valley Hospital in traction for a congenital back condition that would plague me for the rest of my life. But there was no way I was going to miss this historic event! I checked out of the hospital, dashed home and grabbed a sweater, a toothbrush and, of course (?), two boiled eggs and rustled up a ride to Yasgur’s Farm, the site of the festival.
To this day, 56 years later I can recall Richie Havens opening the show and, famously, ending his compelling set with a stirring rendition of “Freedom”. Then Ravi Shankar on sitar and his tabla player sitting cross-legged on a stage vibrating with rhythm. Next up, Arlo Guthrie followed by Joan Baez, singing her anti Vietnam war songs during a torrential downpour. Fabulous. At the end of her set I had nowhere to go, so I just lay down on the hillside where I was.
Sunday, August 17th
I was protective of my back so no sliding in the mud, no random drugs for me. Was I the only person at Woodstock who DIDN’T smoke pot or drop acid? Some kind soul covered me with a black garbage bag that offered some protection from the fearsome rain and I drifted off to sleep. I was awakened by some guy tripping over my feet. I looked up and realised in a moment of sublime synchronicity that this was a friend of mine from home. Amongst the hundreds of thousands of random people on this muddy hill what were the odds that we should accidentally connect. He invited me to his campsite, where I enjoyed the supreme luxury of sleeping alone on the back seat of his car. Day two brought us Country Joe and the Fish, revving up the crowd with
“It’s 1…2…3 what are we fighting for? Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn, next stop Vietnam! And its 5…6…7…open up the Pearly Gates! Ain’t no time to wonder why, WHOOPPEE we’re all gonna die!”
Soon, it was John Sebastian, tye dye from head to foot singing a soulful take on “Darling be home soon”. Followed by a completely unknown band, Santana, who pumped up the crowd with killer guitar and percussion from Carlos. And on…Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin and memorably, Sly and the Family Stone. All these years later I can still hear (and feel) them singing “I want to take you higher!” Later into the night another historic performance by The Who, Daltrey in his fringed leather jacket and Townshend in his white jumpsuit ripping into “see me, feel me, touch me” from the rock opera “Tommy”. Pete closed the set by smashing his guitar onto the stage as we all sat in stunned silence absorbing the electronic feed back. He leapt into the air and threw his smashed guitar into the crowd….Unheard of!!
Monday, August 18th
Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane, the San Francisco band that defined the summer of love began day 3 with saying good morning Woodstock!, before launching into crowd favorites “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love”. I distinctly remember Joe Cocker, not only for his raspy bluesy voice, but for his maniacal air guitar body contortions as he brilliantly covered the Beatles “With a Little Help from my Friends”. As he finished, yet another thunderstorm erupted and once again we were all soaked.
Chip Monck, the stage announcer and de facto Mayor of Woodstock proclaimed us “Woodstock Nation”, with the birth of a baby, the engagement of a young couple and a warning about “the brown acid”. The rain returned and caused delay after delay, but eventually a whole parade of artistes; Ten Years After, The Band, Johnny Winter, Blood Sweat & Tears, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, played through the night into the early morning hours. Soaked and tired many left before the most iconic, mind bending performance by Jimi Hendrix, most famously, really the first “out there” electrified distorted rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Wow! Jimi played the guitar behind his head, with his teeth and eventually set his Fender guitar on fire feedback a-buzzing. Truly one of the most memorable moments from a most memorable few days in upstate NY!
I returned home with a mud stained sweater, my trusty toothbrush and without those two hard boiled eggs. I had experienced the best three days of my life and had become a small part of history.