3 Days of Peace, Music, & History In The Making
Laura Carpenter
Issue date: 9/1/09 Section: Arts & Culture
Some events remain part of the world's collective consciousness - 9/11, the moon landing, D-day and the recent presidential election. Whether positive or negative, these events conjure up feelings that seem hard to ignore. Woodstock, by reputation, seems one such event. Last month marked the 40th anniversary of this iconic festival. Probably the hip predecessor to all musical celebrations, Woodstock claims the distinction of being the first well-known rock n' roll festival. Move over Lollapalooza and give Woodstock its due.
Most of the baby-boomer generation who attended the concert now play with grandkids or use senior citizen's discounts, but the legacy they left behind remains undeniably one of peace and love. Estimated at 500,000, concert goers jammed the farm in rural, Bethel, N.Y for an extravaganza featuring Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joe Cocker and more. It seems playing at Woodstock gave many performers more credibility - many of them perform today and most of the music from the festival still gets airtime on radio stations.
Watching video from Woodstock today viewers see music, mud (it rained most of the concert), and people. It's those people that illustrate best what the day meant. Peaceful is the way to describe how the day unfolded. Although, according to records one person sleeping on a farm close by was run over by a tractor, overall the festival consisted of very little calamity. Food seemed in short supply and the rain came down, but no one went to jail. Granted no one sold $6 bottles of water and $150 tickets - according to the July edition of Elmore Magazine, Woodstock tickets cost $6 - but the groovy concert goers managed to keep the goodwill moving.
The longevity of Woodstock seems undeniable. Through the years books, cds, and videos flooded the market place, continuing to illustrate its stayability. In fact a new movie, Taking Woodstock, directed by Ang Lee and starring Henry Goodman, Emile Hirsh and Comedy Central's Demetri Martin revists the concert. On the Aug. 19 Colbert Report Lee explained why he chose to do a movie about Woodstock, "I did six tragedies in a row. I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to do a comedy about peace, love and all that good stuff."
Most of the baby-boomer generation who attended the concert now play with grandkids or use senior citizen's discounts, but the legacy they left behind remains undeniably one of peace and love. Estimated at 500,000, concert goers jammed the farm in rural, Bethel, N.Y for an extravaganza featuring Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joe Cocker and more. It seems playing at Woodstock gave many performers more credibility - many of them perform today and most of the music from the festival still gets airtime on radio stations.
Watching video from Woodstock today viewers see music, mud (it rained most of the concert), and people. It's those people that illustrate best what the day meant. Peaceful is the way to describe how the day unfolded. Although, according to records one person sleeping on a farm close by was run over by a tractor, overall the festival consisted of very little calamity. Food seemed in short supply and the rain came down, but no one went to jail. Granted no one sold $6 bottles of water and $150 tickets - according to the July edition of Elmore Magazine, Woodstock tickets cost $6 - but the groovy concert goers managed to keep the goodwill moving.
The longevity of Woodstock seems undeniable. Through the years books, cds, and videos flooded the market place, continuing to illustrate its stayability. In fact a new movie, Taking Woodstock, directed by Ang Lee and starring Henry Goodman, Emile Hirsh and Comedy Central's Demetri Martin revists the concert. On the Aug. 19 Colbert Report Lee explained why he chose to do a movie about Woodstock, "I did six tragedies in a row. I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to do a comedy about peace, love and all that good stuff."
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