This is great stuff-—I just finished writing some of this in my newest book, “Eight Events That Changed America.” It’s noteworthy that Daltry said Hitler was “right for the German people at the time,” and was “really marvellous.” Of course, he went “mad” later, but at the time he was fine. LOL.
2 1/2 hours set = a lot of work especially in the middle of the night. The rest of the groups at Woodstock were largely sh*t.
Frankly I’ve found Michael Lang to heavily overstate his role in this fiasco. He parlayed his “fame” into operations on the subsequent Altamont Speedway Rolling Stones fiasco and the riotous 1999 Woodstock.
There was arson and looting at the 1969 “peace and love” fest too.
I may get around to reading this account some day but may have gotten my fill from reading:
“Young Men With Unlimited Capital: The Story of Woodstock” by Joel Rosenman, John Roberts, Robert Pilpel (the men who originated and invested in the Woodstock project)
and
Woodstock: An Inside Look at the Movie That Shook Up the World and Defined a Generation by Dale Bell (about the filmcrew that shot the footage)
Famous radicals (Abbie Hoffman and the Black Panthers) engaged in savage thugary to exort many dollars out of the promoters (they threatened to riot and cause problems if they weren’t given $10,000 and booth space, well look what happened, they were paid off and the fences were trashed anyway, the burger guy had his booth burned down by hippies, and someone who’s name elludes me tried to forcibly steal the film crews’ borrowed equipment)
All in all, the history of this event is overstated (while other music festivals have been cast to the dustbin of history). It changed the way the MUSIC INDUSTRY looked at bands and led us to the current path of $85 tickets and stadium shows. Yeah, wooooo!
Ever wonder why you don’t hear anything good on the radio anymore? It isn’t the talent pool, it’s the suits.
The Who put together such a kick ass set that night. The rest of the time, the crowd had to listen to crap like Country Joe and the Fish.
We are all for peace, luv and understanding...except if you interupt my set!!!
The people at Woodstock really were a bunch of hypocrites claiming a cosmic revolution simply because they took over a field, broke down some fences, imbibed bad acid, and then tried to run out without paying the bands.
...Substitute “Hope and Change” for Cosmic Revolution...
... and it sounds like a bunch of Obama Voters....
I hope in 2012, We won’t get Fooled Again!!!!
Would have been a great place for a tactical nuke.
The who are the most tantalizing story I think in Rock. At one point Townsend goes stark raving mad while trying to do In search of the lost chord. Later he’s caught with child porn doing “research” on this and that. He clocks Abbie Hoffman in the head with his guitar.
On the other hand he just exudes normality on another level. I read an article about how he can ride the Tube in London in virtual anonymity. When I was in college he played our town and someone caught them at a local hotel talking like English Country Gentlemen, how they couldn’t wait to get back to England and resume their roles of Country Squires.
Townsend has always been a mix of “really out there” and “super normal” in curious and surprising ways.
Please NO MORE WOODSTOCK festivals!!
Not after the grotesque imagery of gen X’ers confusing hedonistic immoral debauchery with the original ‘peace-n-love’ festival
A photo of me at the Woodstock Festival (August, 1969)
The Glastonbury Festival is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. It takes place on the last weekend of June. More than 170 thousand people attended the festival with more than 300 live performances.
2009 .. all you needed were Wellies!
In Target they run an ad on the TV’s for the remix of Woodstock by Martin Scrosese. I like a lot of his work but I could not be bother to watch this except maybe The Who. Dirty spoiled and self important hippies.
I like John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols (SP) because he despised hippies including Richard Branson (aka Weirdy Beardy) who’s Virgin label was their final home.
Lydon is a real libertarian and liked Newt. Only band that had an anti-abortion song (Bodies) which he claimed was neither pro or anti just pro-responsibility. Imagine that - the most famous punk band ever at about 18 years old writing & singing songs about personal responsibility while hippie bands preached the opposite!
” WHAM! Townshend, turning back to the audience and seeing Abbie at his mic, whacked him in the head with his guitar. “
From all I’ve read and heard this is a myth . Townshend booted him in the ass HARD sending him flying . He never hit Hoffman over the head with a guitar . Lang keeping the myth alive to add more spice to his novel . Even Hoffman himself said that Townshend didn’t hit him with a guitar .