Posted on 08/15/2019 9:56:56 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
For an event described as an Aquarian exposition, its origins were remarkably mercenary. Two men, one a pharmaceutical heir, placed an ad in The New York Times: “Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions.” They eventually partnered with a record company executive and the promoter of the relatively small Miami Pop Festival. When plans for a music studio in Woodstock, New York, went awry, the quartet settled on the idea of an art and music festival.
Established food vendors wanted nothing to do with Woodstock, so the promoters hired an inexperienced group called “Food For Love.” As their supplies ran out, they naturally increased prices, which resulted in angry mobs burning down two concession stands.
There were only 600 toilets on site, meaning there were as few as one for every 833 attendees.
Two of those involuntarily dosed with LSD were The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, both of whom have had bad things to say about Woodstock over the ensuing decades.
The Grateful Dead received electrical shocks during their rainy set; guitarist Bob Weir has spoken of trying to live it down, while drummer Mickey Hart claimed it was “the worst we ever played.”
Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick succinctly described Woodstock as “a bunch of stupid slobs in the mud.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...
I had the Life magazine issue from Woodstock. I gave it as a Xmas gift to a boyfriend 15 yrs later. Wish I had kept it. It’s worth something.
I hate to tell Warren Henry that whole era was a bad trip for boomers as the govt was in the process of getting 50,000 people our age killed in a useless war in a tiny country in Asia. Woodstock was a one week distraction where we took our minds off the horror.
Yes it was. Recently some neighbor who throws everything at the curb, threw out the Jimi Hendrix cd from Woodstock. I got it. Love it. Daughter borrows it. These fools also threw out Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater, Tom Petty, Stones. I took them all!
Jimi Hendrix was the last performer at the festival but that wasn’t the original plan. Original set up wanted Roy Rogers;
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/woodstock-producer-roy-rogers-not-hendrix-could-have-closed
Almost never mentioned in the history of Woodstock is who brought in the food. A group of nuns are credited as supplying some, but a large amount of it was brought in courtesy of the New York Army National Guard.
I was 14 years old that weekend. Life was good.
oh no doubt- collectors would quickly snatch something like that up- but woudl be cool to have and keep too-
Every time Weir touched his Guitar he got a JOLT. This was right before the rainstorm. They only played 5 numbers from what I heard..
Hendrix wanted to be last. They tried to talk him out of it thinking no one would be left. Hendrix paid his back up members 500 bucks each.
I thought i was marrying the guy. Stupid me.
closest i ever got to woodstock was going to grateful dead concert- don’t remember much about it lol
It was amazing. Also, I’ve always despised Grace Slick.
in the process of getting 50,000 people our age killed in a useless war in a tiny country in Asia.
That may be your view.
I do not believe Americans, many Vietnamese and others died uselessly.
Not something I care to dwell on or attempt to argue.
I was there for thirty months and have visible scars to show for it.
Does that refute your position, no.
Simply a statement on my position.
The military helicopters brought in doctors and medics who worked for free.
On PBS, they showed a list of medical ailments that were treated. Everything you can think of, from a raccoon bite, to eleven rat bites, from issues dealing with pregnant women, people with pneumonia, etc.
A tan-colored civilian helicopter brought in tons of food.
The good people of Bethel, N.Y. and other communities heard that “the kids were hungry” and they cleared out their cupboards. The documentary showed interviews with older people....middle-aged and above....who said they believed in helping strangers in need.
It was an egg producing area, so the local farmers put out the word and gathered up 400,000 eggs, hardboiled them, and sent them over by helicopter to the music festival.
There was no mud on Friday and Saturday; that happened in the aftermath of a massive squall that went through the area on Sunday and caused one helluva mess.
<< drummer Mickey Hart claimed it was “the worst we ever played.” >>
I think I’ve only heard Dark Star from the Dead’s Woodstock set, and it wasn’t bad. Curious about the rest of the set now, cuz the competition for the worst they ever played is pretty stiff.
yeah we’ve all done things we regret- we don’t have the benefit of foresight unfortunately-
God bless you brother.
Yep..
After almost 60 years there are still folks giving shit to those who served
Bless you
Woodstock was the conception of what has evolved to be the snowflake generation - the promoters couldn’t get their fence up fast enough to make it a pay-for event, and everybody ended up getting in for free - they subsisted on free food donated by nearby businesses and farms, and took advantage of free medical care provide by the state when authorities saw the numbers of bad trips rising - the kids felt that finally they were in a safe place where everybody thought the same way they did and wouldn’t criticize or judge them, and many saw attending as a way of defying their parents - because they managed to survive three days of freebies in an atmosphere where everybody felt and thought the same, they believed they had found the way to a peaceful and joyful future and could and would change the world - it was the beginning of a long arc of self-righteousness, self-adulation, and self-importance among the lefties.......
Woodstock was the conception of what has evolved to be the snowflake generation - the promoters couldn’t get their fence up fast enough to make it a pay-for event, and everybody ended up getting in for free - they subsisted on free food donated by nearby businesses and farms,
BINGO!
And the whole thing was a myth viewed through rose (rainbow)colored glasses.
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