Celebrating 40 years of bad acid, dirty hippies, and oh yes, fantastic music
By NICK TAVARES
STATIC and FEEDBACK editor
Forty years ago this weekend, about 500,000 music fans of questionable morals gathered on a pig farmer's lot for a few days while a daunting lineup of musical talent entertained them for a nominal fee (in the concert-goers case, it was free).
While the actual historical impact of this event can be questioned (it did not, in fact, bring about world peace, nor was much social change actually brought on by the event), what can't be argued is its place in music lore. The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, held on Max Yasgur's farm on Aug. 15 to 18, 1969, will forever stand as the greatest music festival of all time. Food and water were scarce, but there were remarkably few incidents to report.
And, of course, most of the music is incredible, and that's what has been remembered all these years. True enough, I had another 13 years in the spirit realm when the festival took place, and even I have been able to reap the benefits of what took place that weekend. What's been said about Woodstock has been said, so I'd like to take this time to highlight some of my favorite moments from the festival. There are plenty of artifacts to better document it (check out this and this, for example), but consider this a fun sampler for your weekend.
1. Richie Havens: "Freedom"
2. John Sebastian: "Darlin', Be Home Soon"
3. Santana: "Soul Sacrifice"
4. Canned Heat: "Woodstock Boogie"
5. Janis Joplin: "I Can't Turn You Loose"
6. Sly & the Family Stone: "I Want to Take You Higher"
7. The Who: "See Me, Feel Me"
8. Joe Cocker: "With A Little Help From My Friends"
9. Ten Years After: "I'm Going Home"
10. Jimi Hendrix: "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
E-mail Nick Tavares at nick@staticandfeedback.com
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