Woodstock/Bloodstock

July 25^th – Couldn’t have been a better research project if they’d tried, trouble was no one logged the results; pity. Never go back; those are the watchwords…

1969 – Billed as 3 Days of Peace and Love, the Woodstock festival at Bethel boasted a stellar line-up of musicians and an opportunity for people to stand together on the cusp of an event that would change history. In an effort to avoid possible problems with the number of people going to the gig the fence that had originally been erected round the site was cut the night before it opened making it, ostensibly, a free festival. 400,000 attended, and apart from the perennial problem of poor sanitation, there were only two fatalities; one heroin o/d (bless) and someone who was sleeping in a field and was run over by a tractor (also bless).

1969: The main interest for me (in my sad and searching way) is how the social and spiritual mores of the time can be gleaned from the list of performers on the one stage used; ‘cos it was about the music, not about the money. If you feel the urge to get a deeper understanding of the vibe back then source some of the following and listen to their music; it’s an excellent testimony to the mindset of the flower-power generation; innocent, naïve, well-meaning, unprepared, off beam…all of these things and more…

Day 1 – Richie Havens – Swami Satchidananda – Sweetwater – Bert Sommer – Tim Hardin – Ravi Shankar – Melanie – Arlo Guthrie – Joan Baez.

Day 2 – Quill – Country Joe McDonald – Santana – John Sebastion – Keef Hartley Band – The Incredible String Band – Canned Heat – Mountain – Grateful Dead – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Janis Joplin – Sly & the Family Stone – The Who – Jefferson Airplane.

Day 3 – Joe Cocker and the Grease Band – Country Joe and the Fish – Ten Years After – The Band – Johnny Winter – Blood, Sweat & Tears – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Sha-Na-Na – Jimi Hendrix.

There you have it. An eclectic mix of musical styles and tastes reflecting the political, social and moral landscape of the time, detailing the ordinary person’s dissatisfaction with the status quo, what was required to change it for the better (as long as we could take the drugs along with us) and including a reference point as to what direction the journey should take and where the destination was. Can do no better than quote Max Yasgur, who owned the site where the event took place:

“Nearly half a million people, with the possibilities of disaster, riot, looting, and catastrophe, spent the three days with only music and peace on their minds. If we join them, we can turn those adversities that are the problems of America today into a hope for a brighter and more peaceful future.”

What fun it would be to recreate that marvelous time and…do it again in 1999! Should’ve listened to the watchwords;

Never go back.

1999: The main interest for me (in my sad and searching way) is how the social and spiritual mores of the time can be gleaned from the way the music festival was organised post-punk, post-Thatcher and into full-on sleb-life. The overriding feeling permeating the 1999 Woodstock Festival held on this day at Griffiss Air Force Base was one of violence and hatred. Where there was once one stage now there were four – charge more. Punters were charged $150 ($6.50 in 1969 – later free) and no food or drink was allowed to be brought in; you had to buy inside at vastly inflated prices. There you have it. An eclectic mix of shysters, rogues and money-men reflecting the political, social and moral landscape of the time…

On the third day overpriced water, overflowing toilets and the central theme of the bands playing being one of smash your way to a future of selfish wealth, rioting broke out leading MTV to call it Apocalypse Woodstock. Riots, fires, rape, death and poisoning from polluted water marked the end of the modern, 1999 Woodstock. Can do no better than quote Kurt Loder, MTV reporter covering the event:

“It was dangerous to be around. The whole scene was scary. There were just waves of hatred bouncing around the place. It was clear we had to get out of there… It was like a concentration camp. To get in, you get frisked to make sure you’re not bringing in any water or food that would prevent you from buying from their outrageously priced booths. You wallow around in garbage and human waste. There was a palpable mood of anger.”

Good to be back…