Woodstock: 45 Years Later

45 years ago today, perhaps the most iconic event in music history began on a dairy farm owned by Max Yasgur in Bethel, New York. To Millennials like myself, Woodstock is the stuff of legend, a mysterious weekend of music featuring many artists who now also only exist as legends, the likes of which has never been and will never be experienced, while to those who attended the magical festival, its legacy lives on through their memories and ideals. August 15-18, 1969 will forever be etched into the world of music, especially rock & roll, and now let's take a deeper look into the amazing weekend. Also, make sure to check out a special playlist of YouTube videos of performances from the iconic festival!

Crowd Photo - Woodstock 1969

Woodstock was the brainchild of four entrepreneurs: Michael Lang (promoter, Miami Pop Festival); John Roberts; Joel Rosenman; and Artie Kornfield. While an outdoor music festival, especially one as large as the final result, was not in the initial plan for the venture, the idea slowly built from a recording session into a festival. The first act to sign was Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), and after that, all the big names of the time jumped on board the venture. 

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Woodstock 1969

The venture also had some issues with the location of the festival. Originally, the event was planned to take place at Mills Industrial Park in Wallkill, New York, and town officials were assured that no more than 50,000 would be in attendance. Town residents vehemently opposed the festival and enacted laws which eventually banned the festival from the location. Eventually, the event was moved to Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, although the promoters still promised under 50,000 in attendance, despite backlash from other town residents.

Janis Joplin - Woodstock 1969

Despite many logistical catastrophes, such as massive traffic jams, way more attendees than expected resulting in insufficient first aid and sanitation, rain delays causing the festival to extend into Monday morning, and two deaths, most people in attendance, including Mr. Yasgur, saw the weekend as a success and a "victory for peace and love." The sound engineer Bill Hanley is quoted saying that the sound system "...worked very well." And, of course, the music was unbelievable.

Stage Photo - Woodstock 1969

Friday, August 15, 1969 performers included:

• Richie Havens
• Ravi Shankar
• Arlo Guthrie
• Joan Baez

Joe Cocker - Woodstock 1969

Saturday August 16, 1969 (into Sunday morning) performers included:

• Country Joe McDonald
• Santana
• Canned Heat
• Mountain
• Grateful Dead
• CCR
• Janis Joplin w/The Kozmic Blues Band
• Sly & The Family Stone
• The Who
• Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane - Woodstock 1969

Sunday August 17 (into Monday morning) performers included:

• 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
• Jimi Hendrix/Gypsy Sun and Rainbows

Jimi Hendrix - Woodstock 1969

Many of these performances are considered to be some of the best in rock & roll history. While the music was a huge success, Woodstock Ventures incurred $1.4 million in debt and faced approximately 80 lawsuits following the festival. Mr. Yasgur turned down the offer to host the festival again in 1970 to resume his life as a dairy farmer, while Bethel residents voted out their supervisor in a November 1969 election because of his part in bringing Woodstock to their town, and New York state and Bethel passed mass gathering laws in order to prevent future festivals. Fortunately for Woodstock Ventures, profits from the Woodstock movie, released in 1970, financed legal settlements and debt.

Santana - Woodstock 1969

Today, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts sits on the original site of Woodstock, which opened in 2006, as well as the Museum at Bethel Woods, which opened in 2008. There is also a plaque on the site, set there in 1984, commemorating the festival. A 40th Anniversary event was held in 2009, featuring the largest gathering of Woodstock alumni since the festival itself, and there is talk of a big 50th Anniversary celebration in the works for 2019.

Current Site - Woodstock Music Festival