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So, yes, I have always had a fascination with the Woodstock concert that took place years before I was even born.
It's just that, in the history of rock 'n roll, I cannot think of a better candidate than this event as the best concert in history. It had pure genius in terms of talent and big names. Hell, it created some big names. And the level of creativity, both on and off the stage, was virtually unparalleled in recent history.
Woodstock also came to represent something far more, and far greater. It seemed to offer a glimpse of what a more idealistic world might look like - a world of well-mannered, and highly idealistic (if unorthodox) young people. Maybe they were dismissed as crude by some people's viewpoints, but almost everything that they did and were had some symbolic significance to it. And remember, this was not long after the age of conformity yielded to the turbulence of the sixties.
It has been suggested that the violence of Altamont concert a few months after Woodstock was the unofficial, but de facto, end of the sixties. But it should have ended with Woodstock, which truly lived up to it's billing as three days of peace, love, and music.
Woodstock was different. It transcended even the Monterey Music Festival the year before, which was the real "Woodstock" of the West Coast, as opposed to the disastrous Altamount Music Festival, which ended in death and tragedy.
There was a spirit at Woodstock that can still be felt. You can feel it when you come to this place, this hallowed ground, on many levels. You can feel it when you see pictures, when you watch the movie that was devoted to this event, when you see the pictures and images that have lasted through the years and decades, and especially when you hear the music. Musicians still often speak of this place with some measure of awe and reverence, a definite sign of unconditional respect for the creativity and musical genius that, for a short while on an extended weekend in August of 1969, became the focal point of much of the world's attention, and the capital of musical and artistic expression in that period that, de facto, marked the end of the "Summer of Love".
Woodstock's greatness transcends that of pretty much any other concert, because it was not simply one group. There were numerous groups that put on a display of brilliance, in some cases (such as Santana), making a name for themselves that would last many, many decades.
And there was strong creativity off the stage as well, all the while remaining well behaved and peaceful, when most people expected some kind of disaster or other.
Simply put, Woodstock was the first major music festival to go that well (although Monterey deserves honorary mention, as well), and it gave rise to the very notion of days long music festivals, which have since gravitated away from the United States, and figure more prominently in Europe.
Also, again, Woodstock was the best that the influential hippie movement showed. It showed creative brilliance, as opposed to boring conformity, and with a focus on peace and acceptance of other people and ideas, instead of the Cold War mindset of chess matches, with other countries and peoples as pawns, and the endless arms race and constant build up and spending. Woodstock offered the country an alternative, something unique that nobody had ever seen the likes of. It is a testament of that time and place that people still remember it almost half a century later.
One of the standout artists there was Santana. He was just a young kid at the time, but the music offered something new as well. His growing reputation exploded at Woodstock, and has lasted ever since. This is one of the most successful artists in history, having sold over 100 million albums!
So, it really means something when Santana returns to the grounds of the legendary concert that, for all intents and purposes, helped him to break big. And that is exactly what Santana did this past Sunday night, as he played at the new Bethel Woods concert facility, in honor of the 45th anniversary of perhaps the biggest concert in history.
For me, this concert was a rare opportunity to see a legendary artist that I had never seen before, at the place which not only had a lot of history, but with the featured artist being a big part of that history.
Now, here, I have to give an admission of sorts: back in 1997, I had the opportunity to finally see Santana. In fact, I had tickets in my hand, bought and paid for. Yet, I did not wind up going to see that show, because another one came up that had me scrambling to see that show. Particularly, it was the Animals II (that was what they were called, and featured some of the original band members, sans Eric Burdon), the Yardbirds II (also featuring some of the original members), the Grass Roots, and I think, Gary Puckett. Being a huge fan of the Animals, and a fair fan of some of those other artists, I opted to do what most people would never dream of -go to Brooklyn to see that concert, rather than Santana.
Since then, not having seen Santana felt like a blemish on my concert record, so to speak. This concert at Bethel Woods/Woodstock would remedy that in a big way.
We arrived just on time, essentially. Fortunately, we found an alternative way to go then previous trips, and this one took us right by the field where the Woodstock festival actually took place. That felt like a treat. But a lot of people were arriving, and the grass fields that served as the parking area (we were not on the side of the paved lots) were filling up fast. Remembering my experiences with getting out of the concert from the time that I took my father to see Ringo here four or so years ago, there was a sense of foreboding sense that it would take forever to get out of here later in the evening, after the show.
But, that would be later. First, it was time for the show.
We walked over, and were pleasantly surprised by how smoothly getting into the venue was. No long waits in line for a security check, or for getting our tickets scanned. We got our lawn chairs, and found a suitable place, just as the show was beginning.
Santana opened with Soul Sacrifice, one of the songs that he performed at Woodstock, with old video clips from the Woodstock performance. Then, he played La flaca, a track from his most recent album, Corazón, with images from the video that he released for the song.
I was a bit surprised at how early on he began playing some of his better known pieces, including Black Magic Woman, and Oye como va, the famous and iconic cover of Tito Puente's song from the sixties. Obviously, these got a strong reaction from the audience.
At some point, Carlos Santana took the microphone, and addressed the crowd personally, right away mentioning the figurative elephant in the room - his famous appearance at Woodstock.
In fact, this was his third time playing "Woodstock" (not sure if he was referring to his performance at the 1994 "Woodstock", or his more recent appearance at Bethel Woods, some years back). He said that the first time, "we were trying to elevate ourselves". The second time, same thing, they were just trying to elevate themselves. This third time, they were trying to continue elevating themselves.
The musicianship on display was incredible, with wicked guitar solos, bass solos, and drum solos from various artists scattered throughout the show. It really was a tour de force of musical ability, creativity, and talent. During the course of the night, there were tags to songs that honored other musicians, including John Lennon (an awesome sounding bass solo of Lennon's beautiful and immortal "Imagine"), Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and the Police (and perhaps some others).
The crowd jumped to it's feet with the first chords of Smooth, which the band closed the first set with an elongated version of the famous hit song, which to my knowledge, remains the only song that Santana officially had a number one hit with.
Of course, they came out for an encore, and played a bit more to keep the night going, ultimately concluding with Saideira, the opening track to Corazón.
It ended there, and indeed, there was a sense that a little of the old spirit of Woodstock came to revisit that evening. What a night!
But the night was not over. Unfortunately, the rest was far less pleasant. Indeed, the parking situation was a nightmare, and it was well over an hour after the show ended before we were able to really get moving, and out of the venue.
I really loved this show, and the other shows that I have seen here (Ringo in 2010, and Colin Haye in 2013), and love the historic venue of the old Woodstock grounds. But it just seems that they should do something to alleviate the horrible traffic congestion after these big shows. It just feels like it's too long, and not the way that you want to end an otherwise magical night.
Overall, though, a great and memorable night!
Here are some pictures:
Here, according to setlistfm.com, was the setlist for the show (http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/santana/2014/bethel-woods-center-for-the-arts-bethel-ny-4bc07752.html):
La flaca
Batuka / No One to Depend On (with "Saja" intro)
Everybody's Everything
Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen
Oye como va (Tito Puente cover)
Maria Maria
Foo Foo
Corazón espinado
Samba pa ti
Hope You're Feeling Better (Da Le) Yaleo
The River
Smooth / Dame tu amor
Encore:
Peace / Jingo
Saideira
www.bethelwoodscenter.org/bwevents/eventdetail.aspx?id=470
I found this review of the show, which was helpful in completing this blog entry:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140616/ENTERTAIN/140619750
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