Why Woodstock 1969 Is the Only Show Worthy of the Name

 

Still posting blog entries commemorating the 54th anniversary of Woodstock. Today, specifically, is the 54th anniversary of Day Three of Woodstock, which was supposed to be the final day. Obviously, since it went on until Monday morning, when Jimi Hendrix wrapped it up early in the morning with his legendary performance, it was not extremely well organized.

Yet, Woodstock is remembered, even more than half a century later. That is an impressive feat, and perhaps even more so because it did not include any of the three biggest and most defining musical acts of the 1960's. The Beatles were not there, nor were the Rolling Stones, nor was Bob Dylan, even though this concert happened relatively close to his backyard. 

In any case, Woodstock has continued to serve almost as a shining example of what that generation could be, and what musical festivals could be at their best. It was relatively peaceful, with some largely forgotten exceptions. And the brilliance of the art and creativity and music, both on the stage and off of it, is the stuff of legend. 

So successful was it, that they tried to do it again. They did, and it was relatively successful, in 1994, although I also understand that the profit motive was more shameless and extreme that time around than it was in '69. And then, of course, the 1999 Woodstock proved to be disastrous, with horror stories of violence and rapes and riots and even deaths coming from there. The 2019 Woodstock, which was supposed to be the 50th anniversary one, never even really got off the ground, since it was too disorganized. To me, that makes me feel like the original one was a one time thing, and any attempts to truly replicate it are inevitably going to fall short. 

Below is a link to an article about why and how Woodstock became the legendary - almost mythologized - concert that it has become since. Take a look by clicking on the link below:

5 Reasons Why Woodstock ’69 Became Legendary The Woodstock music festival was not a smoothly-run event, but it was electrified with moments—musical and otherwise—that made it unforgettable. BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS  UPDATED: AUGUST 13, 2021 | ORIGINAL: AUGUST 15, 2019

https://www.history.com/news/woodstock-memorable-moments?fbclid=IwAR0uwCj2bKR-K-QkZriKBvFA_RAI009hPD-FsQUMVKNpvTzC0m-66oW6PF8