It was the Summer of '69...Part 4

I have taken everyone on a bit of a journey through the summer of 1969. I have looked at the Stonewall Riots as a stepping stone in the gay rights movement. I talked about man going to the moon and taking us to another level in terms of space exploration. And I went through the detailed nature of the Manson family murders. One cannot think or talk about the summer of 40 years ago without also talking about the famous Woodstock concert. Just as three previous events were historic or everlasting for one reason or another, Woodstock falls right into that same group. Nothing of its size or sorts had really ever occurred and nothing has seemed to match it since despite summer concerts and tours. There was something different about this concert. It was not only a celebration of music, but more importantly a statement by a very large amount of the youth of America. As stated in previous posts, the mood of the country had a bit of an anti-establishment feel. The hippy culture was imminently popular and Woodstock would the culmination of the later part of the 1960s and what transpired for four days in August have stood the test of time. What exactly has made this event stand that test of time? A good look may shine some light on "what was happening there" and then.

Woodstock festival (August 15-17, 1969)

The idea and concept of Woodstock would span from the combine efforts of four men: Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, and Artie Kornfeld. The four got together and discussed a retreat-like recording studio in Woodstock. However, this idea would branch out and evolve into an outdoor music and arts festival. Even this bigger idea was not envisioned to be that large and possibly feature some big names that were from areas close to Woodstock. In April 1969, after some uncertainties; the group landed new superstars Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) and that would lead to others jumping on board. Woodstock began as a profit-making venture, but soon would become a free concert when the four men realized that there were going to be hundreds of thousands more people than they had envisioned. This free event was made profitable by a movie offer from Warner Bros.

The concert itself was scheduled to take place at the 300-acre Mills Industrial Park in Orange County, New York. By July 1969, the town residents were uncertain about how big this would be and by the 15th, the concert was banned on the basis that the planned portable toilets would not meet town code. The next option would be Elliot Tiber's offer of his 15 acre property in Bethel, New York. This option would fail too based on the space not being enough. Tiber would lead the men to Max Yasgur, a dairy farmer, who would agree; for a price; to rent 600 acres to the four organizers. By August 15, 1969, things were about to start; whether the four men were ready or not. More people than they planned were not only coming, but coming earlier than planned. In addition to the size of the crowd; traffic was basically at a standstill from New York City up to northeastern New York state, recent rain would cause muddy roads and fields, the facilities were not equipped to provide the proper sanitation and first aid for the number of people. By the 17th, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller called Roberts about bringing up 10,000 New York State National Guard troops. Roberts was able to dissuade him against such an act.



Despite some chaos and the number of people, the festival was running overall peacefully. Unfortunately, though, there were two recorded deaths: one from a believed heroin overdose and the other from an accident involving a tractor running over someone sleeping in the haystacks. Some of over 30 acts that performed over the multi-day festival included: Ravi Shankar, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, and Jimi Hendrix. Despite such a star-studded lineup of performers; the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. Some who didn't appear would do another smaller event a few weeks later. The event would last from the 15th to the 18th.

As many who went and those who performed, there were no signs that this event called Woodstock would become what it has become in terms of its importance 40 years later. For that reason, outside of mostly local media, there was not too much media coverage. Many who were against the festival wanted the media to promote negativity about the event despite its peace and love and lack of violence. Woodstock truly was a counterculture event and young people being truly free, which obviously made many adults very uneasy. Residents of Bethel took every effort to prevent such an event from ever occurring again in their backyard. They would kick out the mayor and keep people from even visiting. However, 20,000 people were not discouraged in 1989 as they celebrated the 20th anniversary. Over the years, Bethel has become open to what Woodstock was and have formed a kinship with the town of Woodstock and promote the event and its historical importance. Plagues and memorials and monuments have been put up. The field and stage area have remained virtually unchanged. To commemorate the 40th anniversary, in early August they had what was the biggest congregation return to the farm land for performances and celebrations including some original acts and a lot of alumni of the event.

Woodstock truly was a once and lifetime type of event and its purpose and when it occurred have made it become what it is today 40 years later. There was peace, love, and happiness and a new generation was making their statement. What started as a small idea and big dream by four men turned into one of the biggest events of the last half century. It provided an escape from a generation that was tired of the norm and the lies "the older generation" was feeding them. It goes to show that every generation the youth make a statement. For the baby boomers, this was quite possibly their defining moment. They stood up for what they wanted and did it peacefully. They prove all the doubters wrong and in the process did something that has enlightened us for 40 years now.





The summer of 1969 was 40 years ago now, but unlike many summers since; it has given us lasting impacts from the events of that year. The summer was so eventful and impactful that it took me four posts to cover it all justly. The Stonewall Riots in June of 1969 gave us the early stages of the gay rights movement. The mission to moon and men walking on the moon in July 1969 launched our scientific and space imaginations to new levels. Then of course August 1969 gave us cultural memories on both good and bad levels. In the earlier part of the month, the country was witness to the actions of Charles Manson and his followers. However, the Woodstock festival in the middle of the month allowed the summer to end on a peaceful note. The summer represented a changing of times as well as a bit of summary and end note to the decade that was the 1960s. Not many years, let alone summers; have given us such memories that have been able to last 40 years and have kept us wondering all these years later.