Woodstock Turns 50
Where were you in ’69? If you were a music lover, and old enough, maybe in a field in the Catskill Mountains. And you certainly weren’t alone. It was you and more than 400,000 of your closest friends, hanging out at Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel NY, listening to more than 30 acts.
The original incarnation of Woodstock spawned two official “sequels.” Woodstock 1994, billed as “Two More Days of Peace and Music,” featured Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Candlebox alongside alumni of the original gathering. Five years later, Woodstock 1999 echoed Altamont more than its more peaceful predecessor, as the festival was marred with riots, arson and four alleged instances of rape.
Other events, including Woodstock ’79, a rock concert that took place at Madison Square Garden, and the so-called forgotten Woodstock in 1989, which featured Wavy Gravy, Jimi Hendrix’s father Al and local Woodstock performers, were also staged, but not organized by the festival’s original promoter Michael Lang.
In 2009, Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Canned Heat and Ten Years After embarked on the Heroes of Woodstock tour to celebrate the festival’s 40th anniversary. The Lovin’ Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, Edgar Winter, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Country Joe Mcdonald also appeared on various stops of the tour.
While organizers of the original Woodstock have no plans to celebrate the landmark festival’s 45th anniversary this August, Lang has revealed plans for a possible 50th anniversary concert in 2019.
I was not at the original event, being wayyy to young, or any of the follow ups, But if this happens in 2019, I really would think about it. How about you?
Keep Rockin’ – Tejay
