Profile + Playlist: Woodstock ‘69
Kaitlin Nunez | Profile + Playlist | USD Radio
Woodstock Playlist (Click here to listen)
In August 1969, 400,000 people gathered together in the pouring rain on a dairy farm for a weekend of “peace and music.” The Woodstock Music & Art Festival is the most famous celebration of music in history and those who attended witness historical performances by legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Who.
Created by two entrepreneurs and music studio owners, Woodstock was set to be an event to celebrate the talents of new musicians and also celebrate the success of more famous names. The venue of the event was held at a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. With the unanticipated arrival of thousands more showing up to the event without a ticket, the festival was made free and became a crowded sea of people. Rainstorms and lack of food and shelter became a concern as soon as the festival began but that did not stop the fans from having the weekend of a lifetime.
On a rainy Friday, August 15th, Richie Havens took the stage as the first performer of the event. Havens played for almost three hours and immediately found fame due to his performances. Indian religious teacher, Sri Swami Satchidananda, gave the opening speech for the festival, following Havens, and spoke about the beauty of music: “…through the music, we can work wonders. Music is a celestial sound and it is the sound that controls the whole universe, not atomic vibrations.” Friday night continued a lively start to the festival and the night concluded with performances by Joan Baez, who finished her set at 2:00 A.M.
Day two of the festival, Saturday, included performances by Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Janis Joplin, and others. The day was filled with psychedelic performances and bad weather. The farmland where the event was taking place had become muddied with the rain and the stage began to flood, as it did during Grateful Dead’s set, which had to be cut short due to fear of dangerous electric shocks. The lineup continued on, however, well into the night until almost 10:00 A.M. the following morning, which was when Jefferson Airplane’s set ended. Day three began that same day, Sunday. At 2:00 in the afternoon, Joe Cocker graced the stage and performed for over an hour until a severe thunderstorm hit and the performances had to stop. Later that evening, the celebration again continued all night and into Monday morning. Woodstock’s most famous performance and grand finale was done by Jimi Hendrix, who played for two hours for a smaller crowd, as half of the crowd had left already.
The media coverage described the chaos of Woodstock in articles with titles such as “Hippies Mired in a Sea of Mud” (Daily News). Newspapers, such as the New York Times, described the drug-use, lack of hygiene, and muddied state of the festival goers. Positive news about the festival eventually came out as those who knew those in attendance relayed the great things they heard about the festival to their local news stations. The documentary, Woodstock, was released the following year and gained fame and success, even being nominated for an Academy Award. The documentary showed the ground-breaking performances, enthusiasm of fans, and how everyone persevered through the storms. Woodstock will always be a reminder of how people from all backgrounds can be united through music through times of war or uneasiness in the world.
Playlist Highlights (Click here to listen)
- Freedom by Richie Havens
- White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane
- Persuasion by Santana
- Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix
- Pinball Wizard by The Who
- St. Stephen by Grateful Dead
- Piece Of My Heart by Janis Joplin