Whats That Sound 06-09 5.0 1/23/06 9:55 AM Page 297
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Whats That Sound 06-09_5.0 1/25/06 2:28 PM Page 296 Woodstock The Woodstock Music and man, and Artie Kornfeld, and aggressive promotion, Art Festival was more than financed by John Roberts. It Woodstock mushroomed in just the largest and most was held in Bethel, New York, size, drawing a peak crowd of important of the open-air about forty miles away from between 300,000 and music festivals of the late Woodstock, the famous idyllic 600,000 people. 1960s. Woodstock was a artists’ colony where Bob In 1969 the counterculture defining cultural moment, a Dylan had retired in 1967. By was frequently demonized by confluence of powerful social using the name “Woodstock” the mainstream. As a result movements that were chang- and putting the Band on the the unprecedented gathering ing mainstream attitudes bill, the festival organizers of hundreds of thousands of about music, politics, race, subtly encouraged the mis- “hippies” in a single rain- the war in Vietnam, religion, taken idea that Dylan would soaked field, with insufficient socially acceptable behavior, perform. With the festival’s food, medical care, traffic live from ... the use of drugs, and the role proximity to New York City, a plans, and organization, of youth in American culture. lineup of major stars (includ- alarmed both the government The festival was organized ing the Who, Jimi Hendrix, and the media. Yet despite by Michael Lang, Joel Rosen- and Janis Joplin), and some the problems, Woodstock was Whats That Sound 06-09_5.0 1/23/06 9:55 AM Page 297 peaceful. It was unquestion- like Santana, Joe Cocker, was his instrumental rendi- ably the music that drew so Richie Havens, and Crosby, tion of “The Star-Spangled many people to the festival. Stills, Nash, and Young, and Banner.” Hendrix used his But for much of the crowd, incendiary shows by Sly and guitar to mimic the sounds of the chance to come together the Family Stone, the Who, bombs, explosions, screams, peacefully with so many oth- and Jimi Hendrix. Sly and the and gunfire, and quoted ers who shared similar views Family Stone powerfully “Taps” as a memorial to the on love, art, music, clothing, demonstrated the crossover victims of war. This single freedom, the war, and society appeal of funk to a largely song, played by a former in general was the real white rock audience. The paratrooper, was perhaps the Woodstock experience. Who played their new, inno- most eloquent antiwar state- Not all of the music was a vative rock opera Tommy and ment of the entire era and by success: some of the shows gained further notoriety when itself demonstrated how far were poorly timed, plagued Pete Townshend assaulted rock music had come in by technical problems, inter- radical activist Abbie terms of ambition, creativity, rupted by rain, or simply ordi- Hoffman with his guitar after and virtuosity. Yet as a testa- nary. But most of the artists Hoffman interrupted their ment to the chaos of rose to the challenge of play- show. Just as at Monterey, Woodstock this defining ing before such a large and however, a brilliant perform- moment came on Monday unpredictable crowd. There ance by the Who was morning, after all but about were breakout performances upstaged by Jimi Hendrix. 30,000 stragglers had left. by new or lesser-known acts The highlight of Hendrix’s set.