WhatsThatSound06-09_5.01/25/062:28PMPage296 live from ... by MichaelLang,JoelRosen- of youthinAmericanculture. the useofdrugs,androle socially acceptablebehavior, the warinVietnam,religion, about music,politics,race, ing mainstreamattitudes movements thatwerechang- confluence ofpowerfulsocial defining culturalmoment,a 1960s. Woodstock wasa music festivalsofthelate important oftheopen-air just thelargestandmost Art Festival wasmorethan The Woodstock Musicand Woodstock The festivalwasorganized and JanisJoplin),some ing theWho,JimiHendrix, lineup ofmajorstars(includ- proximity toNewYork City, a perform. Withthefestival’s taken ideathatDylanwould subtly encouragedthemis- bill, thefestivalorganizers and puttingtheBandon using thename“Woodstock” Dylan hadretiredin1967.By artists’ colonywhereBob Woodstock, thefamousidyllic about fortymilesawayfrom was heldinBethel,NewYork, financed byJohnRoberts.It man, andArtieKornfeld, the problems,Woodstock was and themedia.Yet despite alarmed boththegovernment plans, andorganization, food, medicalcare,traffic soaked field,withinsufficient “hippies” inasinglerain- of hundredsthousands the unprecedentedgathering the mainstream.Asaresult was frequentlydemonizedby 600,000 people. between 300,000and size, drawingapeakcrowdof Woodstock mushroomedin aggressive promotion, In 1969thecounterculture 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