Looking back: Woodstock turns 40

A Woodstock poster by Arnold Skolnick (Photo: AP)

Woodstock. The very name of the mythical rock and roll festival, which took place from August 15th through August 18th, 1969 in Bethel, New York, triggers millions of images. Those images are not only of a festival or a small town throwing the party of the century. Those images are of a generation.

The festival was put on at the perfect time. It brought the rebellious attitude of the time together with those artists who spoke their voice through their music. The result, as hackneyed and cheesy as it has become, really was peace, love and music.

The festival was originally planned to commemorate the opening of a music studio, but, as we all know, it evolved into so much more. After the finances for the festival were secured, the promoters worked on booking all the bands they had ever wanted to see play live.

Aside from the political activism at hand and the symbolism within the festival itself, the music at this show was unlike anything the world had ever seen and will ever see again.

Never again will the world see a concert featuring bands as great as The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, each in their primes and performing back to back.

A couple sits on top of a stopped vehicle at Woodstock in 1969
(Photo: AP)

The strange thing is, the festival started out with structure, but nothing went as planned. First, the original location of Wallkill, New York, was cancelled due to protests from local residents.

The main problem occurred when traffic built up and starting causing difficulties for festival-goers and bands alike. When lines of cars started piling up for miles and miles, hundreds of thousands of people simply parked and walked. When they got to the festival, they simply hopped the fence. The promoters eventually announced that the festival was now free, much to the delight of the crowd.

The line of parked cars might've been symbolic of the time and freedoms that the generation craved, but to the musicians on the bill, the line of cars was more of a blockade. The first few artists that were scheduled to play were several hours late. With none of the amps or equipment set up, Richie Havens hopped on the mic and sang his song "Freedom" acoustically. That marked the beginning of what Woodstock was truly going to be about.

Joe Cocker in his memorable performance at Woodstock
(Photo: AP)

Woodstock's representation of freedom has truly endured throughout the past 40 years. The generation was being held captive by its government's decisions. The Vietnam War  was raging and pulling members of the generation overseas against their will. Symbols of hope for the generation. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated the year before. The need for an outlet and a voice was incredibly dire.

The event turned into an all-out protest once Country Joe McDonald performed his anti-war tune, "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die". With lyrics that burned the war effort and an infectious melody that brought the festival goers together in a sing along, there was no doubt in the minds of the attendees or the festival officials that Woodstock was turning into something bigger than a music festival.

The crowd at Woodstock. Over 400,000 attendees were on hand.
(Photo: AP)

While the performances have all been seen time and time again on television and the internet, none were more iconic than Jimi Hendrix's performance. The performance, which has almost come to define one of the most legendary musicians in history, was seen by relatively nobody. Hendrix was the last performance of the festival and amidst the rain, most of the festival goers had left the premises. Those that did stay, however, were treated to something never before seen.

While Hendrix was on stage, he took everything that he had learned from touring with The Who, and took it to the next level. He destroyed his guitar, he manipulated the feedback of the amps to fit into his rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", just as he had seen Pete Townshend do with other songs.

In a 1995 interview, Townshend address Hendrix's use of the techniques that he helped create. "For me it was an act, and for him it was something else," Townshend said. "It was an extension of what he was doing."

(Photo: AP/Dave Duprey)

Woodstock really was the culmination of the desires and needs of a misunderstood generation. From the iconic performance of Jimi Hendrix to the pain-driven performance of Janis Joplin, Woodstock is the greatest music festival the world has ever seen. There is no doubt that the festival will never be topped in either its symbolism or musical talent. There has never been, and there never will be, a better festival, or one that is more important to the world of music or the world in general, as the one that was put together in a field in rural New York. Those three days in the mud transformed the face of music and protests forever.