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Memory of Woodstock, 40 years gone.
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Remembering Woodstock.
Has it really been 40 years? It can be hard to wrap your head around a number like that. A lot of things have happened between now and then, seminal moments in American history have come and gone, shaping the social fabric that we know as American culture. Yet here we are, 40 years later, looking back to an empty field, trying to remember what is was that made the Woodstock Music Festival so important in the first place. It can be especially difficult for people like me, who came into the world years after the final note of Woodstock had sounded, to understand the cultural significance of Woodstock. Indeed, as I travel across the country going from festival to festival, I can feel the aftershock of that weekend in New York, like a distant echo traveling through the decades, speaking to people that have no idea what it all exactly means. In a way, I sometimes feel that we are chasing that initial feeling that people must’ve had back then, trying to recapture a moment that seemed to culminate after years of social unrest. It was a moment that forever changed the way we look at music. Often I meet people at festivals that were there, although I admit that these meetings are becoming less and less frequent, and through conversation I attempt to grasp the grandeur of it all. These individuals are beyond seasoned. They have seen it all, and almost nothing impresses them. However, I am reluctant to call this bitterness, as that doesn’t seem fair. It’s true that, for whatever reason, the greatest festivals are inevitably compared by younger generations to Woodstock. It happened just this year, as I brought my friend to Bonnaroo for the first time. Stunned, he wondered aloud what it must have been like to have been at Woodstock. I was quick to tell him that it wasn’t even worth comparing, because people like us will simply never know what that was like. Try asking Neil Armstrong what it was like to walk on the moon, but don’t be surprised when you have trouble relating to the experience. While I feel that business in the music industry has come to play the most prominent role in shaping the modern American music festival, you have to understand that Woodstock was driven almost entirely by the burgeoning counter culture scene of the 1960’s. From a business perspective, Woodstock was a complete an utter failure. The concert was open free to the public, after some safety concerns had arisen regarding the amount of people that were breaking into the concert grounds. From an organizational stand point, it was a complete nightmare. No one had ever attempted anything close this before. The festival had been kicked around from city to city, with no one wanting to place their name next to the hippie extravaganza. It’s said that Max Yasgur only allowed the festival to take place on his farm after he witness Wavy Gravy organize a baby race. It’s the same concept as a frog race, except they used babies. Yasgur, a local dairy farmer, thought this was hilarious and ended up sending a fresh batch of yogurt to the organizers for every day of the festival. I find it a little ironic that Gravy himself would go on to become a legendary flavor of ice cream, but that’s probably just a coincidence. Despite protests from the local community, and several setbacks along the way, the festival became legendary. It was perfect, and I feel that if the coming tragedy of the Altamont Music Festival that took place in December 1969 marked the end of the counter culture movement, then Woodstock really was it’s swan song. So what can we learn from the festival? Not that much actually. In fact, it seems a dangerous enterprise to even try to emulate what happened that weekend. Altamont, also a free festival that took place that year, tried to keep that party vibe going into the new decade. Instead, people were beaten to death by the Hells Angels just 15 feet in front of the Rolling Stones. This, along with the infamous Manson murders, brought down the curtain on the entire ideology of the hippie counter culture. Peace, love, and unity were now dead to mainstream society, marking the passing into a dark era of American social history. We tried to revisit the site 30 years later, inviting bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to take their place in Woodstock lore. Of course, that ended in horrible riots. I can still remember the images of the burning pyres as I watched it happen live from the comfort of my living room. People have tried to blame this failure on the bands, the bureaucratic nature of the music industry, and on the inflated prices of water and concessions. Woodstock, these days, is like Tut’s curse. If you mess with it, you’re more than likely to get burned. So in the end, all I have to say has certainly been said already. It’s good to remember, and look back with wonder at that free wheeling disaster that is so embedded into our cultural psyche. There is something distinctly American about the whole Woodstock experience, and it speaks to our sense of freedom and daring attitudes that we can accomplish the impossible, against all odds. Where else but America could this have happened. As we pass this 40th birthday, there will no doubt be countless movies, albums, and History Channel specials to commemorate this historic event. Again, this speaks to how much has changed since then. If we are to remember, it is better to do it with a smile. The king is dead, long live the king.
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