The rainy, wet weekend of August 15-18, 1969 has become one of the most memorable, and idealized, events in music and cultural history.
In honor of the crazy, groundbreaking, legendary weekend, let’s look back on that weekend, and some of the people who performed at Woodstock.
Max Yasger’s Farm
About 100 miles outside of New York City is Max Yasger’s farm, the site of the music festival billed as “3 days of peace & music” with headliners Joan Baez, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and more.
Max was a dairy farmer who accepted the offer to rent his land to host a large music festival. It was not without opposition, or problems. His neighbors largely did not support his decisions, and the event itself caused considerable damage to his property.
No one anticipated that the concert would turn into the chaotic event it did. About 50,000 people were expected to attend, but at its peak, there were at least 400,000 young adults who wanted to listen to music, protest the Vietnam War, and celebrate the counterculture of the era. And no one was ready for that many people. There was insufficient food, shelter, and hygiene facilities for the festival, and the festival caused significant damage to Max’s farm, and to neighboring properties.
In spite of the problems, Max never regretted his decision. He sold the farm a year later and retired to Florida, and died not long after that.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
In 1996, New York billionaire Alan Gery bought the site of the 1969 festival and turned it into a performing arts center and amphitheater. It opened in 2006, and later that year, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young performed at the same place they performed 37 years earlier.
The center has three main performance areas, an event area, an educational area, museum, and more. It has been an important contributor to the regional economy, bringing much-needed revenue to the area.
Jimi Hendrix
Of the many performers at the three-day concert, perhaps the most famous performer, and performance, is that of Jimi Hendrix. He headlined the event, playing the last set on Monday morning. By that time, the peak crowds of 400,000 had dwindled to 30,000, but the moment was no less iconic.
The set included a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that is often cited as the “greatest performance of all time”. His ripping chords are famous even today, instantly recognizable to millions of music fans.
Sadly, Jimi passed away about a year later of a drug overdose at the Samarkand Hotel in London, UK. The hotel is still open, and provides both hotel rooms to travelers, and long-term apartment rentals.
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin was a young, extremely talented singer on the rise when she performed at Woodstock. For various reasons, her performance was significantly delayed, and by the time she took the stage, she didn’t give the performance she wanted.
Just like Jimi, Janis’s life was plagued by illicit drugs, and on October 4, 1970, she was found dead at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Los Angeles.
Joan Baez
Joan Baez was another headliner at the festival, known for her beautiful voice, amazing guitar skills, and strong counterculture activism. In fact, when she performed at 1 am the first night, she was six months pregnant with her first child, and her husband was in prison for refusing to fight in Vietnam.
Joan has since had an amazing career as a singer and performer, and has dedicated so much of her time to causes she supports. She still speaks out about important issues whenever and wherever she performs.
For many years, she has maintained a beautiful and private residence in Woodside, California. She raised her son, dated several famous people (including Steve Jobs) but always said she was meant to be alone.
Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia
Not all performances were mind-blowing like Jimi Hendrix. The Grateful Dead, who performed hours late and in wet conditions, gave a notoriously poor performance. They blew their amps and delayed their concert for hours. When they did play, they were shocked and electrocuted, making everything even crazier! They did play a very long and epic version of “Turn Your Love Light On” which will be remembered forever by fans.
Fortunately for millions of Dead Heads around the world, the bad gig didn’t ruin their careers, and the Grateful Dead are one of the most successful and famous bands of all time.
Lead guitarist Jerry Garcia stayed with the band for 30 years, until he passed away in 1995 in a drug-related death. He was living with his third wife Deborah Koons in Nicasio, California at the time.
More than half a century later, the weekend music festival in Woodstock, New York, remains one of the most enduring and influential events in music history. Millions who weren’t even born then can recognize the Jimi Hendrix guitar riff, or sing along to Grateful Dead tunes, and mourn the early passing of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
Long will the music and memory of the weekend live on.