In the summer of 1969, over a half a million people attended a free concert in a small town called Bethel in Upstate New York. The concert had big names such as Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Who, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and of course, Jimi Hendrix (pictured below). The peaceful crowd listened together for four days to some of the most influential acts of the decade.
Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, a photo by basspunk on Flickr.
Woodstock was also a forum for protest. Bands like Jefferson Airplane performed their protest songs to a willing crowd. The band Country Joe and the Fish performed their anti-Vietnam War song, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag" to the crowd and prompted a sing-a-long. You can see the footage here. The crowd sang the catchy chorus:
"And it's one, two, three, what are we fightin' for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is Vietnam. And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates. Well there ain't no time to wonder why. Whoopee! We're all gonna die!"
- Country Joe and the Fish
The hippie culture thrived in this environment, and took a role in the peaceful protest music. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young even recorded a song about their experiences from the festival and aptly called "Woodstock." This song, and many others from this time, are forever remembered by those who attended and those who have heard the stories and music from the time. There have been other concerts like this, but no concert or festival could ever compare to the great Woodstock in 1969.Sources:
Country joe mcdonald. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.countryjoe.com/
The woodstock festivals: woodstock 1969. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://woodstock.com/themusic.php
Diltz, H. (Photographer). (1969). Jimi hendrix at woodstock. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/basspunk/3844008338/
McDonald, J. (Performer). (1965). I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag [Recorded by Country Joe and the Fish]. On Rag Baby Talking Issue No. 1 [Medium of recording: Record]
Katie,
ReplyDeleteLove the picture of Jimi Hendrix.I still from time to time hear my parents talk about their experience there.Fortunately, they left my sister and I home with my grandparents to attend.I'm not sure what I would have thought of it if I was there. Nice job.
Heather
Thanks, Heather! That's awesome that your parents went! What an experience that must have been. I would have loved to have gone! I've seen some of the footage and although most people left before Jimi Hendrix performed, I think his performance was the best.
ReplyDeleteKatie
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteThere were parts of that weekend that were not so great.My parents would tell stories of not enough food or water to go around. It rained so much that the grounds were very muddy and hard to get around in.There was just an endless sea of people. My parents seem to appreciate the experience now with each story they tell, but being in their twenties then I don't think they realized the magnitude of the event. They love to tell the stories to my children.They still have that "hippie spirit" and it comes out more with each story they share.
Heather