I was looking over some old vintage photos of the musical event and it seems like it was really a lot of fun to attend. Just curious to know if there were any BBIers who attended the event and what do you remember (if anything) about it?
Every time I hear this event mentioned all I hear is about how great it was and how great a time everyone was supposedly having. What made it miserable for him?
You should read up on it. I spent a full day with my gal just looking up stories and reading about all the facts. Its very interesting stuff.
Especially the guy who owned the land and all the craziness with the amount of people and limited supplies. And the bands that turned down playing there. A lot of details and personal stories.
Said the hike in from where he had to park the car was miles. Also said Max Yasgur came off much better in the movie (edited) than he actually was.
Funny part is that I had a summer job in Manhattan, and HAD to work that Friday because everybody full time who was under 25 took a vacation day. I also only had a learner's permit, so no drive up from NJ for me.
You should read up on it. I spent a full day with my gal just looking up stories and reading about all the facts. Its very interesting stuff.
Especially the guy who owned the land and all the craziness with the amount of people and limited supplies. And the bands that turned down playing there. A lot of details and personal stories.
Yeah, one of the last pictures they had in the slide show was of the owners of the land the concert happened on. Seemed like nice people.
Didn't they try to have a second Woodstock a while ago? But it paled in comparison to the first one I believe.
I don't remember much of anything about the '94 one because I was only about 9 at the time but the 1999 one was a complete and total shit show full of riots and fires being set.
I don't remember much of anything about the '94 one because I was only about 9 at the time but the 1999 one was a complete and total shit show full of riots and fires being set.
Thanks. Yeah I thought I remember hearing that one of them failed because of multiple fights and things of that nature. Which makes the first one so amazing because to have that many people... in that small an area... and NO major fights (at least none supposedly reported at the time) occurred. There's no way in hell I can imagine that happening in this day and age now unfortunately.
I remember him saying he slept on the hood of his friend's car and left before Hendrix played. I think he saw Hendrix at SUNY Stoney Brook for freshman orientation (imagine THAT). Anyway, as for Woodstock he said it was a gigantic mud pile. I really should catch up with him about that.
but the one image I always remember is people sliding in the mud....next to the porto-potty mind you...always thought it wasnt 100% rain that created it....
and I bailed on them at the last minute. They ended up coming back early and said it was a mess and they couldn't get near enough to the bands to even get a decent look at them.
People were relieving themselves right where they stood so as not to lose their spots, people passed out, mud everywhere, body odor hanging in the air to go along with human waste on on the ground.
Like posters above said there were some fires but it was a shitshow long before then. It took me hours to walk from my car to a tent site - couldn't find the promised shuttles. After a day or so, there were pools of shit around the porta potties. Food and drink were way overpriced.
There was some good music though. Metallica was fun - didn't play too much garbage from the Load albums. George Clinton and Bernie Worrell reunited.
Then there were some other things like drug dealers shouting out their products and a 16-year-old girl in her underwear talking to me about weed and opium.
As I was leaving (I did so a day early because I was getting sick) I saw someone running with a fire extinguisher. I got to the car some time later and pulling out heard about the riots on the radio.
and I bailed on them at the last minute. They ended up coming back early and said it was a mess and they couldn't get near enough to the bands to even get a decent look at them.
People were relieving themselves right where they stood so as not to lose their spots, people passed out, mud everywhere, body odor hanging in the air to go along with human waste on on the ground.
Glad I missed it.
Well you don't go to a mega concert expecting to be near the stage.
I did not see any of this urine marking behaviour.
In Rome. Both festivals were great and get a very bad rap because of various news reports. 99 ended with fires when the RHCP were in the middle of their set. The concert in Saugerties was marred a bit by rain, like the original, but was an incredible life memory for me. The lineup was awesome, from Joe Cocker opening the show, to Bob Dylan, RHCP, Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, Metallica, Green Day, etc...
I have read and watched an incredible amount of material about all 3 festivals and the various portrayals depend on the authors' own experiences. 69 was life changing for many. 94 and 99 were not the original, but had great music and vibes IMO. I sure hope they do a 50th anniversary festival.
from the Albany area but it was pouring down rain with no end in site so we bailed. Caught Led Zeppelin a few days after at a converted bowling alley called the Aerodrome. Great show on Robert Plant's 20th birthday.
Green Day after a mud fight with the crowd at Woodstock '94.
Mike Dirnt, the bassist, lost his front teeth after a security guard tackled him into a monitor thinking he was a fan who had ran onto the stage. Their performance there launched them to being one of the biggest bands of 1994.
...pretty good story - he lived in Brooklyn, had no plans to go. His friends pull up in an Impala convertible and 'kidnap' him. Said it was a long hike in, and by Sunday night he had his fill, was tired and wet and hungry.
Then he dropped acid.
He said CSNY that night was a religious experience for him, changed the festival from mostly uncomfortable to epic.
His picture is in the official Woodstock book (yearbook or whatever, I don't have it with me and don't know what it is referred as). Anyway they had a farm in Sullivan County and brought a truck load of eggs to the event. They got there and completely sold out in about 1-2 hours. They left and were going to reload and go back, but they could never make their way back anywhere near the farm because the roads were packed and blocked with vehicles and people.
I asked him about it once. Said the music was fantastic, but everything else was pretty miserable. Muddy as hell and everyone smelled like goats. He loved the music but wasn't into the hippie no-bathing thing.
I go back every year anyway, and it was in my hometown Saugerties, could walk there from my dad's house. The camping area was on a hill that we used to go sledding on in the winters.
Total disaster. The first night was OK, with the bus shuttles. You had to buy Woodstock money, tokens, if you wanted to buy food or something. I still have some of those coins. And they didn't sell alcohol.
By Saturday the fences came down, as my stepbrother said they would, and after that it was anarchy. And then the rain came. The port a potties overflowed, and with 350,000 people in town food ran out. Thank god I didn't have to camp there, could go home every night to my dad's.
Because of the mud and rain, others bailed on going back with me on Sunday, but I had all my gear from a backpacking trip I took in the Catskills with a buddy earlier in the week, so I was prepared: waterproof boots, gaiters to keep the mud from overflowing my boots, rain gear, etc.
So I borrowed the old man's van and went to a deli to get some beer to bring with me. No go. The cops had ordered that with all those people in town no alcohol could be served. I explained that I lived there and they had no right to do that to me. Too bad. Seeing red, I drove to Catskill and bought three cases of beer and headed back to my dad's. The cops had blocked the road off to keep more people from coming in and they stopped me. I showed them the sticker on the car showing that I was a villager and they needed to let me threw so I could get home. They still said no.
I was in a rage by now. Luckily I knew the backroads, being from there and all. I dropped the van off at my dad's, put two cases of beer in my backpack and carried the third case three miles to the festival, trying to drink as much beer on the way as I could to lighten the load.
Once there I sold the beer in minutes except for what I kept for myself. There were rumors that the Stones would show up but they never did.
The promoter, the guy who owned the rights to the Woodstock name, is still despised in Saugerties for all the lies he told and promises he broke. That's why they wouldn't let the 1999 fest be held there.
In '94, I took one look at the rain and mud on MTV
None of my parents or relatives tried to go in '69, as all routes heading to Bethel were plugged with traffic for miles. Route 17 was plugged all the way back to the Thruway, etc.
Just getting a chance to check in for the first time today.
and camping in Algonquin Provincial Park, and I had no desire whatsoever, to hang with a bunch of frikken hippies and do drugs and not eat well at Woodstock. Man, most of those dudes/gals didn't have a clue about what to bring with them to last a few days at a concert. It was all about packing as many freaks into a car as you can, excepting everything you needed to be there for you, and hanging out and being cool. (Far Out Man!) I never was able to appreciate either crowds or the free love scene; those type of folks/scene have/had always disappointed me. I had many friends that went and tried to cajole me to go with them, but I, thankfully, stuck to my guns, got my wish, and had a blast in the Canadian Wilderness that week -- which for me was something I had prepared well for and was the worthy life-altering experience I had sought.
He was an original member of Sha Na Na. He actually originated the Bowser personality before it became Bowser. I grew up only knowing Sha Na Na from their variety show (cheesy) and their appearance in the movie Grease. I had no idea they played Woodstock.
I also found it interesting that the band in the TV show/movie was very different from the original group. they were actually a bunch of friends in Columbia University. Many (most) went on to long careers in academia in higher education and even religious studies. A much mroe interesting group than I ever would have imagined and also not what you would expect from a group at Woodstock.
LOL!
Yeah... I just read that as bad as it was trying to get into the event it was even worse trying to leave... especially when it was over.
Especially the guy who owned the land and all the craziness with the amount of people and limited supplies. And the bands that turned down playing there. A lot of details and personal stories.
Funny part is that I had a summer job in Manhattan, and HAD to work that Friday because everybody full time who was under 25 took a vacation day. I also only had a learner's permit, so no drive up from NJ for me.
Especially the guy who owned the land and all the craziness with the amount of people and limited supplies. And the bands that turned down playing there. A lot of details and personal stories.
Yeah, one of the last pictures they had in the slide show was of the owners of the land the concert happened on. Seemed like nice people.
Didn't they try to have a second Woodstock a while ago? But it paled in comparison to the first one I believe.
Thanks. Yeah I thought I remember hearing that one of them failed because of multiple fights and things of that nature. Which makes the first one so amazing because to have that many people... in that small an area... and NO major fights (at least none supposedly reported at the time) occurred. There's no way in hell I can imagine that happening in this day and age now unfortunately.
From what I've read (and I wanted to go) it was a memorable, but unpleasant experience.
People were relieving themselves right where they stood so as not to lose their spots, people passed out, mud everywhere, body odor hanging in the air to go along with human waste on on the ground.
Glad I missed it.
There was some good music though. Metallica was fun - didn't play too much garbage from the Load albums. George Clinton and Bernie Worrell reunited.
Then there were some other things like drug dealers shouting out their products and a 16-year-old girl in her underwear talking to me about weed and opium.
As I was leaving (I did so a day early because I was getting sick) I saw someone running with a fire extinguisher. I got to the car some time later and pulling out heard about the riots on the radio.
Oy that makes me feel old. LOL
People were relieving themselves right where they stood so as not to lose their spots, people passed out, mud everywhere, body odor hanging in the air to go along with human waste on on the ground.
Glad I missed it.
Well you don't go to a mega concert expecting to be near the stage.
I did not see any of this urine marking behaviour.
The only scent was of pot.
I have read and watched an incredible amount of material about all 3 festivals and the various portrayals depend on the authors' own experiences. 69 was life changing for many. 94 and 99 were not the original, but had great music and vibes IMO. I sure hope they do a 50th anniversary festival.
I think it's higher than that. Hell, on this thread alone there are three people saying they went. I'd put money on it that it never happened.
3 times? Closer to 3,000 times
Oy that makes me feel old. LOL
my grandfather was there, my dad was too young to go.
Then he dropped acid.
He said CSNY that night was a religious experience for him, changed the festival from mostly uncomfortable to epic.
Total disaster. The first night was OK, with the bus shuttles. You had to buy Woodstock money, tokens, if you wanted to buy food or something. I still have some of those coins. And they didn't sell alcohol.
By Saturday the fences came down, as my stepbrother said they would, and after that it was anarchy. And then the rain came. The port a potties overflowed, and with 350,000 people in town food ran out. Thank god I didn't have to camp there, could go home every night to my dad's.
Because of the mud and rain, others bailed on going back with me on Sunday, but I had all my gear from a backpacking trip I took in the Catskills with a buddy earlier in the week, so I was prepared: waterproof boots, gaiters to keep the mud from overflowing my boots, rain gear, etc.
So I borrowed the old man's van and went to a deli to get some beer to bring with me. No go. The cops had ordered that with all those people in town no alcohol could be served. I explained that I lived there and they had no right to do that to me. Too bad. Seeing red, I drove to Catskill and bought three cases of beer and headed back to my dad's. The cops had blocked the road off to keep more people from coming in and they stopped me. I showed them the sticker on the car showing that I was a villager and they needed to let me threw so I could get home. They still said no.
I was in a rage by now. Luckily I knew the backroads, being from there and all. I dropped the van off at my dad's, put two cases of beer in my backpack and carried the third case three miles to the festival, trying to drink as much beer on the way as I could to lighten the load.
Once there I sold the beer in minutes except for what I kept for myself. There were rumors that the Stones would show up but they never did.
The promoter, the guy who owned the rights to the Woodstock name, is still despised in Saugerties for all the lies he told and promises he broke. That's why they wouldn't let the 1999 fest be held there.
None of my parents or relatives tried to go in '69, as all routes heading to Bethel were plugged with traffic for miles. Route 17 was plugged all the way back to the Thruway, etc.
I also found it interesting that the band in the TV show/movie was very different from the original group. they were actually a bunch of friends in Columbia University. Many (most) went on to long careers in academia in higher education and even religious studies. A much mroe interesting group than I ever would have imagined and also not what you would expect from a group at Woodstock.