Shannon KeoughThe town of Bethel, N.Y. was taken by storm as the phenomenon known as Woodstock began on Aug. 15, 1969. For three days, 32 acts performed before a crowd of half of a million people who were looking for peace, love and rock’n’roll.
“I was 17. There were a lot of music festivals that summer; that was one of the bigger festivals they were having. Everyone who was into music was going to go. No one realized it was going to be that big,” Marie Kalletta, Woodstock attendee and Cabrini College student Arielle Friscia’s mother, said.
“It is important to separate the nostalgia concerning Woodstock from the reality of the three day festival,” Courtney Smith, assistant professor of history, said. “Woodstock was part of a larger movement among musicians who aspired to use their art to deliver a message to their audiences.”
The event was planned out by four men: Artie Kornfield, Michael Lang, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman. Together, Kornfield and Lang envisioned building a record studio in the town of Woodstock, N.Y. and this began their idea for the famous concert. They then contacted Roberts and Rosenman in search of the financing for their endeavor.
The idea was to be called “Woodstock Ventures”; however, legal tensions mounted and permission to hold the festival was refused. They then found another site in the form of a dairy farm owned by a man named Max Yasgur in Bethel. The 600-acre spot was ideal and by Aug. 13, a 75-foot stage was built.
“You couldn’t get to the stage because there was so many people. There were tons of people, mostly kids, and everyone was drinking, singing and having a good time,” Kalletta said. “I liked Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills and Nash.”
Woodstock’s acts also included Joan Baez, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin and The Who. More than just music was present at this gargantuan hippie-fest.
“Drugs obviously were present; it was an era of free love and changing sexual mores,” Dr. James Hedtke, chair of political science and history, said. “They bonded together as human beings and probably talked politics because politics was on everyone’s mind. It was a time of great political upheaval and changes in the political system.”
“One of the more memorable things from Woodstock was ‘fish cheer’ by Country Joe MacDonald [with his band],” Eion O’Neill, sophomore communication major, said. “Before they started singing, the crowd would chant a certain word that starts with ‘F’ and ends with ‘K’.”
At 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 18, the concert was ended with Jimi Hendrix playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The American emotion presented in Hendrix’s performance would forever impress upon attendees the power of a human gathering and the message of freedom.
“Depending upon a person’s political views, Woodstock either was a noble attempt at peace and unity, or it was a disgraceful and drug-fueled event,” Smith said. “Woodstock also serves as a reminder of the splintering of American popular culture that began in the 1960s and continued unabated for the rest of the twentieth century. Woodstock marked the end of an era, not the beginning of a new one.”
“When I’m looking back it didn’t seem like such a big deal at the time, it just seemed like a big, big rock concert,” Kalletta said. “Everyone was happy, friendly and helped each other out even though they didn’t know one another.”
Now, 40 years later, the world remembers Woodstock and its impact on the music world. In 2009 the United States still has some of the same feeling of political unrest that were present in 1969. What would happen if a new Woodstock-like event were to happen?
“The only thing that would be important if they had a Woodstock today would be to not defeat the purpose of the original one with corporate sponsors,” Brother Dominic Whetzel, sophomore English major, said. “It’s more about the money and less about the music these days.”
The world has never again seen the likes of Woodstock since those famous days in 1969. Its timeless message has continued through to the 40-year anniversary of this epic event.
New experiences were lived and moral boundaries crossed as the most psychedelic celebration of the century took place.
“If you can remember Woodstock, you probably weren’t there,” Hedtke said.
