Remembering The Woodstock Era

Remembering Woodstock Era

When I was a teenager, in my hometown Moradabad ,  iconic magazine JS (acronym of Junior Statesman) was my only window to peep into western world  especially lifestyle of its youth and of course Rock Music was a part of it. When I landed in New York in the year 2008 , the top agenda on my wishlist was to visit the iconic little town of Bethel in the upstate New York. It was where the Woodstock Festival took place in late sixties. And by the way, there is an Ashram of my friend Madan Baba in the close vicinity, where I stayed for three days. 

More than 400,000 young people descended on the little town of Bethel to attend first Woodstock Festival celebrated from August 15 to August 17, 1969. The majority of the attendees were so very young, accessible, and unfettered by the spirit of peace and love. 

Woodstock was unique in many ways,  well-known for not charging any fees for admittance. Woodstock was as unforgettable for the musicians that performed there as it was for the audience. The Woodstock lineup is one of the most legendary in history. The hottest and most diverse collection of bands of 1969 gathered here and created a playlist that would forever shape music to come. The American music scene of the era was defined by this music festival, and what is now known as world music stemmed from the diversity of performers that played at Woodstock.  Over the three days, 33 performers performed including Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Crosby Stills Nash & Young,, Santana, The Who, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Canned Heat and Joan Baez. 

Initially, nobody could have predicted that it would become one of the most iconic concert series in history. That is why those who declined the offer like The Beattie, The Doors and many other groups regretted their decision not to participate. And let’s be honest, you wouldn’t want to miss a concert with 33 of your favorite artists, would you? This event shaped the western  pop music in the coming years, unbelievable but true that half a million people flocked to Bethel, New. York’s undulating meadows to celebrate love, peace, friendship, life, and music (among other things) for this event. 

There has never been anything precisely like it before. With these rare historical images from that year, you can see what those three days of peace, love, and music were actually like!

Tie-dye was all the style in those days, even if it now seems trite. A few enterprising hippies offer their handicrafts to festival guests here. Because no official festival goods were available, these — and styles on the following slide — would have to suffice.

A simple rug-like cloth could serve as an outfit and worked for both genders. The colorful fabrics made the event seem somewhat livelier and were famous to all.

At today’s major music festivals, such as Coachella and Bonnaroo, guests are frequently just as concerned with what they’re going to wear as they are with the acts they’re going to watch. However, festival classics like the floral crown, which dates back to Woodstock, will never go out of style as long as there are festivals to attend. This simple yet surprisingly appealing fashion was quite popular, especially to ladies. The locals would crown themselves in beautiful flowers of different species and colors, attracting people close.

That was the year when USA  was deep into the controversial Vietnam War, a conflict that many young people vehemently opposed. It was also the era of the civil rights movement, a period of great protest and unrest. Woodstock was an opportunity for people to escape into music and spread a message of unity and peace.

The crowd at Woodstock experienced bad weather, pouring rain, muddy conditions and a lack of food, water and adequate sanitation, the overall vibe there was harmonious. Looking back, some people attribute the lack of violence to the large number of psychedelic drugs being used. There are many who  believe hippies were simply living out their mantra of “making love, not war.” In fact, more than a few couples at Woodstock took that command literally and made love whenever and wherever the mood hit.

In 2006, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened on the hill where the Woodstock Music Festival took place it also has a museum of Rock music . I was fortunate to visit that and feel the spirit .The legacy continues  and the Centre hosts outdoor concerts in its beautiful pavilion. - Pradeep Gupta