Jump to content

Am I the Only One Here Who Was At Woodstock?


thebes

Recommended Posts

A seminal moment in my life. Started thinking a bit differently about things after going there.

 

Age dims all memories but musically here's the acts I still can vividly recall and love:

 

"Freedom" Richie Haven's is to my mind the song of Woodstock.  You cannot begin to fathom how that felt.

 

Country Joe and the Fish. 

 

Crosby Stills Nash, and Young

 

The Sha-Na-Nas. So counter Woodstock these cats were almost counter-cool, but groovy nonetheless.

 

Cocooned in a sleeping bag on the last day, early morning, and Hendrix wakes me up. His version of the National Anthem still reverberates down the years and brings chills to me as I type this.

 

Peace and love my friends, Peace and love.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed!  Trust me I SOOOOOO wanted to go and literally offered to pay for the gas and drive.  Just ONE person to go with me that's ALL it would have taken.  I begged people for two weeks to go.  Everyone wanted to go but were afraid of what their parents would do to them when we came back.  Grounded, no car or life scared the bejesus outta them.  I was already a heathen cause I was immersed in rock and Motown.  I'd met ALL the Motown greats and many rock legends by then. I watched the TV and had second thoughts, which were erased quickly KNOWING it would be the event of a lifetime.  ALL the people walking forever to go in just to be a part of history.  ALL of it plus Jimi was going to be there!  Bill & Terry Hanley were gonna be there and that would be enough to get me in.  I had to and have never forgiven myself for not going solo and taking the heat when I came home.  Ugh, sucked to be a kid then.  I'd done EVERYthing else but that just didn't happen.  Truly a DUH moment in my life!  Grrrrrrr... 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ceptorman said:

Well that's something to be proud of.

 

I can only imagine hearing Jimi Hendrix play the Anthem.

 

So many of those artist are gone now.

 

=== I certainly pulled a few stunts in my teens but heading to Woodstock would have been well above my pay grade. But I Did see Hendrix live in KC - I think I was 15 — 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, thebes said:

and Hendrix wakes me up

Awesome, because that really puts you in rare air with most festival goers long gone by then! Hendrix had it in his contract that he would play last after Roy Rogers declined to do "Happy Trails" as the last act. That fact kinda backfired on Jimi though when weather and technical delays stretched his performance to a 9am Monday morning appearance.

Interestingly enough, It would be his only major morning concert.

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of false myths still abound about Woodstock. It was not that muddy.  There was a place off to stage right with a  pond and it was muddy over there but everywhere else it was just fine, and If I recall correctly, it only rained, and not that hard, on the 2nd night.  Also that the place was trashed. There was a lot of trash but many people assembled it into piles as they left, cause nobody had reckoned on trash cans for 400,000.  A bunch of folks stayed behind and spent days helping out with the disposal. Now food was in short supply. They got that right.

 

I knew nothing about Woodstock before I went. Two friends wanted to go so I said why not.  We had two six packs and several packs of butts between us and that was it. Figured we'd just get food when we got there.

 

One cool factoid. Got off the highway to get gas and the clerk, learning we were headed to Woodstock, said don't get back on the highway. Go here, take a left there etc. and we drove right into the parking lot!

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...