Page 47 - Seniors Today - Oct 2019
P. 47
Once Upon A Time | MUSIC
Woodstock at 50
The name itself evokes an entire era of free
thinking and immortal music.
Y R Anand looks (and listens) back at the
iconic festival
The main stage on the opening day of the 25th anniversary of the
Woodstock music festival in 1994, held in Saugerties, New York
I came upon a child of God Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive set. This
He was walking along the road promises the first definitive collection featuring
And I asked him, where are you going every artist who played the original concert.
And this he told me This is a complete reproduction of all the songs,
I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farm announcements and other festival related
I’m going to join in a rock ‘n’ roll band sounds.
I’m going to camp out on the land While the original plan was for three days, it
I’m going to try an’ get my soul free got extended to a fourth day with Jimi Hendrix
We are stardust playing the last set. The crowd that had swelled
We are golden to over 400,000 had been reduced to less
And we’ve got to get ourselves than 30,000 people by the time Hendrix came
Back to the garden on stage. He and his band played close to two
hours.
These were written by Joni Mitchell just after Woodstock became a symbol of peace and
the incredible Woodstock festival in upstate protest against the establishment and Vietnam
New York from August 15 to 18 in 1969. It is War.
hard to imagine 50 years have flown by since The venue went through many changes,
the seminal rock festival, which started as an as some of the towns selected did not allow
Aquarian exposition for three days of peace and hippies to invade their peace. Eventually Max
music in Bethel, New York. Yasgur agreed to lend his 600 acre milk farm
The renewed interest and good news for die- for the festival. The farm land formed a natural
hard rock fans is the news of the release of bowl sloping down to Filippini Pond on the
a 38-disc, 432-song, 36-hour limited-edition land’s north side. The stage would be set up at
Woodstock 50 - Back to the Garden - The the bottom of the hill, with the pond forming
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