Woodstock at 40

Forty years ago tomorrow an unquestionably historical moment took place, that being the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in Bethel, New York. It goes without saying that this was an event which transcended music.

The top photo I took a few months ago of the plaque on the grounds of the concert. To give you an idea, the plaque sits in the lower right hand corner of the bottom picture, which, naturally is an overhead shot of the 500,000 people that made it to Bethel.

I'm not sure if I would have liked being at the original concert. The mud, heat, etc. would be a bit annoying. But to have the opportunity to see all of those great musicians, I think I could have dealt with a little dirt. I mean you look at the list of people that performed there and throw in that the cost of the concert turned out to be essentially free; the experience would have been worth it.

No these weren't coffee shop heroes or people that think they are actually something special but are really nothing more than ego maniacs with a guitar, no these were real, quality musicians. Courtesy of Wikipedia, I have listed the performers below.

VH1 Classics is airing Woodstock: Then and Now tonight and I'm sure it will be repeated. That is among some of the many events that will commemorate the big event that took place in 1969.

Friday, August 15
Richie Havens
Swami Satchidananda - gave the invocation for the festival
Sweetwater
The Incredible String Band
Bert Sommer
Tim Hardin
Ravi Shankar
Melanie
Arlo Guthrie
Joan Baez

Saturday, August 16
Quill, forty minute set of four songs
Keef Hartley Band
Country Joe McDonald
John Sebastian
Santana
Canned Heat
Mountain
Grateful Dead
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band
Sly & the Family Stone
The Who began at 4 AM, kicking off a 25-song set including Tommy
Jefferson Airplane

Sunday, August 17 to Monday, August 18
The Grease Band
Joe Cocker
Country Joe and the Fish
Ten Years After
The Band
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Johnny Winter featuring his brother, Edgar Winter
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Neil Young
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Sha-Na-Na
Jimi Hendrix