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Woodstock -- 40 years later

O

oldmanradio

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/arts/music/09pare.html?th&emc=th

After the buzz wore off, the utopian communal aura of a Woodstock Nation gave way, almost immediately, to the reality of a Woodstock Market: a demographic target group about to have its dreams stripped of radical purpose and turned into commodities. A wider audience realized it was possible to enjoy the music, drugs and fun without the ideological trappings. Soon enough everyone was a quasi-hippie; long hair on men no longer signaled anything about what they stood for. FM radio, which was the pipeline for underground rock, traded quirky, exploratory disc jockeys for consistent formats that advertisers could depend on. Now that it was clear how large an audience was at stake — that it wasn’t just a few freaks — professionals were back in charge.

by Jon Pareles The New York Times

Tony
Tony Lyndell Williams
 
In other words, when the music stopped was really when the junk started?
 
Silkie said:
In other words, when the music stopped was really when the junk started?
Click to expand...

At least in the writer's opinion.

I would have to give it more thought.

Tony
Tony Lyndell Williams
 
Now that it was clear how large an audience was at stake — that it wasn’t just a few freaks — professionals were back in charge.
Click to expand...
In other words, when the music stopped was really when the junk started?
Click to expand...


To me it's obvious that "professionals" were in charge from the start. Someone spent a lot of money to get
the show done. Someone spent a lot more money rolling thousands of feet of film to produce a movie "after-
the-fact". Not to mention the record album that was released just a year or two later.
Amateurs don't think far enough ahead to plan, or PAY, for all that.
It's just not "coincidence" that the largest, most famous outdoor rock festival ever held also ended up
grossing millions of dollars of profit for SOMEBODY!
But that's just my 2 cents. BTW, I was in I Corps SVN when it all took place.

W J.
 
WHew .Where I began? First off Langford and Kornfeld had the idea of "The Woodstock music and arts festival of The Aquarian Age". They only planned for 40,000 people. Over 400,000 showed and on the evening of the first day of the concert it was declared to be free due to the masses of traffic (backed up for 15 miles),the fences being torn down,etc. Money was NOT made at first. A film crew was there(obviously) to make a documentry,just like about a year before at the Monterey Festival(which made very little money). Warner bros distributed the film,but had NO initial incentive to film it or send a crew . The film was shot by students at SUNY, State University of New York and some from Columbia University. When the event became a major "happening" Warner and Paramount placed a bid for the film. post work was done at Warner Brothers.
When it became clear money was not going to be made and perhaps some groups/performers would not hit the stage. Langford had to get a chopper tpo fly him back to NYC to get cashiers checks to pay certain groups /performers. The groups who would not to take the stage until they had money in their hands were: The Grateful Dead/Creedence Clearwater Revival/Canned Heat/Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane. Sweetwater and the Grateful Dead never gave written permission to have their performance recorded or released on film. Sweetwater was the very first opening act. A few months afterwards the lead singer was severely injured in an auto accident. She lost her ability to sing. Sha- Na-NA were Columbia students helping as stage hands when the Grateful Dead balked at playing until they got paid. So their performance was strictly adlib and their debut to allow time for the band to get paid. Afterwards they got great reviews and decided to keep on doing it until they got tired. Money,favors, friends of friends, helped build the stage,and the sound and light towers. The towers were not sturdy. Santana,Ten Years after,Crosby Stills and Nash.( their very first public appearance)and Joe Cocker allowed other performers to use their equipment,plus actually donated their fees to keep the concert going.
Considering what they were up against ,yeah planning had to be made.When it rained and turn the event into a disaster area the USArmy sent med evacs and tents to help out. On the 25th anniversary of Woodstock 3 additional hours were released of the film and Shotime bought the exclusive rights. They were never seen again afterwards. There is rumoured to be another 4 hours still unseen. Langford in 1980 bought back the film and the license. Sidenote: Two weeks afterwards a majority of the performers plus Led Zepplin appeared at an outdoor festival concert at Lake Lewisville.
 
FYI- The concert itself was at the old Dallas International Speedway between Round Grove Rd and Corporate on the east side of I-35-e. The campgrounds were at Lewisville Lake Park. My dad had a station wagon and CB radio and was transporting OD cases to the triage that was at the speedway. I was pretty lucky to have an on-stage vantage point for several performances as I was being looked after by a stage hand while my dad was busy. Too bad I was too young to really appreciate what was going on. BTW- Attendance was well over 100,000. Lewisville Police Dept. had only 7 police officers and a population of 5,500 in '69.
 
dakareedog said:
FYI- The concert itself was at the old Dallas International Speedway between Round Grove Rd and Corporate on the east side of I-35-e. The campgrounds were at Lewisville Lake Park. My dad had a station wagon and CB radio and was transporting OD cases to the triage that was at the speedway. I was pretty lucky to have an on-stage vantage point for several performances as I was being looked after by a stage hand while my dad was busy. Too bad I was too young to really appreciate what was going on. BTW- Attendance was well over 100,000. Lewisville Police Dept. had only 7 police officers and a population of 5,500 in '69.
Click to expand...

Actually, it was held on Max Yasgur's 600 acre dairy farm, and there were more than 400,000 there. As 86 would say, "Missed it by that much".
 
OOPsie Silkie:He was referring to the concert a coupleof weeks AFTER Woodstock around the Lake Lewisville area that had most of the same performers plus Led Zepplin.
 
Great site Steve. BTW a little technical note "Langford" was the full name of Michael Lang the person who thought about Woodstock and made it happen besides Arthur Kornfeld. He dropped Langford soon after the event.
 
thunderradio said:
OOPsie Silkie:He was referring to the concert a coupleof weeks AFTER Woodstock around the Lake Lewisville area that had most of the same performers plus Led Zepplin.
Click to expand...

Ah, he got involved with the storyline and got around to that. I can live with a misplaced modifier now and again, no worries. Got it now. Thanks.
 
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