Woodstock 1969: Five Honest Revelations That Lasted a Lifetime

My favorite takeaways from the music festival documentary that harnessed the anti-war spirit of American society for peace

Credit: Lisa Law Photography, Smithsonian Institution

No single word in music history is as magical as Woodstock. Ok … Hendrix is a close second.

No single event captured the soul, spirit and sound of a generation like the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in August 1969. A simple summer 3-day festival with 32 acts for 60,000 concert-goers turned into a social phenomenal and cultural high mark.

Oh … and over half a million people converged on 600-acres of grassy farmland over a four day weekend.

Woodstock is legendary for so many reasons. Not just for the incredible musical line-up on display, but also for the extraordinary atmosphere that emerged out of the chaos.

The “Woodstock” (1970) film by Michael Wadleigh is my favorite documentary. There is so much to absorb beyond the soundtrack. It is epic for both its spasmodic performance scenes and its subtle societal insights.

It’s a masterpiece in unrefined form.

War and Peaceniks

In 1969, the Vietnam war dominated the American psyche. Anti-war music rang out from every genre. Counter-culture hippies clashed with the establishment. Broadcast news reported the number of dead and wounded soldiers each evening.

It was a time of social turmoil. It was odd to witness long-haired bikers harassing fresh-cut airmen at the local convenience store. Young men contemplated running off to Canada to avoid the military draft. Bell-bottomed blue jeans and the peace symbol identified one as a rebellious youth.

My dad was serving as an Air Force staff sergeant in Texas. I was only 11 years old, throwing a paper route with my brother and riding a banana seat bike.

In retrospect, I can see why Woodstock ignited such a sense of amazement. It was a peaceful gathering. It was a break from all the ugliness of the war and its pain. It was an organic outpouring of harmony amidst the upheaval of the nation.

My Five Favorite Revelations

In the middle of New York nowhere, a rural dairy farm became the center of the musical universe. Young people flocked to this quiet community and dismissed normal conventions to join the conclave at Woodstock.

It was a happening beyond their imaginations. They were not aware of the tranquil force gaining momentum ahead; they just went with the flow.

It’s time to talk about the music and diversity. We grew up listening to everything. Today algorithms and digital access allows you to stay in your music genre lane. Experimentation takes work now. Back then, we had it all on showcase. The lineup at Woodstock proves this point (not full list):

• Richie Havens

• Ravi Shankar

• Arlo Guthrie

• Santana

• Canned Heat

• Mountain

• Grateful Dead

• Creedence Clearwater Revival

• The Who

• Sly & the Family Stone

• The Band

• Jimi Hendrix

• Blood, Sweat & Tears

• Johnny Winter

• Ten Years After

• Sha Na Na

Before reading my favorite revelations, it’s only right for you to get in the mood with the anthem for Woodstock, written by the irreplaceable Joni Mitchell and sung by attending band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

1. No Labels or Brands — Bell-bottom blue jeans, psychedelic t-shirts, sandals and casual dresses marked the hippie generation along with long hair and colorful beads. It was the standard uniform, except one thing was missing. Marketing was absent. It was generic and classless.

   There were no Polos, no Calvin Kleins, not even Nike. It was common clothes for the everyday man or woman. The status symbolism of company brands and identifiable logos had yet to invade the culture.

   I’m not a fan of logos to impress - now even bigger than ever - or the price charged just for buying status. Growing up in the Woodstock era probably set that tone.

2. Humanity Amid Chaos — The calm in the storm. Woodstock is remarkable because it brought out the best of humanness.

   The venue was swollen well beyond capacity; rains pelted the grounds into a muddy mess; bad acid floated in the crowd; stranded vehicles jam-packed roads and highways; babies were born; volunteers worked in tents to supply food, water and medical attention; musicians dealt with delays and wet weather; and strangers coped with the entire chaos together.

   Even taking into account the stellar musical lineup and the abundance of weed, Woodstock transformed into a collective consciousness of peace and goodness.

3. Port-O-Potty Worker — My favorite scene in the documentary. A middle-aged, blue-collar sanitation worker sucks out out excrement from a row of portable toilets. While soaping down and scrubbing plastic stools, he expresses no animosity towards these kids enjoying the festival.

   He says his own son is their age and is currently serving in Vietnam for their right to celebrate these freedoms. That is the real America made of hard-working people who always make the sacrifices - not the politicians nor elitist class.

4. Townspeople Spirit — New York State gets a bad rap due to the abrasiveness of urban attitudes in NYC. That’s the case with most big cities. But, when you get outside the metropolitan rat race, the real character of people usually shines.

   Bethel, New York is roughly 100 miles northwest of New York City. It became the epicenter of the Woodstock hurricane that funneled hordes of hippies migrating to the music. Thousands of cars remained unoccupied on town roads, stopping movement, as the flood of concert-goers swelled up to 400,000 - though only a quarter of them bought tickets.

   Watching this human stream of young people, most townspeople overcame their anger to lend aid and comfort to these peaceful invaders. They provided bottled drinks, handed out food items and smiled in spirit as kids marched by in small groups. It was a profound collaborative effort of parental nature to support these strangers.

5. Peace Over War — By 1969, the Vietnam War was in full ugliness. Over 16,000 soldiers died in 1968. The military draft swept up mostly working class kids, since college deferments allowed others to avoid the call-up for war.

   The vibe inside Woodstock was antipodal to the reality outside Yasgur’s farm. There was a sense of community despite the lack of amenities and the limited rations of daily essentials. People hunkered down for three days of togetherness.

   And surprisingly, it was mainly organic in origin, even though the organizers tried to keep up with the demand. Woodstock allies chose peace over conflict with each other.

Coda

As a young teenager, I remember watching TV as ping-pong balls tumbled in a wire cage before revealing the next military draft date, based on birthdays. Each new ball was like playing Russian roulette by bringing you closer to service in Vietnam. One year, my birthday - January 25 - popped out on the third try. I tried to absorb what that meant but was only glad to be underage.

Woodstock is mostly a memory of music and counter-culture. But it’s much more important than that. It was a peaceful protest for life over conflict. It still reverberates in the soul.

I’ll leave you with its most iconic anti-war moment: Country Joe McDonald and the Fish getting the crowd to sing I Feel Like I’m Fixin to Die Rag.

There is one verse that stands out as prescient for today as the Russia-Ukraine war remains unresolved due to political power grabs and imperialist agendas. I guess protest songs never die:

Well, come on generals, let's move fast
Your big chance has come at last
Now you can go out and get those reds
'Cause the only good commie is the one that's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come

Addendum

For those of you who want to explore Woodstock a bit more, the following video is the most representative and accurate one I could find. Enjoy the festival.

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