Woodstock Music & Art Fair 1969

par Felix P: Roger Daltrey

The Woodstock Music & Art Fair stretched over three days in upstate New York before ending on Sunday, August 17, 1969. Rain and delays turned the final night into a marathon that ran past dawn. John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Michael Lang organized the event to fund a recording studio near Woodstock. Site issues forced a move to a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York, owned by Max Yasgur. After selling 186,000 tickets, promoters opened the gates for free when crowds surged. Nearly half a million people showed up, causing eight miles of traffic jams around Bethel. The lineup featured Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and The Who. Roger Daltrey sang See Me, Feel Me from Tommy as the sun rose during The Who's early morning set on August 17. Jimi Hendrix closed the festival on the morning of August 18 with an improvisational guitar version of The Star-Spangled Banner. Conditions were chaotic with inadequate bathroom facilities and first-aid tents. One teenager was killed by a tractor and another died of a drug overdose. Many musicians performed anti-Vietnam War songs. The term Woodstock Nation later described the youth counterculture of the 1960s. A 25th-anniversary event, Woodstock II, was held in 1994 in Saugerties, New York, drawing about 300,000 people. Another festival occurred in 1999 but was far less successful. A major 50th-anniversary celebration planned for 2019 never materialized.