What was once part of Max Yasgur’s dairy farm is now the Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts, dedicated to keeping the spirit of Woodstock alive. The alfalfa field peacefully invaded by over 400,000 young people in August 1969 is still there and the surrounding fields have been turned into a cultural centre dedicated to promoting the spirit of Woodstock.
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| 50 years ago, in a farmer's field |
The 50th anniversary celebration of the 1969 festival is going ahead, even if the other larger planned festival, ‘Woodstock 50’, isn’t.
Everyone says to me, “oh, but Woodstock’s been cancelled,”. The truth is 'Woodstock 50' has been dead in the water for some time, largely due to an overall lack of attention to detail in the planning; a problem that beset Michael Lang and the other organisers 50 years ago. You'd think they would have learnt from the experience.
I was never interested in Woodstock 50 for one minute. It would have been a huge corporate event featuring bands with no real association to the original Woodstock ethos. For me, the spirit of Woodstock is alive and well in the place where it all began, Bethel.
And so, as it should be, the focus falls on Bethel Woods. Artists appearing at their 50th anniversary celebration include Santana, John Fogerty, Ringo Starr, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Doobie Brothers and lots more.
Stay tuned for my diary of the six days I will be spending in the Catskill mountains area, starting off in Woodstock town itself on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the handout given to attendees at the 1969 festival. Interesting to see that the Jeff Beck Group and Iron Butterfly were listed, but neither appeared. The Jeff Beck Group broke up the week before the festival, when singer Rod Stewart decided to join The Faces.
On the day they were due to play, Iron Butterfly's manager insisted the
promoters fly the band from NYC in a helicopter. The told him to forget
it, the helicopters were too busy flying in food for the masses.
Click on the photo to enlarge it
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Days before the concert, stage construction foreman Jay
Drevers told Michael Lang he could either have a stage or a fence, but he
couldn't have both, because they didn't have the time or the materials to
complete both jobs.
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The elevated walkway leading from the backstage area to the
stage. Just recently, they found the stage, identified by the wood supplier's
brand and the coloured sections. They had been repurposed in the construction of a
barn in a nearby village. They are now selling off sections to souvenir buyers.
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Jimi Hendrix was paid the most ($15,000 plus $2,000
expenses. According to Lang, Mike Jeffrey, Jimi's manager wanted at least
$50,000 and for Jimi to have top billing on all promotional material. Lang got
him down to $30,000 for an acoustic set and an electric set. As it turned
out, there wasn't time for the acoustic set and Lang stuck to his guns on
having no billing of artists. Instead they were always listed alphabetically,
with Joan Baez first.
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See also on this blog:
My Woodstock 50th Anniversary Diary
https://bangnzdrum.blogspot.com/2019/08/my-woodstock-50th-anniversary-diary.html
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