CHAPTER 10
Curious
Right after the festival that Monday morning, some of the musicians were taped for a guest appearance on the popular Dick Cavett TV talk show. Jefferson Airplane and others from the concert performed. They talked about the amazing time at Woodstock.
Stephen Stills from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young showed the TV audience the mud still caked on his clothes from Yasgur’s farm. David Crosby said this about the festival: “It was incredible. It was probably the strangest thing that’s ever happened in the world.” He described the crowd he’d seen below as the band had flown in by helicopter to perform. He said, “It looked like an encampment of the Macedonian army on a Greek hill, crossed with the biggest batch of gypsies you ever saw.”
The more they heard, the more Americans wanted to know about the festival. Reporters interviewed people from the nearby town of Bethel. Most had good things to say, even those who had worried beforehand about trouble. When a woman dropped a shopping bag in a market, kids had helped pick up her groceries. When a state trooper’s car ran off the road, fans helped push it back on. They were also spotted delivering drinks to thirsty traffic officers. It turned out that the hippies and other young music fans were mostly respectful and helpful.
Still, the festival might not have lived on in people’s minds or become so famous if not for one thing. Michael Wadleigh’s movie Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music came out in theaters in 1970. The three-hour film won the Best Documentary Academy Award in 1971. It was a huge hit!
Not all the Woodstock bands made it into the movie. The crew didn’t have enough film to catch everything, and sometimes their film equipment didn’t work during the concert. Plus, certain bands had refused to be filmed, perhaps not realizing what great publicity it was.
Today, some people still argue about details of what happened onstage at Woodstock. Which songs did each band play, and in what order? Music fans even disagree about the lineup of the bands. There was a lot of confusion at the concert, and no official record was kept.
One thing is certain. Some bands became stars as a result of the concert and film. Those who were already stars gained many new fans. Songs such as Richie Havens’s “Freedom” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Star-Spangled Banner” were heard around the nation! The theme song for the film was written by Joni Mitchell and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was titled “Woodstock” and helped CSNY’s popularity skyrocket.
The movie didn’t just feature bands, though. Using a split-screen effect, it often displayed two or more images at the same time. While a band performed, images of the crowd appeared alongside. Finally, the curious world got to see what had gone on at the festival, onstage and off.
They got a glimpse of what hippies were really like. Highlights included young people playing in the mud, skinny-dipping, and climbing the sound towers in the storm. And grooving on the music. There was even a nun flashing a peace sign!
Woodstock Ventures lost over a million dollars on the festival. Lawsuits were filed against them for various reasons. The money owed was eventually paid off. Over time, the movie made some of those involved in the concert rich.
Was the festival a success? Max Yasgur thought so. Half a million young people had found a way to come together in music and peace. Right smack in the middle of troubled times in the United States. He thought that maybe grown-ups could learn a thing or two from those kids.
Some of the fans, law officers, musicians, and townspeople only remembered the mud and the mix-ups at Woodstock. Still, despite all the problems, there was almost no violence. Most who were there considered Woodstock a life-changing adventure. They knew they’d been part of an amazing happening. In fact, many baby boomers who didn’t go to the festival were bummed out—disappointed they missed it.
There had been a feeling of togetherness and hope for the future that weekend. Strangers made friends and shared what they had. Old people and young people gained respect for one another. It had been a special moment in time. A memory they would carry with them all their lives.
And best of all, the music was far out. Woodstock is still considered one of the greatest, grooviest concerts ever!
