August 16, 2009 5:44 PM
Woodstock highlights
Forty years ago I passed on Woodstock because I was pregnant with Samantha Sunshine - who was born a month later. How do I feel about that now? I'm really not sure. I don't know if - even tripping on acid - I could have handled the mud and the muck up there.
Then again, I think there were two kinds of counterculture people - the ones into grooving and having a good time and the ones into doing some serious damage to the cultural and political fabric of the country. I was the latter. In those years I was part of every anti-war event/march/rally at the Pentagon/Capitol/White House/National Mall. Serious enough to get teargassed and maybe even have an FBI file. The idea of spending three days on music just wasn't compelling enough to get me on the road,
It's not that I didn't appreciate and love the music - I did. And I have absorbed every nuance and beat of the Woodstock album. I've seen the movie several times. Even shown it to my kids at the 30 year anniversary as part of our homeschool history lessons.
A few highlights in observance of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Richie Havens opened with a three hour set, improvising this final song - now iconic - while waiting for the next act to show:
The Who - not their best, but what can you expect when they were supposed to go on at 10pm and didn't actually begin their set until 4 am?:
Santana (amazing!!!) - Michael Shrieve, the drummer, was the youngest performer at Woodstock - only 19 [brief nudity in the crowd shots]:
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friends:
Crosby, Stills and Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Just a few iconic moments. I couldn't let this 40th anniversary go by without acknowledging it somehow.
