Let’s take a journey back to 1969 when the first Woodstock Music and Art Fair was being held in Bethel, New York. Four business partners, Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman and Artie Kornfield, put together this special event to raise money to build a low-key recording studio in the town of Woodstock. They meshed their visions for the concert together to create this once-in-a-lifetime experience; they never expected it to be as enormous as it turned out. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the festival to celebrate peace, love and music.
On the first day, the party had started even before the concert did. The rush of fans caused a 20-mile-long traffic jam along the highway. Instead of honking and shouting, these hippies sat atop their cars and played music for those who left their cars to walk the last few miles.
Richie Havens was first to go on stage, followed by Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, Tim Harden, Ravi Shankar, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie, and as the last act of the day, Joan Baez. While people listened to the music, they sat around, making friends with strangers and getting lost in the relaxing atmosphere.
The second day was full of unbroken bliss. Some of the biggest names in rock music performed including Santana, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Who and Jefferson Airplane. The fans continued to soak up the enormity of this event and listen to bands we now know as legendary.
The weekend continued with Joe Cocker, Country Joe & The Fish, The Band, Blood Sweat and Tears and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Woodstock helped bring some amateur bands to fame. Recording studios insisted on bringing in some of their newer bands along to jumpstart their careers. For instance, Neil Young had just joined up with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when they went on to perform at Woodstock. It was their first public performance together. For other bands, it was just another concert, albeit with a crowd about twice the usual size.
The final day ended with a bang as Jimi Hendrix took the stage. Many fans had already packed up their tents and left by the time he got on stage. Those loyal fans who stayed took out their lighters and waved them in the air, singing along with their most beloved songs.
Since this historic weekend, millions of people have visited Woodstock over the past 40 years. Many people have had a wonderful time being a part of this amazing phenomenon that launched the careers of many artists. Happy 40th, Woodstock!