An event inspired by artists and audiences to revolt for their beliefs is what the Woodstock Music and Art Fair is. It is meant to promote peace, neglecting vandalism, or any form of violence movement. Its name “Woodstock,” originated from the town in New York called Woodstock, a place where a cluster of artists and musicians lived.
It maintained the country’s oneness at times where all went down the drain for the country. It is an event that represents widespread unity and peace to its vicinity. It showed life in the movement of counter culture and people’s awareness in excess ever. Michael Lang, Artie Kornfeld, Joel Rosenman and John. P. Roberts were the initiators of the Music and Art Fair.
In January 1969, Kornfeld and Lang agreed to a proposed plan from Roberts and Rosenman to make the event a concert-like event that was going to feature artists that were constant and known to Woodstock areas. Meanwhile, following a formerly proposed building of a studio in Woodstock, New York, thereafter they came about Woodstock.
Source: CW Columbus
Later on,they finally discovered the 300-acre Mills Industrial Park in a town at Wallkill, New York, where the Woodstock venture later sat, for a total amount of US $10,000 (equivalent to US $83,000 today) during the spring of 1969. Here are eight memorable events that took place at the 2024 Woodstock Music and Art Festival.
Artists’ Performance
The event witnessed a number of 32 Artists that performed live through the 3-day Peace-in-mind merriment. A list of the artists that performed on each day is below;
Friday, August 15 – Saturday, August 16
- Richie Havens
- Swami Satchidananda
- Sweetwater
- Bert Sommer
- Tim Hardin
- Ravi Shankar
- Melanie
- Arlo Guthrie
- Joan Baez
Saturday, August 16 – Sunday, August 17
- Quill
- Country Joe McDonald
- Santana
- John Sebastian
- Keef Hartley Band
- Canned Heat
- Mountain
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Janis Joplin with the Kozmic Blues Band
- Sly and the Family Stone
- The Who
- Jefferson Airplane
Sunday, August 17 – Monday, August 18
- Joe Cocker and the Grease Band
- Country Joe and the Fish
- Ten Years After
- The Band
- Johnny Winter
- Blood, Sweat & Tears
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- Sha Na Na
- Jimi Hendrix / Gypsy Sun & Rainbows.
Jimi Hendrix’s Speech
Hendrix and Gypsy Sun and Rainbows performed a two-hour set at Woodstock, introducing themselves as a “Band of Gypsies.” The set included his legendary, psychedelic rendition of the national anthem, which became a defining moment of the 1960s and a highlight of the Woodstock film.”
Absent at Call
Country Joe McDonald was not meant to perform at Woodstock as a soloist, while the stage was being set for Santana to perform, he was asked to fill some time and keep the audience entertained on Saturday afternoon. He was brought in for an unscheduled emergency solo performance when Santana was not yet ready to take the stage. Joe performed again with the Fish the following day.
Max Yasgur let’s it out
Stunned, Max Yasgur was thrilled by the of nearly half a million of people at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. He widely stated after the event, “If we join them, we can turn those adversities that are the problems of America today into a hope for a brighter and more peaceful future.”
Jimi Hendrix / Gypsy Sun & Rainbows performs for 30,000
Nearly 30,000 people remained at an estimated number of 450,000 people at the festival on the last day as at the time Hendrix would come up to perform around 8: 30 due to delay caused by rain.Initially, several people only wanted to have a sight of Hendrix and leave in which they did and departed for their homes.
Attendee Takes to the Stage
A number of 32 artists were to perform at the festival. But due to large numbers of people, delays on the road, traffic and other obstructions, artists were delayed to perform at their speculated time. John Sebastian was not on the bill, but rather was attending the festival, he was acquired to perform while the promoters waited for many of the other scheduled performers to arrive.
Crowded Bethel
The outburst of people on MaX Yasgur’s site, where Woodstock Ventures laid was extremely unexpected as 50,000 people arrived a day earlier to the event even before it started. The event welcomed over 450,000 people which led to an unimagined gigantic traffic Jam in the town of Bethel.
Peaceful, But Fatal
The event all through was remarkably and relayed peacefully through the three days spent, whereas, some fatality records were taken of which include drug overdoses, miscarriages, farm land accident.
Apparently, the event witnessed 2 drug overdoses and a later record of 742 drug overdoses over the three 3-day range event, it witnessed a 17-Year-Old run over by a working tractor while sleeping in a nearby hayfield also surrounding the occuring Festival. About 4-8 miscarriages were recorded.