Woodstock Music Festivals
Before Afropunk, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, Mahalia Jackson and more graced a Harlem stage in 1969. Source
Did Jimi Hendrix perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” for thousands, and did Joni Mitchell sing about her experience at the festival? A few key fact checks. Source
Once the scope of the festival became clear, The New York Times scrambled to cover its significance. Shakespeare was quoted. Source
It was a hippie dream. But while some hailed peace and love, others saw damaged property, poor sanitation and a threat to public safety. Source
Burk Uzzle thought he’d be at the festival for a day. He wound up trapped on the grounds, and spotted Nick Ercoline and Bobbi Kelly wrapped in a blanket. Source
The singer remembers the endless waiting and how “the worst sides of our nature had come out.” (But also how great Creedence Clearwater Revival was.) Source
High on mescaline he got from Jerry Garcia, “I asked, over and over, ‘Just help me stay in tune and on time.’” Source
The internationally renowned artist was just 19 when he took his trusty Nikon to the festival. Only one was ever published — till now. Source
Being born in the ’90s means the 1969 festival feels like the husk of a dream, the musician Lucy Dacus writes. Source
The 1969 festival was an epiphany and an indulgence. With five decades of hindsight, it still poses questions about the utopian ideals that surrounded it and our relationship to them today. Source
