If I Was A Time-Traveler

Last night, Daddy and I watched part of an awesome movie, Woodstock: Three Days of Peace & Music - The Director's Cut. When Big and Lil' get older, much, much older, I hope they take the time to watch this. It documents how the concert came to fruition and what the people and the performers experienced over those 3 days; August 15th through August 18th 1969.

Ok, yes, there was apparently alot, alot, alot of drug use. But I don't think that the drugs made the crowd experience something that wasn't actually there. It was a perfect union between the crowd and the performers. Richie Havens was unbelievable really. He went way down deep and dealt out some unreal guitar playing. Joe Crocker positively slayed it. He got crazy and it payed off big. When he sang, "With A Little Help From My Friends", it was a sweaty, delirious, magical,messy, miracle. It was only the second performance for Crosby, Stills & Nash and they were so, so, good. What is also interesting to see is how young all these people were. I mean, Woodstock happened when most of them still had their wits about them.

Woodstock had to happen. It needed to happen as much for the people who went as for the performers it showcased. The legends who played there were really creating a concert that would be an ageless, timeless tribute to themselves. Not in my lifetime, has there ever been so much musical talent all alive, all together, playing for one reason. I'm not sure it will ever happen for Big and Lil' either but I hope they look back and see what happened back then because it was really very beautiful.

Thirty-two acts performed over the course of the four days:

Friday, August 15
Richie Havens
Swami Satchidananda - gave the invocation for the festival
Sweetwater
The Incredible String Band
Bert Sommer
Tim Hardin
Ravi Shankar
Melanie
Arlo Guthrie
Joan Baez

Saturday, August 16
Quill, forty minute set of four songs
Keef Hartley Band
Country Joe McDonald
John Sebastian
Santana
Canned Heat
Mountain
Grateful Dead
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band [19]
Sly & the Family Stone
The Who began at 4 AM, kicking off a 25-song set including Tommy
Jefferson Airplane

Sunday, August 17 to Monday, August 18
The Grease Band
Joe Cocker
Country Joe and the Fish
Ten Years After
The Band
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Johnny Winter featuring his brother, Edgar Winter
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Neil Young
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Sha-Na-Na
Jimi Hendrix

Oh if I was a time-traveler...