Four Decades Later, Woodstock Rocks Again
Woodstock's 40th Anniversary Celebration Occurring in August
Jul 1, 2009
One of the most famous and important events in rock music history, The Woodstock Music and Art Fair is approaching its 40th anniversary. Many celebratory events are in the works, allowing fans to relive the mammoth 1969 event this August.
Woodstock - 1969
The original Woodstock festival was held from Aug. 15-18, 1969, on a 600 acre farm located in the rural community of Bethel, New York. More than half a million fans and 32 musical performers peacefully gathered for the historic “free concert” event. Hailed as “three days of peace and music,” the iconic Woodstock made its mark on rock history.
Woodstock - 1994
In August 1994, a celebration was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival. 350,000 people attended the event, which featured music from sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties bands. Unlike the original festival, tickets were sold for $135.
According to the festival website, Woodstock Ventures producer Joel Rosenman states: “The vibe at Woodstock ’94 was mellow. Spirits were high, the music was great, the setting was beautiful and a huge community had a great weekend party in the country.”
Woodstock - 1999
Woodstock’s 30th anniversary event, Woodstock ’99, was plagued with problems. The event boasted three stages, included more than 45 performers, and cost ticket holders $150.
During the majority of the festival, fans were peaceful. On the final evening, however, mobs began stealing, lighting fires, provoking the crowd, and violent chaos ensued.
Woodstock - 2009
Once again, Woodstock producers are planning massive celebratory events to commemorate the festival’s 40th anniversary. Woodstock Ventures has relaunched its website Woodstock.com as “a new social networking website devoted to the live music community.”
In addition, producers have reissued the 1969 festival audio soundtracks, Music from the Original Soundtrack and More: Woodstock and Woodstock Two. A collector’s edition DVD has also been released, titled Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music - Director’s Cut, 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition.
The Heroes of Woodstock Tour
Musical events have been planned to commemorate the festival’s anniversary as well. According to a recent press release, “The Heroes of Woodstock, featuring eleven original performers from the most important event in rock music history, have joined together to tour the world in celebration of and tribute to ‘The Original Three Days of Peace and Music’ that occurred at Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, NY in August 1969.”
Participating acts include Jefferson Starship, the Levon Helm Band, Canned Heat, Ten Years After, the Grateful Dead’s Tom Constanten, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Country Joe McDonald.
The tour will perform several concerts, and is scheduled to appear at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, built on the original festival site, on Aug. 15, 2009. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and range in price from $19.69 to $69.00. Ticket holders are also given a free online soundboard download of the performance, which is available for 72 hours after the concert takes place.
Four decades after making rock history, Woodstock lives on. The legacy of peace, love, and music still inspires fans everywhere who want to mark this year’s historic 40th anniversary. While expected to be smaller than the celebrations of the past, Woodstock’s 2009 party is sure to be an amazing event.
 |
