This week in 1969 the Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York from August 15 to the 18th. The ticket price started at $18 for the weekend but eventually turned into a free event with 400,000 who attended.
Some 32 acts performed like Santana, Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix. The festival went down in history as a pivotal musical moment for the counterculture movement.
Photo credit: Burk Uzzle
The Hog Farm was hired to make the event a safer place, and they set up a children’s playground, a free food kitchen and a tent to assist people “freaking out” on drugs. The farm’s leader Wavy Gravy was also responsible for those iconic lines for making sure everyone was fed.
There have been numerous anniversaries held to celebrate Woodstock, including “Woodstock 2” in 1994 and A Day in The Garden festival where the original took place with Havens, Melanie and Pete Townsend. More on that coming up on The Retro Lounge, with music and memories from the 70s, 80s and 90s, brought to you by Backstage Music Store, Thunder Bay’s newest music store.
