When was woodstock music festival

John Lennon and The Beatles refused to perform at Woodstock when their request to have Yoko Ono perform alongside them was turned down. Farmer Max Yasgur was paid a respectable sum for the use of his acre dairy farm to host the festival. Canadian band Lighthouse backed out of the festival due to concerns over safety and…ahem…toiletry space. The festival was repeatedly stopped throughout the weekend due to rain and the risk of electrocution. Some attendees claim they waited in line for hours to use restroom facilities.

Rumor has it jugs of homemade wine were passed around freely. Many people who attended the festival claim not to have realized just how many people were present. Many quotes from in-person interviews during the festival which can still be found online estimate tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands. Tens of thousands of vehicles of guests were parked as far as 20 miles away from the site of the festival.

Performer Melanie Safka was a relatively unknown year-old folk singer who was never given an artist VIP pass and had to sing to security guards in order to convince them she was scheduled to perform on stage. No rain! Singer Alvin Lee of the band Ten Years After chose to sing in the rain after reportedly ignoring warnings he could become electrocuted. While Woodstock was taking place, so was the Vietnam War. Dozens of attendees carried posters and wore clothing denouncing the war and calling for peace.

The famous nine-mile traffic jam really did occur, and it really was as bad as it sounds, according to witnesses. A local group of volunteers from a nearby Jewish community center attempted to help alleviate concerns about food by making and distributing thousands of sandwiches. It was burnt down by festival goers. The U. Army airlifted thousands of pounds of food, water, and medical supplies to the anti-Vietnam War crowds throughout the duration of the festival.

The organizers insisted it was not, and a series of back-and-forth claims about mismanagement and permit issues ensued. As of late July , the festival was still on, however — just relocated to Maryland and with a revised lineup.

That lineup never materialized, and it was ultimately canceled just two weeks away from its scheduled date. Even the original Woodstock was not in the town of Woodstock, New York. It was held on the site of a acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York , which is about an hour and a half drive from the actual town of Woodstock.

Twenty-five years later, Woodstock was held on a different farm in Saugerties, New York, just ten miles from Woodstock. Woodstock 50 planned to hold the festival in upstate New York as well, first at Watkins Glen International racetrack and then at Vernon Downs after Watkins Glen cancelled the contract, citing a missed payment. The festival was pitched by Lang and organizer Gregory Peck with the assistance of financial backers.

Lang also announced he had joined with the charity HeadCount, collaborating to raise funds in their get-out-the-vote efforts, as well as partnering with NGOs fighting climate change. Originally, Lang envisioned a festival that would match the spirit of the first one in , welcoming , attendees to the Watkins Glen race track in upstate New York.

It was an eclectic mix of artists across genres, some of whom had even originally been at the first Woodstock. But on July 26, just after Woodstock 50 confirmed the location change to Maryland, all the artists that remained on the lineup were officially released from their contracts, Billboard reports. A number of them had already pulled out earlier in the spring and summer, too. As of July 29, the venue relayed to media outlets that they had yet to see a finalized lineup — but confirmed that the space was still being held for Woodstock Some of the most well-known and well-regarded performers of the era included African-American folksinger, Richie Havens, who opened the concert and played until he was out of material.

Woodstock remains a symbol of what was thought possible. The long-lasting impact of the festival on American life is attested to by the fact that the Woodstock and its aftermath helped shape the world views, social consciences, and musical tastes of thousands of people who are now in leadership roles in every segment of American life. You Might Also Like.