Woodstock. August 15 through 18, 1969

If, as we've defined it, the 1960s as a decade began on March 8, 1965, when the Marines waded ashore at Danang, Republic of Vietnam, and ended on August 9, 1974, with the resignation of President Richard Nixon, then the mid point, and the high point, in more than one way occurred on August 15 through 17, at Woodstock, New York.

Original anticipated Woodstock lineup, which proved to be somewhat inaccurate.

Woodstock was a giant undertaking, and one for which nothing whatsoever went right, by any measure.  It's both justifiably celebrated and somewhat inaccurately remembered, as any giant event of this sort would be.

Intended from the onset to be a very large music festival, of which the 1960s featured several, it grew totally out of control and the producers soon lost control of the event, making it a free concert in the end.  It became more than that, and in some ways came to define the 1960s counter culture movement.

It may very well also mark the high point in Rock and Roll music. At this point in time, Rock and Roll still very much showed its blues roots and the music, while not as serious as a rule as the blues, reached its high point in being serious music.  Outlandish clothing had already come in, but after this point Rock and Roll would start to be highly gimmicky, something it has never recovered from.  Within a few years it would no longer be as serious, or be taken as seriously, as it was at this point.

On this day, the following acts played:

Richie Havens, who went on at 5:07 p.m and played for nearly two hours, and who was early on stage as Sweetwater, the opening act, had been stopped and delayed by the police.  Havens was a folk musician.

Sweetwater.  This band was a large ensemble, which some Rock bands of this period were, and is little remembered today. Being omitted from the Woodstock movie and the band's sort career no doubt contributed to that.

Bert Sommer.  Sommer isn't well known today, but he received the first standing ovation at Woodstock for his cover of Simon and Garfunkel's America.

Tim Hardin

Ravi Shankar, who played through the rain.

Melanie, was 22 years old at the time and who went on after the Incredible String Band declined to play in the rain.  She was invited as Woodstock's producers had an office in the same building which she did and was better known in Europe than the United States at this time.  One of three female acts at Woodstock, she later wrote her first hit song, Lay Down, Candles In The Rain, based on the concert.  Her career would later be virtually defined by her 1972 song Brand New Key, which was a song that came to her when she broke a vegetarian fast to have a hamburger at McDonald's after a twenty seven day fast.

Arlo Guthrie

Joan Baez, who was six months pregnant at the time and who concluded the first day's acts at 12:25.