Woodstock 2009?

[Jahfin]

Sounds like there may be concerts being planned in New York and Berlin later this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Looks like the original movie and soundtrack are being revisited (again) as well.

Woodstock's Michael Lang Seeking Sponsors For 2009 Festival In New York City

[Jahfin]

I recently stumbled upon this article at another board. Not very uplifting to say the least but at the same time it's somewhat interesting to see who's still around after all of these years:

The Woodstock Death Count

[jimmie ray]

I recently stumbled upon this article at another board. Not very uplifting to say the least but at the same time it's somewhat interesting to see who's still around after all of these years:

The Woodstock Death Count

Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience are both gone, and notably absent from the list?

[kakdaddy]

Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience are both gone, and notably absent from the list?

Only Mitchell played Woodstock. Redding was out of the band by that point. Either way, Mitchell should have been mentioned. He was better than Jimi that day.

[ninelives]

I recently stumbled upon this article at another board. Not very uplifting to say the least but at the same time it's somewhat interesting to see who's still around after all of these years:

The Woodstock Death Count

Sad reminder of so many great ones we've lost over the years.

[Jahfin]

Sad reminder of so many great ones we've lost over the years.

Then there's those where it's a wonder they're even still alive (and oftentimes very hard to tell).

[jimmie ray]

Only Mitchell played Woodstock. Redding was out of the band by that point. Either way, Mitchell should have been mentioned. He was better than Jimi that day.

Oh, yeah. His version of "The Star Spangled Banner" makes me cring...

[danelectro59]

Then there's those where it's a wonder they're even still alive (and oftentimes very hard to tell).

Wow, that's one scary pic.

But his former partner don't look much better.

[tom kid]

Then there's those where it's a wonder they're even still alive (and oftentimes very hard to tell).

Whose that?

[ninelives]

Whose that?

Stephen Stills. To be fair, I've seen pictures of him within the last year and he looked much better. Looks like the camera just caught him making some sort of facial expression and snapped at a bad time!

[spats]

Only Mitchell played Woodstock. Redding was out of the band by that point. Either way, Mitchell should have been mentioned. He was better than Jimi that day.

You think Jimi did not play that well that day?

[lzfan715]

I know it's 19% in that pie graph but wow. It's just a reminder that we don't last forever. It's a shame really.

[Jahfin]

Wow, that's one scary pic.

But his former partner don't look much better.

Which one? He's had several over the years.

[Jahfin]

Having attended Woodstock "94 (which was admittedly 15 years ago now) I can say security was not a problem if you're referring to the freedom to indulge in otherwise illegal activities. On the other hand, in a crowd that large it is necessary to have security. As for the "monster band" aspect, I can't really say I've noticed any sort of greed going on amongst today's bands that would cause them to back out of such a festival. In fact, Bonnaroo and Ozzfest are two of the biggest ones going these days so I can't say I've picked up on any issues of "greed" there either. Most seem content just to be taking part in a concert venture that's actually making money and drawing such huge crowds in this day and age.

[ninelives]

i actually meant the sheer size and turnout of the event. And the fact that it went into peoples back yards. People that wanted no part of it and felt like it was an invasion of sort. Women giving birth to babies. absolutely unequaled to this day in the chaos that went on. At least not to my knowledge. It was a rare event.

Well yes, I'd say that aspect of things isn't likely to ever happen - times were different and what happened at Woodstock and the whole "vibe" was indeed a unique event. I would say that although it was in a huge football stadium, Live Aid certainly had a feeling of unity amongst the audience and there was a real global connection having the London concert telecast here simultaneously. But I would say Jahfin is right in that I don't see big festivals as an issue as far as bands not wanting to share the stage and such.

[Aquamarine]

Even Woodstock wasn't what it was, if you see what I mean--I had friends who were there, and at the time it was this weekend festival that they went to because it was close by, and all sorts of disasters happened transport-wise but they heard some really good music, though didn't see much, being camped in the trees and getting soaking wet. It wasn't until afterwards that it took on this aura that it has today.

[kakdaddy]

You think Jimi did not play that well that day?

He had a new band that was underehearsed & mostly made up of spare parts, he was up for about 24 hours by the time he hit the stage, & he had several tabs of acid under his bandana soaking into his skin as he was playing. I'm impressed by his ability to actually stand up, but his performance was not good no matter how iconic the images have become. Think of Page on the 77' tour. pretty much the same thing. The dragon suit looked cool but..

[Aquamarine]

He had a new band that was underehearsed & mostly made up of spare parts, he was up for about 24 hours by the time he hit the stage, & he had several tabs of acid under his bandana soaking into his skin as he was playing. I'm impressed by his ability to actually stand up, but his performance was not good no matter how iconic the images have become. Think of Page on the 77' tour. pretty much the same thing. The dragon suit looked cool but..

I was listening to my Hendrix at Woodstock CD the other night and thinking how fantastic it was--loose, yes, but for me that was a plus. He was still better than almost anybody else at the time.

Oh, and ditto Page on the 77 tour!

[kakdaddy]

I was listening to my Hendrix at Woodstock CD the other night and thinking how fantastic it was--loose, yes, but for me that was a plus. He was still better than almost anybody else at the time.

Oh, and ditto Page on the 77 tour!

If it were just about anyone else it wouldve been great performance for them, but for Hendrix that day it wasn't really there. I can list loads of better performances of his, but it was what it was & considering the circumstances I am really surprised he was still standing. He was supposed to appear on The Dick Cavett Show the next day with CSNY, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, etc but he cancelled due to exhaustion. He appeared a week later still completely wiped out.

The Who on the other hand were completely peaking. Great set from them. Stole the show.

[bigstickbonzo]

Probably one of the worst performances by the Dead at '69.

Hendrix might have been sloppy, but he made it work. Very..very rarely did his full abilities at wowing the listener become haggard because of substance abuse. He almost was the exception to the rule.

I think bringing Woodstock back..again, is pointless. People have already accepted Bonnaroo as the summer festival retreat for "interesting and innovative" music. If you throw in Lalapalooza (sp), you have plenty of variety from some of the top acts to lesser knowns. Throw in SXSW as well.

[jimmie ray]

I think bringing Woodstock back..again, is pointless. People have already accepted Bonnaroo as the summer festival retreat for "interesting and innovative" music. If you throw in Lalapalooza (sp), you have plenty of variety from some of the top acts to lesser knowns. Throw in SXSW as well.

To try and duplicate the large scale and relevance of the original event is indeed pointless. To consider New York City as a potential site is a mockery, also. From what I understand, the farm area of the original site was bought up for condo development - which was fought against by a group that wanted the area left "untouched" and designated on the National Register. The compromise led to limited development - which included a museum, music school, and outdoor performance venues. I haven't heard of who performs there, but it seem appropriate to have occasional small scale festivals that would feature original Woodstock performers and / or related acts. But nothing overly hyped to give the impression visitors would be able to relive Woodstock.

[Melanie_72]

I don't think they should try to create another Woodstock. I enjoy seeing the movie, great piece of history there that can never be duplicated IMO. It was a shame how many of the fans started the fires towards the end of the concert back in 1999. Not a good way to celebrate the history of it all, that's for sure.

[Jahfin]

I went to Woodstock in '94 because I missed out on the first one and always vowed I would go if they ever had another one. Obviously there's no way to duplicate or recreate the original which wasn't my intention nor was it the intention of the organizers. Would I do it again? Most likely not, nor do I regret going in 1994. It was great and a once in a lifetime experience which is exactly why I went in the first place.

[ninelives]

I went to Woodstock in '94 because I missed out on the first one and always vowed I would go if they ever had another one. Obviously there's no way to duplicate or recreate the original which wasn't my intention nor was it the intention of the organizers. Would I do it again? Most likely not, nor do I regret going in 1994. It was great and a once in a lifetime experience which is exactly why I went in the first place.

What was the experience like?

[Jahfin]

What was the experience like?

Wet, muddy and at times scary because I was there by myself. The only friends I had were the ones I made on the bus ride in from Syracuse and people I met at the festival. The music was great and went on nearly all hours of the day and night even if there was nothing happening on the main stages. I encountered people from all walks of life and from all over the world. There was also a lot of ground to cover there and I didn't even come close to seeing all of it. Once the rain set in it became rather difficult to get around but I still managed to see and hear lots of bands: Collective Soul, Violent Femmes, the Neville Brothers, Santana, Paul Rodgers backed by Slash, Jason Bonham and others, Jimmy Cliff, Aerosmith, Metallica, Green Day, Primus, The "Big Pink" Revue (with members of the Grateful Dead, the Band, the Byrds and others), the Cranberries, etc.

When I ventured down to the main stage on Saturday night to see Aerosmith the rain came in buckets and I had to retreat to a shelter where I could see them playing via a big screen. Meanwhile there was a gathering just a few miles away where the original Woodstock was held (I was at Winston farm where it was originally supposed to be held in '69). There was also supposed to be a concert there but it was called off just one week before the festival due to competition from Woodstock '94 and poor ticket sales. I got tempted a time or two to go check it out but never did. I understand some artists and fans showed up anyway. Due to the sheer number of people and the rain I didn't end up seeing a lot of the artists that played on the main stage other than the first night I was there but I was able to hear them from where I was camped (the North stage, if I remember correctly).