Woodstock 1969

The Woodstock of 1969 was a revolution in itself and responsible for

redefining the point of view, respect, and attitude of the so-called "counter-cultured"

youth of the late sixties. The attendants of the festival were youths from around the

United States in ages ranging from 17 to 26. The overall mood of the festival was very

relaxed and happy. Although there was a minimal amount of violence at Woodstock,

there were financial problems, drugs, nudity, and traffic jams that seemed to go for

miles down the old country roads surrounding Max Yasgur's dairy farm. Woodstock

was a symbol of the rebellious society of the time. The youths that went were looking

to vent out frustrations that their parents had forced upon them. For most youths, the

"3 Days of Peace, Love, and Music" seemed to be just the place to balance their

thoughts, relax with friends, and meet new people that hated their parents as much as

they did. Two-hundred thousand people were expected to show for the Woodstock

festival, and instead an overwhelming "400,000 youngsters turned up to hear big-

name bands play in a field near the village of Bethel, New York state in what has

become the largest rock concert of the decade".

The attendants

and the mood of the Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York

was that of the counter-cultered young society of the late sixties. Max Yasgur's farm

was transformed from a beautiful lush, green dairy farm field into a 400,000- person

mudpit. Throughout the days of the festival, the attendants were "undaunted by rain,

mud, wet clothes and chilly mountain breezes, thousands of youths sat on a rural

hillside here for a marathon 19-hour session of folk-rock music". Drugs had also

become increasingly more popular in the sixties, and Woodstock was no exception to

the latest trend. Drugs were readily available and generously passed around through

the crowds of youths all over the hillside. But the drugs weren't the reason that people

generally attended the Woodstock festival. Most would agree with a man interviewed

five miles away from his vehicle walking towards the festival in saying that " But it's

more than that. I'm here for the same reason that Indians used to have tribal

gatherings. Just being here with people like me makes it all worthwhile. I guess it will

reinforce my life styles, my beliefs, from the attacks of my parents and their

generation".

Although there was plenty of peace, love, and hapiness going around the

Woodstock festival, the festival also suffered from lack of police force, money, and

overall ability to handle such an unexpected large crowd. It was said that "even with

ticket sales that went over $1.3 million, they pronounced the fair a financial disaster".

The second most noticeable

problem was the capacity of people in which Yasgur's farm

was holding at this event. No one on the Woodstock committee ever imagined that

people would tear down the unsturdy fences that surrounded the property and that the

concert would be a free attraction for all who came. Woodstock did not have the

resources, nor the equipment to deal with such an overly large crowd. Many on the

woodstock committee have stated that " if we had any linking that there was going to

be this kind of of attendance, we certainly would not have gone ahead". There were

also two accidental deaths at the Woodstock music festival. One young man died from

a drug overdose and the other in a tractor accident. There were other injuries acquired

but the participants of the festival, about 5,000 lesser injuries, but nothing of major

significants. lack of police force was also a major problem

for the festival. One of the

head officers in charge is quoted as saying " Now I don't have any security people at

all...I've been struck. We're having the biggest collection of kids there's ever been i

this