Summary
The podcast episode discusses the Woodstock music festival of 1969, which was significant because it was one of the first large-scale music festivals and brought together a diverse group of people for three days of music, peace, and love. The festival was founded by Artie Cornfield and Michael Lang with the backing of John Roberts and Joel Rosenman. Initially, it was intended to be a one-night benefit concert to pay for a music studio, but it quickly turned into a massive music festival. The organizers faced many obstacles, including finding a suitable location and obtaining permits. Eventually, they were able to secure Max Yasgar's farm as the venue. Despite having only five weeks to prepare, they managed to put together a legitimate concert venue with lighting rigs and sound equipment. The lineup included big names such as The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix. The concert was a huge success, with over 400,000 attendees, and many of the performers became superstars following their performances at Woodstock.
The podcast hosts discuss the challenges the organizers faced in preparing for the festival and the ways in which they overcame those challenges. The lack of adequate fencing and security measures prevented gate crashing and helped to establish a peaceful and cooperative atmosphere among the attendees. The Hog Farm, a hippie commune led by Wavy Gravy, played a key role in providing security and services at the festival. Volunteerism was also a major factor in the success of the event, with attendees pitching in to help with medical services and other tasks. Overall, the Woodstock festival is remembered as a peaceful and cooperative gathering of hundreds of thousands of people.
The podcast also discusses the events that took place during the Woodstock Festival. Despite the rainstorm that thinned the crowd, many people stayed and enjoyed the performances of various artists, including Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Santana, CCR, and the Grateful Dead. While some performances were not great, others, like Richie Havens' opening performance, were memorable. The festival was a financial loss, with debts paid off by the early 80s due to the success of the documentary and album. The speakers also mention the clean-up effort by the 8,000 volunteers who stayed behind after the festival. There were two deaths at the festival, but it was relatively safe compared to other events of the time.
The podcast episode ends with a brief mention of a person addressing a large crowd at Woodstock and praising the peaceful atmosphere. The hosts then read a listener mail from a father who introduced his son to the podcast and the son asked if the hosts were married to each other. The hosts joke about the idea but express appreciation for the listener mail. They encourage other listeners to write in to the show.
