Opening Ceremony for Woodstock 1969
In music history, there has never been a moment as iconic as Woodstock 1969. Sure, modern day music festivals have tried to create monumental events to try and compare. But the legend and magic behind the 1969 event will probably never be topped. From the image above, you can see just how massive this music festival was. Woodstock Ventures pre-sold more than 100,000 tickets, and by August 13, at least 50,000 people were already camped out on the Yasgur property. The final, official numbers of attendees vary greatly and range somewhere between 400,000 and one million people.
Though some had to be evacuated, floods ravaged the campgrounds, and two people lost their lives, the sheer pandemonium possible with such a mass of free-spirited people ultimately turned out to be far less anarchic than skeptics would’ve guessed. Many attribute this impressive serenity to the ubiquitous use of psychedelics and the “make love, not war” mantra of the 1960s counterculture. It’s no surprise that many attendees birthed children some nine months later. Thirty-two acts performed over the course of the festival, with many of them rocking out until the wee hours of the next morning. Friday night’s headliners included Richie Havens and Joan Baez; Saturday featured Janis Joplin, The Who and Jefferson Airplane; Sunday boasted Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Jimi Hendrix closed out Monday with a two-plus-hour set starting at 9 a.m.