The year was 1969. Richard Nixon was in the White House. Neil Armstrong was on the Moon. And revolution was in the air. In that backdrop, 500,000 young people gathered on a mid-August weekend in upstate New York for the promise of three days of peace and music. What they experienced at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was something far greater.
Celebrating "the greatest peaceful event in history," Woodstock 50th Anniversary: Back to Yasgur's Farm offers a dazzlingly and compelling front-row seat to the most important concert in rock history, an implausible happening filled with trials and triumphs that defined a generation.
Author and Woodstock attendee Mike Greenblatt brilliantly captures the power of music's greatest performers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Santana and the Who, while sharing stories both personal and audacious from the crowd of a half million strong who embraced not only the music but each other.
The book features a Foreword by Country Joe McDonald, whose rousing solo acoustic version of "The Fish Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag" was one of the most memorable performances at Woodstock. In addition, all 32 performances at the festival are showcased.
Equal parts circus and surreal, Woodstock 50th Anniversary: Back to Yasgur's Farm tells a transcendent tale of a musical and mythical moment in time.
Woodstock 50th Anniversary Back to Yagur's Farm is a retrospective collection of memories and photographs of one of the most iconic watershed moments of the 20th century. Released 9th July 2019 by Penguin Random House on their Krause imprint, it's 224 pages and available in hardcover format.
This is a well put together book full of history and lots and lots of photos. There are photos of the bands who played there and their playlists at the festival as well as the performance fees they were to receive. There are also numerous photos of the people who flocked to Woodstock to experience a defining moment in modern history.
There were quotes from many people who were there along with some insightful follow-ups 50 years later. Obviously some are no longer with us, but many of the half a million young people who showed up are still alive. I particularly liked the then-and-now reminiscences from the couple who were pictured in the instantly recognizable photo from 1969 hugging each other wrapped in a blanket. (Spoiler, they're still together and in this book).
This is an interesting and well written book. Four stars. (The eARC I received for review comprised about 35% of the finished content but was complete enough to make a thorough evaluation).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
