As the Bible says To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven. Woodstock 1969, it was a time for love . . .
and hate. In a country with raceriots and the Vietnam war a single dove perched on a guitar neck changed America for ever and brought a new light to the world in just 72 hours. Dubbed three days of peace and love the legacy of Woodstock spawned a sequel. .
. Woodstock 1999. To go into all the differences between Woodstock 69 and Woodstock 99 is a task that couldnt be completed by Woodstock 2004(which is already in the works). From psychedelic fields to Wall Street; materialistic movers and shakers of the 1980s and 90s; are our parents really the long hairs of love and peace , half stoned music lovers of the sixties? Whendid it all change when did they change? Woodstock and what happened there after presents the changes in the views of society in a microcosm. The love and peace in 69 to a aggressive show of teenage angst in 99; what has the legacy of Woodstock really been Free love and communal sharing to the hyper merchandising and materialism; Idealism to Disillusionment.
How we have changed. . . can we ever make our way back to the garden?In comparing these two event one must realize the decades which separates them and more importantly what has taken place in the world since 1969. The people who were in attendance in 69.
were not part of the instant access world. computers were for scientist not a tool for spanning the glob to speak about everything from the latest music to sex with your cyber friends in Australia. America was the still unquestionable the champions of the world coming out of World War II and Korea. Every child could look forward to doing as well or better than his or her parents. In other words America was riding high in a golden age with only one major pitfall; Vietnam.
How does a generation tell the last generation of warrior that they dont want to fight. The war started by the older generation is not their war. They ban together or they come together in what can only be described as a happening the proportions of which no one could have predicted. The peaceful shock waves of which were heard around the world, the harmony and love of which we have been trying to recapture since. The two events started the same way producers and promoters getting talent for the show and figuring how much to charge and how much they would make. The security was minor at Woodstock 69 who was going to storm the gates and fences installed, little did they know.
They hiked rides they walked they came from all across the country and down came the fences. This wasnt going to happen in 99 they knew word was out security was tight. No one would get in without tickets. the attendance, Woodstock 69, expected attendance 150,000 actual attendance 450,000, 99 350,000 actual 350,000. One of the most common comparisons made between Woodstock 69 and Woodstock 99 is that in 69 peace reined and violence was gone, in 99 the media made it seem like there were all out terrorist acts being committed and teenage angst was the cause of fires and pillaging of concession stands.
This is not entirely true. The only reason the events at 99 seemed so terrible was because the media was to busy comparing 99 to 69. The original Woodstock was a music festival for peace love and music. It was during the time that the Vietnam war was going on. Mothers were sending there children off to war.
On the news you would see stories of women being raped and men being killed. The war was away from home, there were clear sides. . .
the good guys and the bad guys (strawberryfaygo,3). People know who and what to fear. Now today the war is at home, its everywhere you look. No longer can we be sure of who to trust and where is safe, the lines are blurred(strawberryfaygo,2).
We commonly see people opening fire on innocent people in schools, businesses, and churches. And the sad thing is it isnt paranoia, its reality. This is what caused the angst, this is what caused the fear, this is what caused the hate. Considering the world we live in today, Woodstock 99, as horrible as the media made it, was a more fitting Woodstock for our times. If Woodstock 69 was about peace and love and it just grew out of the need of the teens of the time to get together, then it is fitting to say that it can never be duplicated there came a point ,(when it became a free concert) that it burst forth as a one time event.
Woodstock 99 was about profits the groups were there just for the money and photo-ops. Everything at Woodstock 99 seemed contrived , less then genuine. Whether it was the security guards with Peace Patrol on their shirts or the girls who took off their tops every time the Pay-Per-View cameras went passed. Now instead of a peaceful dove resting on a guitar neck, a vulture seems more appropriated(Bederka,11). Woodstock 99 was all for profit.
A 3 day ticket for Woodstock 69 was $150 as apposed to $18 for a 3 day ticket in 69, or you could stay at home and pay $135 dollars to see the whole event on Pay-Per-View. In 99 advertisers invaded Woodstock. There where over 150 concession stands. There was everything from Taco Bells to Cinabons. One of the biggest advertisers was Pepsi cola. Its logo was on every cup.
At Woodstock 69 there was a shortage of food and people starved for 3 days but stayed because they were driven by the need to commune. At Woodstock 99 it seems that the people were starving because the prices were so outrageous. A bottle of water was between $5-$10. The going rate for food was about 4 dollars. No matter what it was 4 dollars was the going price for popcorn, hot dogs, churros, etc.
The world has turned, times and the economy has changed, but most of all the people are cynical and it is that cynicism which has made it and will always make it impossible to recapture all that is embodied by Woodstock 69. Vietnam is passed the soldiers returned, but, this time they did not receive a heros welcomes. The war was not won; the war effort had not been supported by the people or the government; our brave fighter who had fought and died for the first time in our history were betrayed. This event was perhaps the greatest blow our country has ever receive, and it came from within.
We were with this fragmented into those who were for, those who were against, those who fought and those who ran. We became the society of whats in it for me and with that we lost something great. With this loss we lost idealism. The government lies, we saw this the first time as a people in Water Gate, another show and this time on national T.
V. of how everybody is out for them selves. Drugs, kill! Maybe its not news but it is now common place, you didnt hear about it so much in the sixties. Drugs were mostly organic not cooked up in someone’s kitchen. Dealers prey on anyone down to theyoungest and kids are even dealing. My piece of the pie? Does this sound cynical? It reaches us all.
This is why the innocents, communalism, feeling of oneness that was Woodstock can never happen again. It is also why Woodstock 99 is only a name. The use of the name itself shows an effort to get cover the pure money making goal of its backers. Its all money and getting my piece of it.
Killer concert yes, truly Woodstock, never again. Can we ever find our way back to the garden? Hasnt happened since Adam and Eve, but keep hope there are a few of us true believers still out hereWords/ Pages : 1,511 / 24
