WI: No Woodstock
- Thread starter darklordoftech
- Start date
Sha Na Na would probably not have been as successful as they were. Most of the other acts there were, I think, well-established before the festival. Sha Na Na, not so much.
(But now that I think about it, the only things I really know about Sha Na Na is that they were at Woodstock, and they had that first-run syndication TV show in the late 70s. And a totally unrecognizable Jon Bauman hosted game shows in the 80s.)
I don't see a lot of difference in how the 1960s ended up, or were eventually perceived. The general "idea" of the sixties was pretty much set in stone by the time Woostock happened, though it did become a handy synecdoche for the era.
Snoopy's friend would have a different name, of course.
(But now that I think about it, the only things I really know about Sha Na Na is that they were at Woodstock, and they had that first-run syndication TV show in the late 70s. And a totally unrecognizable Jon Bauman hosted game shows in the 80s.)
I don't see a lot of difference in how the 1960s ended up, or were eventually perceived. The general "idea" of the sixties was pretty much set in stone by the time Woostock happened, though it did become a handy synecdoche for the era.
Snoopy's friend would have a different name, of course.
Hm, this is somewhat interesting...
Sha Na Na and the Woodstock Generation
By two Columbia University alimni who were involved in the founding of Sha Na Na. The editor claims that Sha Na Na inspired the musical Grease, which would be a fairly significant feather-in-the-cap for Woodstock, though not one for which it is usually credited.
Sha Na Na and the Woodstock Generation
By two Columbia University alimni who were involved in the founding of Sha Na Na. The editor claims that Sha Na Na inspired the musical Grease, which would be a fairly significant feather-in-the-cap for Woodstock, though not one for which it is usually credited.
You don't get as many overblown 'mega' music events. ie: Bull Island in 1972.
Well, we miss out on some classic live music videos from the concert. We also miss what is probably one of the most authentic looks at exactly how a slice of late 60s counter-culture (the white, middle/upper class part) really looked and acted, both for good and ill.
Woodstock was, in so many ways, both the high water mark and the death of what most folks think of as "the 60s" (which is mainly the result of the film that allowed "middle America" to see what was mainly a Coastal, big city phenomenon), even though it was really more a view of a small segment during the last couple years of the decade (Woodstock had about as much in common with Watts or Detroit as Earth has with Triton).
No Woodstock also likely means no Altamont.
Woodstock was, in so many ways, both the high water mark and the death of what most folks think of as "the 60s" (which is mainly the result of the film that allowed "middle America" to see what was mainly a Coastal, big city phenomenon), even though it was really more a view of a small segment during the last couple years of the decade (Woodstock had about as much in common with Watts or Detroit as Earth has with Triton).
No Woodstock also likely means no Altamont.
Altamont was one of several rock concert events held at motor speedways. They were one-day events and some out-drew Woodstock. If any one did happen, the most infamous one might happen: The Ozark Music Festival in Sedalia, MO, July 19-21, 1974. The line up-looked like a who's-who of seventies rock and it was a logistical disaster. It was held at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Promoters sold 50,000 tickets and those numbers were within the crowd-handling capabilities of the grounds. The trouble is, about 300,000 to 350,000 people showed up. Woodstock was held on Yasgur's farm, which reverted to a farm afterwards. The fairgrounds, though, were an active public venue, owned by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Unlike Woodstock, it did not rain. Professional recordings and films were made. They were seized as evidence in a fraud investigation against the promoters, so there would be no movie, film or soundtrack. There were no cam-corders and very few 8mm films. All that's left of the event are U-tube slide shows of still pictures. The clean-up was exhaustive, so the grounds could accommodate the state fair just three weeks later, complete with FFA kids and their show animals. Why do so few people talk about it? Because the efforts to officially play it down were so intense.
Some other event gets blown out of proportion by obnoxious aging baby boomers?
Lets face it, hippies were far from the biggest voice of the 60s - your friendly reminder that the best selling song of the 60s wasn't anything played at Woodstock, it was Ballard of the Green Beret. We just kinda let the boomers convince us it was. It would be like if Millenials convinced out kids the 90s looked like a Nirvana concert.
Hell, we don't even remember Woodstock properly, where a bunch of middle class hippies wallowed in human waste until the National Guard had to come in and make sure they got fed. Just because it had a killer soundtrack doesn't make up for the fact Woodstock was less a cultural event and more like a step or two removed from all those crappy music festivals today like Cochella.
Thus, some other hippie event gets blown outta proportion by boomers as "THE EVENT" of the 60s.
Lets face it, hippies were far from the biggest voice of the 60s - your friendly reminder that the best selling song of the 60s wasn't anything played at Woodstock, it was Ballard of the Green Beret. We just kinda let the boomers convince us it was. It would be like if Millenials convinced out kids the 90s looked like a Nirvana concert.
Hell, we don't even remember Woodstock properly, where a bunch of middle class hippies wallowed in human waste until the National Guard had to come in and make sure they got fed. Just because it had a killer soundtrack doesn't make up for the fact Woodstock was less a cultural event and more like a step or two removed from all those crappy music festivals today like Cochella.
Thus, some other hippie event gets blown outta proportion by boomers as "THE EVENT" of the 60s.
Well, at least the Angels didn't beat some poor soul to death in front of God and everybody like at Altamont.
Pro-tip: 1%'er MC are sub-optimal choices for concert security contractors.
Wow. That pretty much reads like ol' G. Gordon's review of the event.
That was what killed the 1960s. Altamont was a Lord of the Flies decay of the Flower Power era. Things were already unruly as soon as the Rolling Stones got off the plane and it descended into that level of violence. In another universe, Meredith Hunter shot and killed members of the band. But the Hell's Angels just outright murdered him in how far their reaction went. That concert was an environment that was outright disgusting and it just leaves a bad feeling.
Maybe The Montery Pop Festival is remembered as THE event of the 1960s instead?
Interesting article. Honestly, I think there could have still been a 1950s revival without Woodstock. I feel like people were looking for escapism to what they viewed as a "simpler time".
Interesting article. Honestly, I think there could have still been a 1950s revival without Woodstock. I feel like people were looking for escapism to what they viewed as a "simpler time".
https://www.katydepotsedalia.com/1974-ozark-music-festival
I believe Hell's Angels were there. There was one fatality, a drug overdose. If there had not been a Woodstock, would promoters have come up with the idea? If so, would it have gained widespread notoriety?
The circumstances at Altamont were... unusual. The Stones were, depending on who you believe, either convinced by a couple other bands that the HA would do a good job (apparently they had been used as security by the bands in smaller venues with no issues) or simply decided to have them around to watch the Stones equipment. What everyone agrees on is that they were paid in beer ($500 worth, which was a shitload of beer in 1969, when I started buying it in 1975 (I was a big cub for my age) it was like $2.50 a six pack for the good stuff).
The real problem was the promoters screwed everything up by the numbers. They changed the site about four time, not settling on Altamont until two days before the show after Sears Point Raceway and the Stones couldn't make a deal. The only real surprise is that only one person got killed.
Wow. That pretty much reads like ol' G. Gordon's review of the event.
The New Gods charachter?
From what I've come to read about Altamont Free through TV Tropes, it was the Grateful Dead who had hired the Angels, but there was a snafu, to put it lightly. See, the Dead had Angels guard their concerts before, but that was the San Francisco chapter. At Altamont, they ended up with the Oakland chapter, resulting in Meredith Hunter's stabbing, as previously noted, but also Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane getting knocked the fuck out while trying to break up a fight going on. This actually resulted in the Grateful Dead opting out of the concert because fuck that noise.
I've also heard that the Stones had hired the London chapter of the Hells Angels for a concert in that city, I believe the memorial show for Brian Jones, and that things went okay.
And I recall there is some debate about just how connected those UK Angels were to Sonny Barger's crew, IOW it's possible that they weren't really that connected at all, and the Stones erred in assuming they could predict the behviour of the California Angels based on London. But I don't really know the details of all that.
And I recall there is some debate about just how connected those UK Angels were to Sonny Barger's crew, IOW it's possible that they weren't really that connected at all, and the Stones erred in assuming they could predict the behviour of the California Angels based on London. But I don't really know the details of all that.
Yep. Part of the comment is very similar to what Liddy wrote about Woodstock in Will.
Only the second gig of Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the first of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young!
Not that many could called well known or even known acts or chart reaching, Joan Baez, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, The Band and Hendrix (and maybe Janis Joplin) were about it. Others 'made it' because of Woodstock, but then mostly in the US. How many here have heard of Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Country Joe and the Fish, Jefferson Airplane (by far their biggest hit was We Built this City and by then they were known as Starship!) Canned heat, Mountain, Grateful Dead (took them another 20 years before their first top 10) Sanatna (got to mainstream in 1999 with the album Supernatural) and Johnny Winter?
The biggest thing about Woodstock and what it did for music was the film.
Can’t believe I’m defending the Hell’s Angels, but in fairness, although they are a terrible bunch and were an awful choice for security, the dude they stabbed was high on crystal meth and tried to charge the stage, then pulled out a revolver before they took out the knives.