DEFINED A GENERATION, OTHERS AREN’T CONVINCED.
AREN’T CONVINCED. >> THE HIPPIES WHO KNEW WHAT
THEY WERE DOING SORT OF.
THEY WANTED TO STAGE A PERFECT
AND BUCOLIC FESTIVAL AND THERE
WAS YOUR SECOND CLUE.
GREAT INTENTION.
GREAT INTENTION. THEY NEVER FINISHED PUTTING UP
THE FENCES.
THE FENCES. THEY BARELY FINISHED BUILDING
THE STAGE.
THE STAGE. THEY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH FOOD.
THEY HAD TO GET THE ARMY, THE
ARMY -- HIPPIES HAD TO GET HELP
FROM THE ARMY TO FLY IN MEDICAL
SUPPLIES AND FOOD AND OTHER
THINGS THEY NEEDED.
IT WAS A COMPLETE DISASTER.
IT RAINED.
IT RAINED. ALSO, THERE WERE TOO MANY
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE THAT THEY HAD A
CHOICE BETWEEN PANDEMONIUM OR
SAYING JUST COME IT DOESN’T
MATTER WHETHER YOU HAVE A FREE
TICKET, IT’S A FREE FESTIVAL
NOW.
NOW. A COMPLETE DISASTER.
AND YET, ALSO A MIRACLE.
300,000, 400,000 PEOPLE COME
TOGETHER AND COEXIST FOR THREE
DAYS.
DAYS. AND THEY MANAGED TO MAKE IT
WORK.
WORK. THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
WAYS TO LOOK AT 1969 RIGHT THEN
IN THE SPACE OF FOUR WEEKS, MAN
WALKED ON THE MOON, THERE WAS A
WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL, THEMAN SON
FAMILY KILLED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE
OUT IN LOS ANGELES.
WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT TO BELIEVE
DESCRIBES AMERICA IN 1969?
BECAUSE YOU CAN PICK ANY OF
THEM.
THEM. BUT IF YOU PICK WOODSTOCK,
YOU’RE BUYING INTO A WONDERFUL
BABY BOOMER MYTH ABOUT LOVE AND
PEACE AND MUSIC.
WHAT WAS GREAT ABOUT WOOTH
STOCK?
STOCK? IT WAS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.
SOCIAL THEORISTS CALLED IT A
TEMPORARY AUTONOMOUS ZONE.
IT’S A THEIRRY IN ANARCHIST
POLITICAL THEORY THAT YOU CAN
PUT PEOPLE TOGETHER AND LET THEM
MAKE THEIR OWN RULES AND IT WILL
WORK.
WORK. THEY CREATE A TEMPORARY
AUTONOMOUS ZONE.
AUTONOMOUS ZONE. THEY RULE THEMSELVES.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED IN
WOODSTOCK.
WOODSTOCK. THERE WERE A BARTER SYSTEM.
THERE WAS COMMERCE.
YOU COULD BUY AND SELL THINGS.
YOU COULD BUY TIE-DYED SHIRTS
AND HIPPIE THINGS.
A LOT OF THE SUMMER CONCERT
EXPERIENCE RIGHT NOW FOR KIDS
ARE FESTIVALS.
ARE FESTIVALS. IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY SURROUND
WOODSTOCK.
WOODSTOCK. SOMETIMES A BIT OF INCENSE IN
THE CORNER.
THE CORNER. HERE’S THE THING PEOPLE DON’T
UNDERSTAND ABOUT WOODSTOCK IS IT
WAS FREE.
WAS FREE. TICKETS WERE SUPPOSED TO COST
$18 FOR THREE DAYS.
IT’S ABOUT $125 IN 2019 MONEY.
COACHELLA BY THE WAY COSTS AT
LEAST THREE TIMES THAT.
BUT THEY DIDN’T END UP TAKING
THE TICKETS.
THE TICKETS. THEY DIDN’T MAKE MONEY.
AND THAT SET THE EXPECTATION
AMONG FANS.
AMONG FANS. FESTIVALS SHOULD BE FREE.
FESTIVALS STRUGGLED AFTER
WOODSTOCK TO ACTUALLY HAVE
TICKETS.
TICKETS. AND NOT BE CHARGED AS CAPITALIST
PIGS RIPPING OFF THE CULTURE.
THE WHOLE IDEA THAT WOODSTOCK
WAS ABOUT THREE DAYS OF LOVE,
PEACE, AND MUSIC, THAT IS GREAT
MARKETING.
MARKETING. THAT’S GREAT BRANDING.
AND DON’T THINK THOSE GUYS
DIDN’T KNOW IT.
THE LOVE AND PEACE?
THAT’S AN ENDURING WAY OF
THINKING OF THAT FESTIVAL.
THAT WAS ON THE POSTER THEY
PRINTED UP WHEN THEY THOUGHT
THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE MONEY
OFF OF THE MUSIC.
THERE WAS A WOODSTOCK ’94,
WOODSTOCK ’99.
WOODSTOCK ’99. IT WAS A DISASTER.
IN A REPLAY OF HISTORY, IT WAS A
COMPLETE DISASTER.
COMPLETE DISASTER. GOT KICKED OFF OF ITS ORIGINAL
FESTIVAL SITE.
FESTIVAL SITE. IT WASN’T GOING TO HAPPEN.
EVERYONE WAS TRYING TO SHUT IT
DOWN.
DOWN. THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE.
AND THEN IT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
AND THAT’S THE AMAZING THING.
AT 50 YEARS LATER AND SOME OF
THESE SAME PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY
COULD PULL IT OFF AGAIN.
THE SAME WAY.
BY THE SEAT OF THEIR PANTS.
WITHOUT GETTING IT ALL DONE SIX
MONTHS OR A YEAR EARLIER.
>> MORE THAN 350,000 PEOPLE CAME
LOOKING FOR PEACE AND MUSIC.
MANY SAID THEY LEARNED A LOT
ABOUT THEMSELVES.
ABOUT THEMSELVES. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT GETTING
ALONG TOGETHER AND PRIORITIES.
AND FOR MOST, THAT ALONE MAKES
IT ALL WORTHWHILE.
>> IT BECAME PRETTY INSTANTLY
THE WAY THE GENERATION WANTED TO
THINK ABOUT ITSELF.
IT WANTED TO THINK OF ITSELF AS
THE WOODSTOCK NATION.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? THE IDEA THAT INSTANTLY WAS MORE
ENDURING THAN THE THING ITSELF.
IT WAS THE SYMBOL AS MUCH AS
ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED.
AND WHAT HAPPENS THAT WAS
REMARKABLE WAS THAT PEOPLE GOT
TO PUT SOME PRINCIPLE INTO
ACTION.
ACTION. AND FOR THREE DAYS, BY MUTUAL
AGREEMENT INSIDE THE FESTIVAL
SITE AND WITH SOME OF THE
AUTHORITIES OR THE TOWNSPEOPLE
OUTSIDE THE FESTIVAL SITE, IT
WORKS.
WORKS. THAT’S THE MIRACLE OF IT.
THAT’S WHY WE STILL CARE.
IT WAS A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
AND THE EXPERIMENT WORKED.
AND THEN IT WASN’T SO EASY TO
RECREATE.