The Summer of ’69 – Moon Rocks and Rock & Roll – 50 Years Ago: Part 2

By Deb Thomas.

Part 2. By The Time We Got To Bethel 

This was, in 1969, a snapshot of what America looked like as a nation:

Cost of Living:

1969                                                                                                Compared to 2019

Yearly inflation rate: 5.46%
Year End Close for Dow Jones Industrial Average: 800         27,400 (as of July 2019)
Average Cost of new house: $15,550.00                                    $193,500.00
Average Income per year: $8,550.00                                         $57,652.00
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%                                                          3.7% (through July, 2019)
Average Monthly Rent: $135.00                                                 $982.00
First Class Stamp: $0.06                                                              $0.55
Average Cost New Car: $3,270.00                                             $36,843 (as of April, 2019)
Gas per Gallon: $0.35                                                                   $2.64
Popular Mid-Size Car: 1969 Toyota Corona: $1,950.00         2019 Kia Optima LX;$23,820.00

U.S. Population:

203,302,031                                                                                    327,167,434
Per Square Mile: 57.5                                                                    87.4 (from year 2010)
Most populated Cities in descending order: New York,         New York, L.A., Chicago
Chicago         

Music we listened to: Record of the Year: Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel, Album of the Year: By the Time I Get to Phoenix, by Glen Campbell. Song of the Year: Little Green Apples by Bobby Russell.

The month of August, 1969 gave us these happenings: Mariner 6 sends close-up photos of Mars, Willie Stargell, Pirates outfielder hits the longest home run on record up to that time, 506 feet – out of Dodger Stadium, then Mariner 7 hits a space age homer and flies PAST Mars! Ireland’s RTE Television Center in Dublin is bombed. The terrible Tate-LaBianca murders happen in California, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Don Drysdale retires, and the Boston Celtics basketball franchise is sold for a record $6 million. Rioting continues in Northern Ireland. By mid-August, something else caught the nation’s attention, a music festival in New York named The Woodstock Exposition, taking place on August 15-18, 1969.

Then there was Woodstock. Was it any wonder, looking back, why the “Woodstock Festival” happened? Why our country and culture needed it? We took our news in nightly television dose reports on current events, most horrifying were the Viet Nam War statistics. In 1969 Americans consumed just under 6 hours of television per day. We were watching; Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Star Trek, and The Brady Bunch, among others. The moon landing took up a lot of our news watching time the month before, as did the Viet Nam War; the mood of the US had been buoyed some with the moon landing. There was something else brewing however, in the creative minds of music entrepreneur friends.

Woodstock was the name town selected for a new venue, in New York State, where concert and record promoters, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Michael Lang had hoped to create an investment event with a recording studio. They believed that because it was the home of several popular music artists, including Bob Dylan, and that it would be a mecca of sorts for the industry. To generate income and interest in the new studio, the promoters thought to celebrate this idea with a party, a music party, and sought a large outdoor space to use.

First to sign on with “Woodstock Ventures,” Creedence Clearwater Revival would be a big draw for other acts and lend legitimacy to the project. Originally selecting the town of Woodstock for the event, and then getting turned down, they tried for the small village of Saugerties nearby. When that failed, they next went to the town officials in Wallkill, proposing to lease a property for ten thousand dollars, in early 1969, saying they expected approximately 50,000 concert-goers. However, townspeople were opposed to the event. In the book, “Taking Woodstock; A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life,” by Eliot Tiber (then Bethel Chamber of Commerce President), the Town of Wallkill passed a new zoning regulation banning the concert stating that the port-o-potties would fail to meet the town code.

With only a month to go, at this time, Eliot Tiber told the promoters about a dairy farmer in Sullivan County, Max Yasgur, who offered rental of his 601 acre dairy farm land, in the District of White Lake, a part of the township of Bethel, NY. Telling Bethel’s Town Board the same 50,000 number of attendees were expected, this additionally aggravated townspeople, but both Bethel’s Town Attorney and the Building Inspector approved permits. However they had not been formally issued as the Town Board refused. Stop-work orders were supposed to be posted on the venue’s building site, but did not get nailed up, and the pre-festival work continued (from an article in New York Times, from July 23, 1969 by Richard F. Shepard). Woodstock it was, Woodstock it would be named.

Frantic work ensued to secure the property with concert infrastructure, staging, lighting, fencing, all the concession areas, restrooms, medical and staff tents, and more—-and became a logistics nightmare. The location wasn’t totally ready by the time advance attendees arrived. Lang said, “You do everything you can to get the gates and the fences finished—but you have your priorities. People are coming, and you need to be able to feed them, and take care of them, and give them a show. So you have to prioritize.” The decision was to go ahead and make the event free.

Perhaps it was the spiritual Eastern spiritual blessing done by Sri Swami Satchidananda while waiting for other acts to arrive who were late due to the traffic snarl, many of which who arrived via helicopter later. The Swami opened with:

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters:
I am overwhelmed with joy to see the entire youth of America gathered here in the name of the fine art of music. In fact, through the music, we can work wonders. Music is a celestial sound and it is the sound that controls the whole universe, not atomic vibrations. Sound energy, sound power, is much, much greater than any other power in this world. And, one thing I would very much wish you all to remember is that with sound, we can make—and at the same time, break. Even in the war-field, to make the tender heart an animal, sound is used. Without that war band, that terrific sound, man will not become animal to kill his own brethren. So, that proves that you can break with sound, and if we care, we can make also.

So I am very happy to see that we are all here gathered to create some sounds—to find that peace and joy through the celestial music. And I am really very much honored for having been given this opportunity of opening this great, great music Festival. I should have come a little earlier to do that job, but as you all know, thousands of brothers and sisters are on the way and it’s not that easy to reach here.

America leads the whole world in several ways. Very recently, when I was in the East, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi met me and asked me what’s happening in America. And I said, “America is becoming a whole. America is helping everybody in the material field, but the time has come for America to help the whole world with spirituality also.” And, that’s why from the length and breadth, we see people—thousands of people, yoga-minded, spiritual-minded. The whole of last month I was in Hawaii and I was on the West Coast and witnessed it again.

So, let all our actions, and all our arts, express Yoga. Through that sacred art of music, let us find peace that will pervade all over the globe. Often we hear groups of people shouting, “Fight for Peace.” I still don’t understand how they are going to fight and then find peace. Therefore, let us not fight for peace, but let us find peace within ourselves first.

And the future of the whole world is in your hands. You can make or break. But, you are really here to make the world and not to break it. I am seeing it. There is a dynamic manpower here. The hearts are meeting. Just yesterday I was in Princeton, at Stony Brook in a monastery, where about two hundred or three hundred Catholic monks and nuns met and they asked me to talk to them under the heading of “East and West—One Heart.” Here, I really wonder whether I am in the East or West. If these pictures or the films are going to be shown in India, they would certainly never believe that this is taken in America. For here, the East has come into the West. And with all my heart, I wish a great, great success in this music Festival to pave the way for many more festivals in many other parts of this country.

But the entire success is in your hands, not in the hands of a few organizers. Naturally, they have come forward to do some job. I have met them. I admire them. But still, in your hands, the success lies. The entire world is going to watch this. The entire world is going to know that what the American youth can do to the humanity. So, every one of you should be responsible for the success of this Festival.

And, before I conclude my talk, I would like you all to join me and our group here in repeating a very simple chant. As I was reminding you of the sound power, there are certain mystical sounds which the Sanskrit terminology says are the bijakshara, or the “seed words.” We are going to use three seed words, or the mystic words, to formulate the chants. And if you all join wholeheartedly, after the chant we are going to have at least one whole minute of absolute silence. Not even the cameras will click at that time. And in that silent period, that one minute of silence, you are going to feel the great, great power of that sound and the wonderful peace that it can bring in you and into the whole world. Let us have a sample of that now. The words will be: “Hari” is one word. “OM” is another word. The first chant will have these two words, “Hari OM Hari OM, Hari Hari Hari OM.” The second line will be “Hari OM, Hari OM, Hari Hari OM.”

There will be another chant afterwards: just one word, “Ram.” We’ll be repeating: “Rama Rama Rama Rama Rama Rama Rama Ram.” It’s a sample. It’s very easy to follow with everybody and we’ll have a gentle clapping also. So, now we’ll begin in a slow rhythm and gradually build it up. Now I will request all of my friends to join me. We will repeat the line once, then allow you to follow. (The entire festival then chanted the “Hari Om” chant together.)

Thank you all very much. And once again let me express my sincere wish and prayers for the success and peace of this celebration. Thank you.

In the book American Veda, author Phil Goldberg says, it was, “…the moment when a battery of unconventional baby boomers turned eastward—and inward—in such large numbers that the process became irreversible.” It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, in practice, and in song.

Those who were involved and participated in the creation of the event did not know that the festival would become iconic of a generation; its many meanings would generate outwards for years and years to come. The performing artists made it special, but it was also the crowd itself who imbued specialness with their loving and peaceful attitude. It was as if the good will of the people were the actual seeds of peace, love and understanding amplified by the music; music and peace and love ripples in a large sea of the free thinking Woodstock Nation.

Upwards of 400,000 people would come to the party. They reflected a cross-section of the changing society of America. Many people who attended were Hippies, baby boomers and young people of the beat generation too, who shunned mainstream America and the Eisenhower era. Many were disenfranchised youth, meaning – these people were the backlash against the status quo of their parents’ generation. Freedom was the theme. They were not happy with the image that a generation before represented; the youth of the 1960s sought societal change. They were unique, progressive leaders, and represented the creation of a new pop-culture with their music, clothing, foods, and a new lifestyle. Everything their parents and generations before had represented – the establishment—would be subject to change.

No longer content to let the older generation speak for them, young people of the sixties were increasingly aware of social issues, the war, civil unrest. Television brought this into everyone’s living rooms nightly. Woodstock offered a way to tune in, turn on, and drop out with its revolutionary culture affirmation. They held protest marches against the war, became socially adept at organizing rallies, handing out petitions, picketing. Hippies projected a strong “anti-disestablishmentarianism;” hooking up to the strong rebellion mood of the 50s beat generation. They sang it in songs of protest, freedom, love and peace. Stephen Stills’ lyrics (when he was with Buffalo Springfield) expresses the mood in his 1966 song “For What It’s Worth;”

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

It’s s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

The young people and free-thinkers identified with the Anti-War, Women’s, and Civil Rights movements. They came seeking some sense of unity with others who wanted only to bask in the glow of others like themselves. They wanted to hear the music and greatest performers of their time, and to participate in what promoters hoped would be a smooth running, music party, with food, and arts and crafts. It was peaceful, and it was also four days of rain, sex, drugs and rock & roll. The peaceful way in which the event unfolded is maybe a tribute to either profound drug use, or, the progressive social consciousness evolving in younger people, or both.

Fifty years ago, the world first held its breath and sighed with wonder as astronauts danced on the moon. Within thirty days, another milestone marker happened in America, with Woodstock. Despite depressing world events, everyone got along, and sought to overlook differences, and war, and world conflicts, and political and social upheavals. The festival days were filled with out one instance of trouble. The festival goers and events on the stage demonstrated that a large number of people could get along and rise above what divides.

Besides the festival organizers—who forged ahead knowing they would incur loss, not profit, an unsung hero will always be the dairy farmer who offered his land. One week ahead of the event, Seymour Krieger, Executive Director of the Catskills Resort Association said he gave his “whole hearted support for the Woodstock Ventures, Inc. effort in the Town of Bethel. An examination of the simple economics of the situation would indicate that if 50,000 people spent $25 per day for three days, we would have $3,750,000.00. The county would make in taxes alone, by reason of the sales tax, over $100,000.” He also said, “This is a private enterprise operation. Mr. Yasgur in Bethel should be applauded for his courage and his foresight. The public officials have received adequate notice to make appropriate preparations so the event can be successful.”

Invited to speak before the festival ended, Yasgur took to the stage and addressed the crowd by saying Woodstock was proof, that, “half a million people can get together and have three days of fun and music, and have nothing but fun and music. God bless ‘em.” Max Yasgur would go on to incur the wrath of some of his neighbors, some of them calling for a boycott of his products. It didn’t happen; some of these same deniers realized they could make a few dollars out of selling things like water. When Max Yasgur found out about that, he started giving away water.

Let it stand then, as a model of our freedom-loving selves, our questioning authority selves in the spirit our founding fathers gave us, our loving and best selves. Here’s to the music, the people, the love, and the memory—created on a dairy farm, fifty years ago; Woodstock, forever.

Haddam-KillingworthNow Readers: Many people with whom I’ve discussed Woodstock and the music in the ensuing years, have affirmed that it was a life-changing event. If you went, tell us your memories, what you think then and now about the music and the event; we want to hear from you! At the site of the festival, there’s an immersive, interactive museum with artifacts and photos – at this website you will find great photos of the inside of the museum: Woodstock Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

NOTES – and—Read MORE ABOUT IT:

1. WHAT DOES YASGUR’S FARM LOOK LIKE NOW? Websurfing has led to finding wonderful stories written by people who were there in August of 1969. Additionally, there’s a museum on site, which is exposed in a beautiful pictorial layout at: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/woodstock/2015/04/woodstock_site_today_a_great_music_venue_a_museum_and_the_grassy_field.html
2. WOODSTOCK DATA: WONDERFUL COMPENDIUM of Census Data compiled regarding Woodstock is at: https://www.census.gov/history/
3. Other information sources used in this article:

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/24/facts-about-the-national-debt/-c

http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx

https://www.census.gov/data.html

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/average-new-car-prices-up-2-percent-year-over-year-for-april-  

https://www.kbb.com/            

https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1969/august#

https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/woodstock (From an article titled Woodstock, from History.com Editors)

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hatlas/1960s/world.html

https://time.com/5645555/woodstock-max-yasgur/

http://www.experiencewoodstock.com/Max-Yasgur.html

Goldberg, Phil, “American Veda.” Harmony Books; First edition (November 2, 2010)

4. Photos retain all original ownership and publishing rights and are used as part of a collective creative commons agreement.
5. You can learn more about the Woodstock Music and Art Fair using census data and records. For example:

• The town of Bethel, in Sullivan County, NY, hosted the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Sullivan County was founded in 1809 after splitting from Ulster County. One year after Sullivan County’s founding, the 1810 Census counted its population at 6,108 inhabitants. Today the county is home to 75,498 and the county seat of Monticello has a population of 6,439.
• The release of the 1950 Census by the National Archives and Records Administration after April 1, 2022, will be the first time census records for many of Woodstock’s performers become publicly available. Musicians who should debut in the 1950 Census include Jimi Hendrix (born in Seattle, WA, in 1942); Janis Joplin (Port Arthur, TX, 1943); and Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia (San Francisco, CA, 1942).
• In 1969, most Woodstock concertgoers listened to popular music on the radio and vinyl records. In that year, the United States was home to 4,254 “Standard Broadcast” (AM) radio stations and 4,377 commercial and noncommercial Frequency Modulation (FM) stations. In 2016, the nation was home to 4,554 radio stations (NAICS 515112) employing 80,609.
• The Woodstock Music and Art Fair attracted more than 400,000 visitors to Bethel, NY. From August 15–18, 1969, Bethel’s population rivaled the 1970 populations of Atlanta, GA (496,973); Cincinnati, OH (452,524); and San Jose, CA (445,779). Today, Atlanta’s population is 498,044. Cincinnati’s population is 302,605. San Jose has grown to become one of the nation’s largest cities with a population of 1,030,119.
• Woodstock—a documentary film released the year after the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair—won the Academy Award for best documentary feature and earned nominations for film editing and sound. In 1970, Americans spent $50 million to see Woodstock in movie theaters and a total of $1.16 billion on all motion pictures admissions. In 1996, the National Film Preservation Board selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry because of its “innovative use of split frame visuals and a sound track that integrated and overlapped recordings from several sources at once” at the culturally and historically significant 1969 music festival.
• A concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place in Saugerties, NY, August 12–14, 1994. Like the 1969 concert, organizers were unable to prevent “gate crashers” from attending the event without a ticket, and more than 380,000 of the 550,000 people in attendance did not pay admission. To date, the 1994 concert was the largest of the commemorative Woodstock concerts, which included a 20th anniversary concert in New York City and a 30th anniversary festival in Rome, NY. A 3-day festival  celebrating Woodstock’s 50th anniversary and featuring some of the 1969 festival’s performers is planned for August 16–18, 2019.
• In 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 64,811 people 16 years and over worked as a musician, singer, or related worker. Musicians and singers interested in recording their music may visit one of the 1.703 sound recording studios (NAICS 512240) found in the United States in 2016. California led the nation with 456 sound recording establishments, followed by New York with 253, Florida with 114, and Texas with 88. Master recordings could be published at one of the nation’s 353 record production (NAICS 512210) establishments.
• Are you interested in using census data and records to learn more about music, motion pictures, and other media? Visit our archives of monthly homepages containing information about the Academy Awards, Rock ‘n Roll music, the newspaper and book publishing industries, Walt Disney, and public television.