Honoring the Woodstock Nation

Beneficial Contributions the '60s Counterculture Made to Our Society

When I talk about Woodstock, one incident that folks seem most surprised to learn centers around Jimi Hendrix's performance. He did not hit the stage until about nine-o'clock Monday morning. By then--due to the long rains that poured down in torrents on us Friday night as well as Sunday—the crowd had greatly diminished. Still, to enthusiastic applause, he appeared wearing a white, leather cowboy-like attire as the Band of Gypsies tuned up. I believe it was the first time he performed with them. I was closer to the stage than ever, only about fifty muddy yards away, when Jimi walked to the microphone and said, smugly, "So y'all waited three days in the rain, huh?"

The way he made the statement smacked of vanity too imposing for the moment--as though we had all waited solely to see him perform. Since that was not the case, about half of the remaining crowd turned and walked away even before he started strumming his rendition of The Star Spangled Banner—immortalized on film. Briefly, the notion of showing unity with the people who turned their backs on Jimi did cross my mind. However, a woman I'd met the previous night and I were in a tight embrace that I was reluctant to end.

For despite all the big-name talent that was there, the Woodstock Nation was about much more than music. It was the largest-ever cultural gathering of our generation or any other generation, which in itself was an unprecedented statement to the world. Because the planners were overwhelmed by our vast numbers, they were forced to forgo pay at the gates and declared The Aquarian Festival and Art Fair a free event. The press marveled at how peacefully we coexisted in what they described as a disaster area. There was the rain we endured, the lack of toilet facilities, medical support and supplies, and the alarming shortage of food in the vicinity for—if my memory is correct—an estimated fifty-mile radius. We knew, even before we saw or read any news coverage of those three-and-a-half days, that we were making history.