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Celebrate Woodstock's 40th Anniversary with Coast-to-Coast Events

July 30, 2009 at 4:24 PM | by | Comment (1)

Today, festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo are the pinnacle of live music experiences. Concertgoers happily sweat it out for the chance to see their favorite acts take the stage, their greatest worry finding mobile reception in a field jam-packed with iPhones and Blackberries. Forty years ago at a certain seminal festival, the mood was different: It was the Summer of Love, and instead of The Killers and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the audience had Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and an incomparable bohemian spirit.

We're of course talking about the original Woodstock, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Those "3 Days of Peace & Music" should never be forgotten, and there are plenty of commemorative events taking place to recapture the mood from the Summer of '69. Break out your headbands, angel sleeve dresses and caftans and pay homage to the event that came to define a generation.

· The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is marking the anniversary with an exhibit that will run through November 29th of this year. The Cleveland museum will have historic memorabilia like the festival's original handwritten plan and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's performance contract on display.

· San Francisco is miles away from the site of the original Woodstock, but the free-spirited city will host a celebration worthy of Joan Baez's approval. West Fest is a free event taking place on October 25th at Golden Gate Park, with a host of classic rock musicians on the bill. And, in a colossal tribute to Jimi Hendrix, 3,000 guitar players will play "Purple Haze" simultaneously with the hope of breaking a world record for Largest Guitar Ensemble.

· The Heroes of Woodstock is billed as "The Officially Licensed Touring Commemorative" of the festival, with Woodstock performers John Sebastian, Melanie, and Edgar Winter appearing on select dates. Buy a ticket and you'll also receive a free download of the performance you attend. The August 15th concert in Bethel, New York coincides with Woodstock's actual anniversary date, which is probably the closest you'll get to recapturing the magical aura of the first festival experience.

· Also, don't forget to catch Taking Woodstock, director Ang Lee's film based on the memoirs of Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), who played an unlikely role in helping the festival come to fruition. The movie hits theaters on August 28th.

Related Stories
· Woodstock [Official Site]
· Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum [Official Site]
· Music Festivals [Jaunted]

[Photo: www.woodstockstory.com]

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RFWoodstock

Win a Woodstock special limited edition white Stratocaster guitar and Collector's Edition Woodstock DVD and listen to RADIO WOODSTOCK 69 which features only music from the original Woodstock era (1967-1971) and RADIO WOODSTOCK with music from the original Woodstock era to today's artists who reflect the spirit of Woodstock. Go to http://www.woodstockuniverse.com for details. Peace, love, music, RFWoodstock rfwoodstock@gmail.com
RFWoodstock on July 30, 2009 at 5:53 PM #Permalink

Return to » Celebrate Woodstock's 40th Anniversary with Coast-to-Coast Events

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