Synopsis
It defined a generation, exemplified an era: Woodstock was unlike anything that has ever happened before or since—and August 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of this seminal event. Relive the moment and “get back to the garden” with this day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went down on Yasgur’s Farm. With interviews and quotes from those who were there—the musicians, the fans, the organizers—and a wealth of photographs and graphic memorabilia, Woodstock is the ultimate celebration of a landmark in modern cultural history.
Woodstock is organized in three parts:
- Origins sets the stage by describing the counterculture of the time, along with the festival’s organization, fundraising, buzz-building tactics, ticket selling and publicity, and site building.
- The Event—the heart of the project—includes a log with a run-down of each of the 32 acts, in the order they appeared, one spread to each name. Fans and politics are also featured prominently here.
- The Aftermath focuses on media coverage, follow-up festivals, Michael Wadleigh and Thelma Schoonmaker’s documentary, and Woodstock’s enduring legacy.
Publishers Weekly
Having been talked about, written about, filmed, photographed and remembered in the hearts and minds of millions worldwide, Woodstock remains the seminal musical and cultural event of the last century. In this coffee-table tribute, Evans and Kingsbury offer a balanced, moving and chronological pictorial of each of the 31 acts from the three and a half days, beginning with Richie Havens and ending with Jimi Hendrix. In addition to a foreword by Martin Scorsese are numerous, firsthand accounts from concert-goers, crew members, farm hands and musicians like David Crosby: “It looked like an encampment of a Macedonian army on a Greek hill, crossed with the biggest batch of gypsies you've ever seen.” The book provides political and social context that led up to the “three days of peace & music.” Flower child or not, readers will come away with a tangible Woodstock experience (though perhaps without the smell). Color photos. (July)