Woodstock was the pop culture music event of the decade and arguably to this day the single most profound event in the history of music. Acts from all around the world met at Max Yasgur‘s Farm in Bethel, NY on August 15-18, 1969 for a celebration of peace and music. What began as a paid event drew so many viewers from across the world that the fences were torn down and it became a free concert open to the public. 500,000 youthful individuals gathered peacefully at Woodstock 1969 creating the largest gathering of human beings in one place in history. Woodstock 1969 defined an entire generation and its effects on music and American culture can still be felt today.
Woodstock ’69 featured one of the most prolific musical lineups in history including such icons as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Santana, and The Who. Fans got a taste of a variety of music styles which came together in perfect harmony. The crowd at Woodstock in 1969, which reached near a half a million people sent a message to the world that individuals could come together peacefully to celebrate peace and music.
The music at Woodstock in 1969 embodied extraordinary popular acts from all over the world. Legendary performances by such music icons as Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Joe Cocker, Santana, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin are still considered landmarks in music history. Woodstock in 1969 was also among the last performances of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin who are seen as some of the best in their respective fields. The entire psychedelic music vein became popularized at Woodstock 69 and still influences bands of all ages to this day.
 |
| Woodstock Festival of Arts and Music at Bethel, New York, August 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Music fans are treated for cuts and bruises after falling from the outside of a car on the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival at White Lake in Bethel, N.Y., on Aug. 15, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Woodstock Rock music fans gather at a stand outside a motel near the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in Bethel, New York, Aug. 16, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Hundreds of rock music fans walk along the wet highway leading from Bethel, New York, Aug. 16, 1969 as they try to leave the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Two hundred thousand persons spent a rainy night at the festival. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Hundreds of rock music fans jam highway leading from Bethel, New York, Aug. 16, 1969 as they try to leave the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Two hundred thousand persons spent a rainy night at the festival. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Hundreds of rock music fans jam highway leading from Bethel, New York, Aug. 16, 1969 as they try to leave the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Two hundred thousand persons spent a rainy night at the festival. (AP Photo) |
 |
| This is an aerial view of traffic jam on Route 17B in White Lake, NY, near Bethel, site of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, Aug. 16, 1969. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler) |
 |
| Music fans seek shelter is a grass hut at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, New York, Aug. 17, 1969. Sign above reads "Have a Marijuana." (AP Photo) |
 |
| Rock music fans hike from the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in Bethel, N.Y., Aug. 17, 1969. Some 300,000 fans began to leave as the festival ended in the rain. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Volunteers pick up trash in the mud on the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, New York, Aug. 17, 1969. Festival sponsors asked for volunteer help in removing the debris left by some 300,000 rock music fans. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Rock music fans hike from the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, New York, Aug. 17, 1969. Some 300,000 fans began to leave as the festival ended in the rain. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Workers carry medical supplies that arrived by helicopter on the grounds of the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, N.Y., Aug. 17, 1969. Helicopters were pressed into service when some 300,000 person attending the festival blocked all roads. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Young people leave debris-strewn scene where hundreds of thousands congregated over the weekend to enjoy the rock music festival held in field in Bethel, New York, Aug. 18, 1969. In background is stage where musicians performed. (AP Photo/Bob Scott) |
 |
| Woman sweeps debris from the street in front of her home in Bethel, NY, as rock music fans leave the Woodstock Music and Art Festival, Aug. 18, 1969. Many of the 300,000 persons attending the festival were still making their way home. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Young people leave the debris-strewn scene where hundreds of thousand congregated over the weekend to enjoy the rock music festival held in a farm field in Bethel, New York, Aug. 18, 1969. In background is stage where musicians performed. (AP Photo/Bob Scott) |
 |
| Young people begin leaving the grounds of the Woodstock concerts after spending a rainy night, Aug. 16, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| This is an aerial photo of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival held on 600 acres of cow pasture leased from a farmer at White Lake in Bethel, Sullivan County, N.Y., in Aug. 1969. The festival, billed as "Thee Days of Peace and Music," started on Friday, Aug. 15 and ended Monday morning, Aug. 18. More than 450,000 persons attended. (AP Photo/Steve Starr) |
 |
| A girl naps on top of her car, while trying to reach the music festival at Woodstock, N.Y., Aug. 16, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Woodstock Festival of Arts and Music at Bethel, New York, August 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| A mud-caked music lover lies atop his motorcycle at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, Aug. 14, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| This is a general view of the crowd at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, Aug. 14, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| A girl helps herself to a free food ration in the camp area at the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, N.Y. on Aug. 15, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Rock music fans relax during a break in the entertainment at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair in Bethel, N.Y., on Aug. 16, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| About 400,000 people attend the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in Bethel, N.Y., August 16, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| This is a view of part of the crowd at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival held on a 600-acre pasture in the Catskill Mountains near White Lake in Bethel, N.Y., in Aug. 1969. The festival, billed as "Thee Days of Peace and Music," started on Friday, Aug. 15. More than 450,000 persons attended. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Concert-goers sit on the roof of a Volkswagen bus at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair at Bethel, N.Y., in mid-August 1969. The three-day concert attracted hundreds of thousands of people, and became a landmark cultural event of the late '60s. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Rock music fans sit on a tree sculpture as one leaps mid-air onto a pile of hay during the Woodstock Music and Art Festival held on a cow pasture at White Lake in Bethel, New York on Aug. 15, 1969. (AP Photo) |
 |
| Young people abandon their trucks, cars and buses as some 200,000 persons try to reach the Woodstock Music and Art Festival on a leased cow pasture at White Lake in Bethel, New York Friday, Aug. 15, 1969. Cars were backed up for 10 miles. The festival closed the New York State Thruway, creating the nation's worst traffic jam. (AP Photo) |
.jpg)