Psychedelics - Woodstock

Woodstock’s psychedelic legacy

The Woodstock Festival is one of the many music festivals which took place in the psychedelic era, and it is arguably the most impactful one in terms of its effect on culture and its timeless acts. It took place between the 15^th and 18^th of August 1969 in New York, on a farm owned by one Max B. Yasgur. Ironically, Yasgur was a straight-edge Republican who was a strong believer in the Vietnam War. Although he was described by the Woodstock promoting team as the “antithesis of what [the festival] stood for”, Yasgur was quoted saying “a half a million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music, and have nothing but fun and music, and I God bless you for it”, showing that he was either supportive of the movement, or a very good businessman. The festival itself was organised by four young men: Michael Lang, Artie Kornfield, Joel Rosenman and John Roberts who at first aimed for about 50.000 visitors, a number which quickly turned into 100.000 at pre-sale, and finally about half a million on the actual days. And it’s no secret that a vast majority of them were on psychedelics.

Poster for Woodstock

There is a reason Woodstock was never recreated (successfully at least). It simply came at the right time. It came at the height of the psychedelic era and as Michael Lang put it (in his book, ‘The Road to Woostock’), Woodstock “would be [their] political statement—proving that peace and understanding were possible and creating a testament to the value of the counterculture”, something that this generation was eager to prove. Although the drugs weren’t the main reason for the success of the festivals (probably not anyway), it surely helped to create a certain atmosphere and some unforgettable acts. Many, if not all, of the artists there were open with their drug use, and it’s been rumoured that drinks backstage were spiked with LSD. Roger Daltrey (lead singer of THE WHO), in his book ‘Thanks a Lot Mr. Kibblewhite’, claims that everything was laced in acid and that “even the ice cubes had been done”. It’s no surprise that performances from bands/artists such as Santana (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPauXWjY4T8) and Blind Melon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t_o21deSZw) were so special.

But arguably the most famous performance of Woodstock was Jimy Hendrix’s. Although the rumour that he stashed LSD under his headband for it to enter his bloodstream faster is questionable at best, his act itself was psychedelic. It was especially known for its rendition of the ‘Star Sprangled Banner’ which he distorted with his electric guitar on the Monday of the festival (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3-b3ViNTMI).

Hendrix performing

The Woodstock festival was born out of the psychedelic era but it also kickstarted a sub-culture in the following years, to the point that David Crosby (who performed there) described it as “the Big Bang”, although the era ended in the 1970s as the counterculture died down and drug problems rose, there were a few years where psychedelic use and music culture went hand in hand, something that is re-emerging today with the psychedelic renaissance.

Henri Crépin-Leblond