Grateful Dead

dead.net the official site

Advertisement for Woodstock in Rolling Stone Magazine. Note the cheap ticket prices! My friend and myself made plans to go but when our parents found out we were going to hitch-hike from California to New York, they decided firmly and adamantly against it. (I was only 15 in '69). We were so mad at them we considered running away from home and going anyway but changed our minds when we thought about how much trouble we'd get into. Not the first, but definately one of the dumbest decisions I've ever made. Even if I had been grounded for life it would have been worth every second! Remember to always go with your first instincts!! An interesting note about the ad: although it states the location as Walkill Ny the concert site was actually in Bethel. This is because the ads were sent out before all the final preparations had been made. The town of Walkill didn't want a half million hippies in their backyard so the city council voted against it. Good ol' Max Yasgur saw an opportunity to help out (and make a few bucks in the process) and offered his farm for the concert. Also the band line up wasn't finalized yet either so there are several bands listed that didn't play and a few that did but weren't booked yet. Robert Stephen Spitz's book "Barefoot in Babylon" is an excellent souce of information on Woodstock. And then there are Bill Graham's immortal words in the movie about digging a ditch and filling it with burning oil to "stop the influx of humanity" !!