Woodstock 99

A detailed Summary of Woodstock 99

Like many of my generation, my first contact with Woodstock came, not from my parent's psychedelic stories, but from the Sunday comics. To me Woodstock was nothing more than Snoopy's birdie buddy that couldn't fly a straight line from his nest to the top of the doghouse if his life depended on it. Woodstock always managed to end up in the water dish after a few loopy attempts at aviation. Which came first the festival or the egg? I don't know, but would like to find out.

Not too much later, I learned of the first Woodstock Festival that took place out in Max's field. When people spoke of it, it was always cloaked in a strange reverential mystique. As if it were the most unique experience ever shared by those who loved music, loved peace and loved everything that sat still long enough. A pure "moment of Zen" in an otherwise chaotic and turbulent time. I wonder how many Porta-Johns they had?

To me, Woodstock was THE once in a lifetime gathering, comparable only to the Sermon on the Mount. It was as legendary as the Round Table, and spoken of in the hushed tones reserved only for truly awe-inspiring experiences. When the 25th Anniversary Festival was announced I was very apprehensive. How could they attempt to capture that expe

I didn't let it get to me too much, because I had neither the desire nor inclination to attend. I was working out of state at the time and the list of performers didn't excite me all that much. After it had come and gone, I was happy with my restraint. Woodstock II proved to be nothing more than a larger scale Pallooza du jour that bore little, if any, resemblance to the original cultural icon that had been built up in my mind. It was just a way for the promoters to stir up some business by using a brand name that had excellent recognition quality to sell a product. I don't blame them, that's their job. It reminds me of those fifties retro-groups that tour the music scene under the names of popular groups to which they have only the slightest tether in reality. Group names like the Drifters, the Coasters or the New Mamas and Papas that have been passed around among the surviving members like a shared trophy. One original member and a few recreations of the songs they made famous are enough to keep these groups going on the Casino/Branson touring circuit.

Now the blame begins. Those who warned against this course of action are now shouting their "I told you so"s from the highest mountains. Those who opened the doors to the hedonistic hottentots that laid waste to our fair community and its reputation are sticking to their guns. I am proud of them for that. I am glad they took the risk. I hope that if they ever make it to the bargaining table for Woodstock IV that someone was taking notes this time around, because they sure need to make some strategic changes before anyone would be willing to open the doors again.

rience again? It seemed disrespectful that they were trying to duplicate the first adventure. The lightning had left the bottle and they were trying to put it back in.

Our Woodstock path was definitely not straight and narrow; we had our share of loops and spins. While we didn't make it all the way to the top of the doghouse, at least we landed in

Some common words found in the essay are:
World Woodstock, Rome Griffiss, Woodstock II, Chili Peppers, That's I've, Stephen King, Anniversary Festival, Festival Max's, Woodstock Snoopy's, Woodstock IV, happen rome, water dish, ticket seller, top doghouse,

Approximate Word count = 1331
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Music