These iconic records came out in 1995
In 2017, the Woodstock music festival site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
See also: The biggest concerts of all time
Arguably the most electrifying Woodstock set belonged to Jimi Hendrix (pictured here at a different concert). His frighteningly distorted rendition of the US national anthem, 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' was widely interpreted as a musical protest against the Vietnam War. Hendrix closed the festival at around 8 a.m. on Monday morning, August 18, by which time audience numbers had dwindled to a mere 200,000.
Janis Joplin (pictured here in New York in April, 1969) was allegedly high on alcohol and illegal substances when she took to the stage at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, August 17. She performed several numbers with the Kozmic Blues Band and encored with 'Ball and Chain.'
A culture touchstone for the late 1960s, the festival spawned the phrase the "Woodstock generation," which became part of the common lexicon.
Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar was by all accounts a reluctant Woodstock participant. He disliked the venue and later distanced himself from the hippie movement. His set on Friday night, August 15, was played in torrential rain.
Huge lighting and sound towers were built to accommodate speaker columns and Super-Trouper-follow spots.
Assorted tents at the Woodstock Festival. Volkswagens were popular in the camping area at Woodstock.
The Who played in the early morning of Sunday, August 17. During the number 'See Me, Feel Me' the sun rose as if on cue. John Entwistle later quipped, "God was our lighting man." The band was not happy with their Woodstock experience either, with Roger Daltrey describing it years later as "the worst gig [they] ever played."
A 1960s-era school bus used to ferry fans to the festival site near White Lake in Bethel still stands as a poignant reminder of the events of over 50 years ago.
Folk and rhythm and blues singer Richie Havens opened at the festival, a low-key performance that lasted for nearly three hours and catapulted him into stardom.
The view from the hill looking back across the stage. The festival site quickly became a quagmire as heavy rain fell for prolonged periods during the three-day event.
Over 50 years ago, more than 400,000 music fans descended on a dairy farm in New York State for "3 Days of Peace and Love." The Woodstock festival, held between August 15–18, 1969, attracted some of the biggest names of the time, acts like The Who, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix.
More than half a century later, let's reminisce on the legendary three-day event—widely regarded as one of the most pivotal moments in popular music history—for its music, its audience, and what it stood for: all that was good about the counterculture movement.
Woodstock: Remembering "3 Days of Peace and Love"
Woodstock kicked off on August 15, 1969, and changed everything
MUSIC Concerts
Over 50 years ago, more than 400,000 music fans descended on a dairy farm in New York State for "3 Days of Peace and Love." The Woodstock festival, held between August 15–18, 1969, attracted some of the biggest names of the time, acts like The Who, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix.
More than half a century later, let's reminisce on the legendary three-day event—widely regarded as one of the most pivotal moments in popular music history—for its music, its audience, and what it stood for: all that was good about the counterculture movement.