Today might as well be Christmas. It marks//begins the weekend of the Woodstock 45th Anniversary, and as a hippie living 100% in the wrong decade, I’d like to take a moment to remember the musicians that played this legendary festival. While Woodstock 1969 was not the only memorable festival of that era (the Monterey Pop Festival is highly regarded as well, and if you haven’t already, check out Jefferson Airplane’s Live at the Monterey Festival) it helped set the stage for years to come. In present day, we’ve got a slew of festivals- Coachella, Glasto, Lolla, Burning Man, Outside Lands, Wireless Fest, Tomorrowland, the list goes on; and while acts take the stage every year shocking and delighting both longtime fans and newcomers, it seems as though nothing tends to resonate as much as Woodstock 1969. The Who played at 5 a.m. for fucks sake; we are lucky if present day performers at festivals go on past 2 a.m.

In my own festival experience, especially the trippy ones held in the middle of the mountains, I’ve come to realize how important it is to become one with nature, others, yourself, and the music- reaching a state of nirvana alongside others. I believe that Woodstock ’69 helped pave the way for the journeys that are taking place 45 years later. For those of us who weren’t lucky enough to attend Woodstock, there are videos, and albums, and interviews, etc. that allow us to understand our favorite musicians, watch them play the same songs we stream on Spotify all day but with the truest form of integrity that a streaming application never can truly convey, and collectively channel their spirit as we embark on our own artistic journeys.

It’s beautiful. It’s life. It was 3 days of Peace and Music, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that this weekend marks what has become to so many of us as a life-changing experience- despite whether we were actually in attendance or not.

Cheers,

Editor // Curator

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