Woodstock proved to be a milestone in coverage of the music scene and the broader media investigation of social and economic issues that affect younger citizens. After the Woodstock weekend, rock music and other matters concerning the American experience were no longer oddities.
In the aftermath of the festival, it was clear that the future had arrived when hundreds of thousands of people were part of a place that defined its own culture for three days.
Woodstock's Message
From makeshift shelters to food stalls, festival attendees got creative in the absence of adequate facilities. The attendees endured the discomforts to relish in a lifestyle that was an expression of their independence.
While newspapers across the US continued to focus on the concert as a disaster area, network television news programs were quick to pick up on Woodstock's message.
Coming Together
As hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life invaded a rural resort area that was unprepared to accommodate them all. Here we see young people eating outside the food tent at Woodstock.
Somehow, by nature of old-fashioned kindness and caring, people came together, in harmony and with good intentions, and all of them learned from the experience.
Rainy Festival
The downpour of rain threatened the festival and delayed several performances while drenching the grounds and the attendees. Here, we see pictured men soaked while having fun in the mud.
The ground on which two or three hundred thousand kids were sitting was begging to be turned back into the mud, and it got its wish, and it couldn't have mattered less to anyone.
Regretful Bands
A handful of prominent bands spurned invitations to perform at Woodstock. The Byrds were invited but declined to play. Said bassist John York, "By that time we had no idea what it was going to be. We were tired of the festival scene... So all of us said, 'No, we want a rest' and missed the best festival of all."
The Doors also declined an invitation to perform at Woodstock, supposing it would be a "second class repeat of Monterey Pop Festival." Guitarist Robby Krieger said it was one of his biggest regrets as a musician.