Music Sunday: The "Woodstock" Edition

Let me try this again. My computer just up and burped and sent what I had written of this week's Music Sunday post off into cyberspace somewhere. I hope it's having fun floating out there somewhere.

But, as I was saying...

Today is the 44th anniversary of the end of the Woodstock Festival. I was not old enough at the time to go to Woodstock, but I was old enough to spend that entire weekend wishing I was there - crowds, heat, rain, mud, and all. It was a singular event in the history of music, and it became a cultural and historical icon. Sometimes, though, I think the actual music that was played gets lost in the event's legendary status. Because of this, I decided that this is a good time to share some of the music from that weekend that could never be repeated, although god knows people have tried.

One of the songs Crosby, Stills, and Nash performed at Woodstock was their version of The Beatles' "Blackbird". Many years later, I saw CSN in concert and they started the performance with this song, only that time they sang it a capella:



The Jefferson Airplane were at Woodstock, singing "White Rabbit":



And The Band performed, singing, among other songs, "The Weight":



Protest music was there. This is Country Joe & the Fish and the "I'm Fixin' to Die Rag". Just a warning, though, if you have little ones in earshot: this clip includes the infamous "Fish cheer", which is what got the first Woodstock compilation album banned from my house when it came out. It's the only thing my parents, specifically my mother, ever forbade me to read, watch, or listen to. Ah, well:



The Who were there, singing "My Generation", with bonus Pete Townshend throwing a guitar to the audience:



And Jimi Hendrix performed "Purple Haze":



There were a lot more acts and a lot more music at Woodstock than I've shared today, of course. Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, and many, many more. But there is only so much time and so much room on a Music Sunday. At least that means that there will be plenty to share this time next year. Or, maybe, even before that.