In 1969, revolution was in the air. 500,000 gathered on a mid-August weekend in upstate New York for the promise of music. What they experienced was something far greater.



Why are we still talking about Woodstock 51 years later? Over and above the music and the politics, the ideals of the “peace ’n’ love generation” were proven over those four days in 1969. The half million in attendance not only withstood the mistakes of the organizers—not enough food, water, security or bathrooms—but survived and flourished, even as a Sunday monsoon ripped through the site, causing undue hardship. Yet people helped each other, fed each other, danced, sang, kept each other warm, and not one instance of violence was ever reported. Not one! Local police were amazed, they steered clear, telling reporters how “well-behaved” these kids were. It amounted to the second-largest city in the state for those days with no security whatsoever yet peace amazingly prevailed. Improbable, next-to-impossible, but this touchstone event could be construed as a utopian microcosm of the best of American society. Today’s generation has much to learn from these 500,000 kids. Author Mike Greenblatt was one of those kids.



His story is different from any other Woodstock book ever written. Peace can, indeed, prevail, against all odds. The event was a dream-like Sixties tableau complete with nakedness yet not one reported case of sexual misconduct. When else in history did such good vibes, communal survivalism, and an almost tribal togetherness ever occur? The long-hair male next to you was your brother. The topless girl within reach was met with nothing but respect. Did this really happen? Could it ever happen again? It’s truly hard to believe that such a peace prevailed. We should celebrate that peace and pass it on.



Woodstock: Back to Yasgur’s Farm offers a front-row seat to this singular event in a beautiful book with over 300 photos. Author, Music Journalist, and Woodstock attendee Mike Greenblatt brilliantly captures the power of music’s greatest performers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Santana and the Who, while sharing stories both personal and audacious from the crowd.



When first published for the 50th anniversary in 2019, Greenblatt’s book was raved about by consumers and media alike—and coverage included a New York Times recommendation, author profiles like this one by The Jewish Voice, and it was named one of the Best Music Books of the Year by BestClassicBands.com.