MUSIC FESTIVALS
Woodstock. Coachella.
what is a music festival?
Music Festivals are a way of life. They bring people together. It is a time when we can all forget about our struggles and our differences and get along to listen to great music.
WOODSTOCK
about
1969! Located outside White Lake, New York, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Mike Lang organized the very first Woodstock Music Festival. Kornfeld and Lang originally planned to open a recording studio in which artists could also relax. The idea of the festival came when they wanted to raise money for the studio. Though they wanted to have the festival in Wallkill, New York, location became an issue. Despite the problems and the struggles, on Friday, August 15 1969, Richie Havens officially opened and started the festival.
acts
Day One: Richie Havens, Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, Tim Hardin, Ravi shankar, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez
Day Two: Quill, Country Joe McDonald, John B. Sebastian, Keef Harley Band, Santana, Incredible String Band, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Leslie West & Mountains, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Slu & The Family Stone, The Whom Jefferson Airplane
Day Three: Joe Cocker, Country Joe & The Fish, Ten Years After, Johnny Winter, Blood Sweat And Tears, Crosby, Still, Nash & Young
Day Four: Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sha Na Na, Jimi Hendrix
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Woodstock
facts
- The Jeff Beck Group, featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, were booked to play, but they split acrimoniously on the eve of their Woodstock appearance.
- John Lennon told organisers he had wanted to be a part of Woodstock, but he was in Canada and the U.S. government had refused him an entry visa.
- Two people died at Woodstock - one man from a heroin overdose and a teenager in a sleeping bag who was killed when a tractor ran over him. The driver was never traced.
COACHELLA
about
In 1993, Pearl Jam threw a concert that would spark the beginning of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival. Just three months after Woodstock '99, the first Coachella event opened on October 9, 1999. However, it was rumored to have not made any profit. Acts such as The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Richie Hawtin, Kevin Saunderson, Moby, DJ Shadow, A-Trak performed that day.
In 2004, Coachella had their first sold-out weekend. A reputation was made and the festival became a must-attend for music fans.
Facts
- There was no festival in 2000 due to financial problems from the first.
- In 2001, Coachella was a one day event and was pushed to April due to the heat experienced in 1999.
- Gained worldwide recognition in 2003
- Coachella was originally a two-day festival but was extended to three days in 2007.