WOODSTOCK 05

Back in High School I was a huge fan of the entire concept of Woodstock 1969. I loved 90% of the soundtrack and watched the movie on PBS every time they aired it, even after I bought it on VHS. The original concert was actually a "3-day music and arts fair" to celebrate peace, music and love. about 500,000 people gathered for 72 hours or so and there was no major violence of any kind. The concert became admission-free a few hours in and everybody helped each other coped with shortages of food and facilities. It was a mess but it was beautiful. When the 1994 concert happened, I felt both excited and sickened. I felt that I might finally have a chance to got to Woodstock! But it became apparent that this was a "Woodstock Music and Arts Fair" in name only. It was just a big concert whose goal was the make a lot of money. The 1999 concert was just a disgrace. A bunch of kids paying $150 to sit on an old airforce base listening to Nine Inch Nails, while perhaps fun, is not "Woodstock." I see the video from that concert and I see the kids covered in mud yelling at the kids not covered in mud. They actually went out of their way to create animosity. They were all gathered together for one purpose, but they couldn't be happy unless there was something to fight about. On top of that, there were several reported rapes and major vandalism. It proved that kids today suck and have no sense of a global community. If Woodstock 1969 helped encourage the country and bring it closer to peace, Woodstock 99 actively helped bring it closer to utter chaos.

But that's not the reason I'm blogging this. I just got carried away. Anyway...

So, I've been wondering who SHOULD be performing in a current version of Woodstock. That is, if I were to organize it myself, who would I invite to perform? I like Nine Inch Nails and Metallica, but I don't think they exude the spirit of Woodstock. There would be no Gangsta Rap because A) I hate it and B) it certainly doesn't promote a way of thinking that I want to encourage. On the other hand, I don't want to only invite bands that I like, personally. I also wouldn't want to invite all the old performers, like Ritchie Havens or Arlo Guthrie, because they're just not relevent anymore. With those qualifications in mind, I've come across the following list of performers that I think I'd like to see at my own personally prepared Woodstock 2005:

-Laurie Anderson (Artistic, socially important music)
-Green Day (Rock and Roll with something to say)
-U2 (See Green Day) (Please be advised that I don't really like U2 but I think they'd be perfect for Woodstock 05)
-Melissa Etheridge (I like her less and less as she puts out albums, but I still have loads of respect for her and she's still excellent live)
-Neil Young (This guy still amazes me. He's been constantly challenging himself with new kinds of music and continues to write socially and politically important music, and has done so for 30 years+)
-Eric Clapton (Another legend who's still going. Although I think he's starting a rapid decline into lameness. I have to believe he's still got some spark, however)
-Tom Petty (Not quite our generation's Bob Dylan, but getting there as he gets older)
-Oasis (I think their music is perfect for a huge summer outdoor concert)
-Ween (Something fun and different, I think it's important to expose the public to unusual stuff)
-Eels (Like Ween with a more serious edge)
-Steve Vai (I respect him more than I like him, but he's an amazing guitar player with a strong spiritual side and a hippie spirit)
-Andrew WK ( A controversial pick, I know. He's loud and obnoxious, but he's overall optomistic and fun)
-The Go-Nuts (One of my favorite weird obscure bands. They play 50's-style Rock and Roll but take on the persona of a group of costumed superheroes who keep the world safe for sugary snacks. They would totally make the audience go "Huh?", like Sha Na Na must've done 30 years ago!
-Beck (another guy I respect more than like, but a great soul)

So that's it. I'm sure I could come up with more if I thought about it for longer, but this is my list. FYI, the original concert's list can be found HERE

Please leave me comments about this. I'm sure I'm missing great acts and I'm sure you wanna yell at me for some of my picks. Let's hear 'em!