ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on daily newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, and also draws together reports contained in the music press. It provides space to alternative interpretations — both high-profile and fringe — in a bid to paint, then a panoramic picture of those column inches dedicated in the immediate aftermath to the happenings in upstate New York that summer. New York Times, the daily newspaper of the largest city located in the state where the Woodstock festival took place, provides the most substantial reflection on this period. Comparing the festival crowds with the forces convened at Gettysburg – Woodstock had twice the number – Cooke spoke of Bethel's relief as the human tide eventually headed away. While the Voice report reflected hardly at all on the musical component of the festival – only Jimi Hendrix was mentioned as playing at the event – it did offer some insights into the social and political issues raised by the gathering.
