http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/may/02/flashback-1960s/
Woodstock tribute an innovative idea for the Fremont Street Experience
Sat, May 2, 2009
It will be 40 years ago this August that hundreds of thousands of
people gathered on Max Yasgur's muddy New York farm for the Woodstock
music festival, which came to encapsulate what people adored or
loathed about the turbulent 1960s.
Held during the height of the Vietnam War and on the heels of campus
and racial unrest, the gathering featured many of rock music's most
accomplished performers. As for the performances, one of the most
memorable was the Jimi Hendrix rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Nothing can ever fully recapture that historic event, but the Fremont
Street Experience deserves credit for planning a tribute to Woodstock
that will include free concerts as well as tie-dye T-shirts and other
symbols of the era. Two of the scheduled performers, Canned Heat and
Blood, Sweat & Tears, played at the festival.
As reported Sunday by the Associated Press, the Fremont Street
Experience plans to spend $1.7 million on a campaign between the
Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends to commemorate the 1969 festival.
Participating downtown casinos also intend to have coordinated activities.
It is an innovative idea because the festivities could draw tourists
who might have otherwise decided to go elsewhere for summer vacation.
Despite Southern Nevada's sour economy, it is good to see that
business people are continuing to think of creative ways to uphold
Las Vegas' reputation as the entertainment capital of the world.
If the Woodstock event succeeds, the Fremont Street Experience should
take advantage of that momentum by promoting other special events
around specific themes, each of which will likely draw niche
audiences. That has proved to be a successful formula, as we have
seen with the National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR weekend and major conventions.
Many tourists, in search of a memorable experience, are looking for
something different. Woodstock certainly delivered on that promise.
Now it's the Fremont Street Experience's turn to show it has what it
takes to give visitors lasting good memories.
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