http://chicago.decider.com/articles/the-real-heroes-of-woodstock,30983/
by Evan Minsker
July 30, 2009
Forty years after Woodstock, people still romanticize the legendary
festivalperhaps excessively. If the proof isn't in Ang Lee's
upcoming dramedy Taking Woodstock (starring Demetri Martin) or in the
"40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition" copy of the film on
DVD, it's definitely in The Heroes Of Woodstock 40th Anniversary
Concert on Friday in Waukegan's Genesee Theatre. The tour brings
together some of the original bands that played at the festival in
some shape or form.
Before you get too excited, here's tomorrow night's lineup: Jefferson
Starship (only one member of which performed at Woodstock, and under
the Jefferson Airplane moniker), Canned Heat, Big Brother And The
Holding Company (who will be playing Janis Joplin's material),
Quicksilver Messenger Service (who weren't at the '69 festival at
all), Tom Constanten (who played keys for The Grateful Dead), and
Country Joe McDonald. In short, to call these bands "the heroes" of
Woodstock is, in all honesty, a stretch. That in mind, The A.V. Club
takes a look at a few of the true heroes of Woodstock (still living,
mind you) and see how these legends would fare in a concert today.
Band: The Who
Why they're the real heroes: They went on at 4 a.m., played all of
Tommy, and Pete Townshend smashed his guitar into war protestor Abbie
Hoffman when he ran onstage to grab the mic after they finished
"Pinball Wizard." Showmanship + reckless violence = awesome.
Original members still alive: Two of the fourguitarist Pete
Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey.
Likelihood of them performing today: Very plausible. Although they're
short two of the arguably greatest musicians in rock history (bassist
John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon), their 2006 performance at the
United Center proved that they're still worth seeing. Yes, they
mainly just stick to the hits when they perform (making them more
suited for a festival than a one-off concert), but to see Townshend
do the windmill thing with his arm while Daltrey swings the mic
around like a lasso is still an awe-inspiring sight and sound.
Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Why they're the real heroes: Their radio-friendly, country-fried rock
'n' roll served for a more organized and tight show than, say, the
stoned confusion of The Grateful Dead's 50-minute long jam on "Turn
On Your Love Light." It's important to remember there's still an
audience who's watching, and they might not be on as good of drugs as the band.
Original members still alive: Three of fourJohn Fogerty, Stu Cook,
and Doug Clifford.
Likelihood of them performing today: It's not going to happen.
They've been broken up for nearly four decades now, and the split was
far from amicable. If they were to reunite, the tour would just be
three grown men standing onstage and not speaking to each other. No,
it's more likely that John Fogerty would try to pull together another
all-star band with less-than-successful results. Maybe it's just best
to have a Fogerty-free concert.
Band: Sly & The Family Stone
Why they're the real heroes: The funk-rock band played some of their
hits to ecstatic reviews. More importantly, Sly Stone showed up and
wasn't too strung out to perform. Sly's renditions of "I Want To Take
You Higher," "M'lady," and "Dance To The Music" were probably enough
to convert a few hippies to the burgeoning funk scene.
Original members still alive: There were nearly two-dozen members of
the band over the span of the Family's career, so it's hard to keep
track. When Sly Stone played two years ago, he played with three
original members of the band.
Likelihood of them performing today: It depends on Sly's mood and
whether he's clean. When Sly played in the summer of 2007, he
certainly didn't carry the same spark that he used to, which garnered
mixed reviews through his short European tour. But if he gave it his
all and stuck pretty faithfully to the material that he laid down in
the late '60s, it could be an incredible show. Those songs are
exactly what it takes to make one of the many drunk moms and dads in
an audience get up and dance. But is that really an act worth doing?
Band: The Band
Why they're the real heroes: Although The Band got its break through
Bob Dylan, its ability to write great American music dwarfed anything
Dylan did with albums like Nashville Skyline. The Woodstock-based
underappreciated rock legends managed to make a rootsy sound that
brought together soul, country, and early rock 'n' roll.
Original members still alive: Three of fiveLevon Helm, Garth Hudson,
and Robbie Robertson.
Likelihood of them performing today: Slim. Robbie Robertson has been
pretty adverse to a Band reunion after he said "no more" with The
Last Waltz. Without Richard Manuel and Rick Danko's voices, the show
would just feel empty, anyway. It would just be better to have The
Levon Helm Band play, since they've been established for so long, and
maybe have Robbie and Garth make some guest appearances.
Band: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Why they're the real heroes: Right as the singer-songwriter movement
was about to explode with the likes of James Taylor and Joni
Mitchell, there was already a supergroup of singer-songwriters
pumping out hit after hit.
Original members still alive: All four of them (one of very few bands
that are all still alive and playing from that era).
Likelihood of them performing today: Quite likelythey toured as
recently as 2006 (and CSN have been performing this year). It could
be a great show as long as they don't play any material off of Neil
Young's terrible anti-George W. Bush Living With War album (as they
did in the film CSNY Déjà Vu). Otherwise, if they stick to "Ohio" and
their other hits, they still have great voices and can still pull off
some good harmonies.
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