40 Years Later: A Day at Woodstock

Our Music editor visits the site of the most memorable concert in history--never to be outdone.

I finally got to Woodstock on August 21, 2009, forty years and three days after the original Woodstock Music and Art Fair ended. Kenny Loggins, Jim Messina and Poco arrived a little late too, but that old saying, ‘better late than never,’ certainly rings true.

Max Yasgur’s farm, the Woodstock site, lived up to its mythic reputation. It’s not hard to imagine why droves of hippies in search of answers to life’s bigger questions wanted to frolic on the farm’s rolling green hills, whose high elevation make the clouds seem within reach. My Woodstock experience was further enhanced, however, by having an actual seat in an actual auditorium, as opposed to a small stake of territory in an endless field of mud.

As this summer marks the fortieth anniversary of those immortal “three days of peace and music,” the Bethel Woods Museum and Center for the Arts were brimming with activity. Immediately upon running inside from the notorious Woodstock rain, visitors were ushered into a room that was a luxurious cross between a log cabin and a ballroom. There were two plush easy chairs set up on a small stage; one was occupied by Pete Fornatale, veteran disc jockey of the radio program Mixed Bag, and Richie Furay of the bands Poco and Buffalo Springfield sat in the other. The live interview covered acoustic performances, Furay’s fascination with Facebook and news on new projects with Kenny Loggins, and his former Buffalo Springfield band mates Stephen Stills and Neil Young. But there was an overriding theme of disappointment in Poco’s limited success, since they seem to have invented quintessentially American soft country rock. Furay mentioned to Fornatale, “We pioneered the whole genre, and didn’t reap the benefits that should have come along with that.”

When the time for the show came, Pete Fornatale made another appearance. He shamelessly promoted his new Woodstock memoir, Back to the Garden (whose title is borrowed from Joni Mitchell’s dazzling lyrics), while introducing Poco. This shameless plugging hardly captured the spirit of the Woodstock generation, which disdained working for personal gain and money, calling it ‘bread.’

Following the unsettling philosophical contradiction, Poco gave a fantastic warm-up performance. During the set, it became very obvious that better-known country rock bands like the Eagles emulated their style and sound. Poco had smooth vocals and unquestionably strong musicianship, but one thing was missing: their “Hotel California.” They had everything going for them as a band, except the song that was guaranteed to blow the minds of every person with a radio.

Jim Messina, who got his musical start in Poco, made an appearance for the last two songs, “Kind Woman” and “Crazy Love,” and made a marvelous contribution to the band’s awe-inspiring ability to harmonize. Messina then called his better musical half, Kenny Loggins, out for the main event.

The duo made unusual haste in getting to some of their biggest hits. They began with “Watching the River Run” from their magnum opus, Full Sail (1973)--no doubt to the delight of a crowd of peaceniks in faded tees from the actual Full Sail tour of the early seventies. They began “House at Pooh Corner” from Sittin’ In (1971) immediately after the applause died down, and undoubtedly brought an audience who might have since forgotten about the cutest bear to ever wear a red tee shirt “back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh.”

Loggins and Messina continued with another song from Full Sail, “Travelin’ Blues,” and “Holiday Hotel” from their self-titled album (1972) that exhibited the pair’s uncanny ability to blend soft rock and country twang into their own unique sound.

The duo then broke the news that they’re in the process of recording a new album, making this the first time that the two will release a record together in thirty years. It will be a family album, or as they called it, “music to enjoy children by.” This album is bound to be interesting even if children aren’t in your immediate future, as it includes a cover of the Beatles’ classic “Two of Us” from Let It Be (1970) that sounded fabulous live.

The rest of the show was pleasantly and surprisingly diverse, considering Loggins and Messina are famous for a very particular sound. The performances of “Peace of Mind” and “Back to Georgia” from Sittin’ In turned the auditorium into a giant tent from the religious revivals of the 1930s, with Loggins leading a throng of clapping devotees with his simply staggering vocal ability.

For the finale the duo took us to the South Seas with the epitome of yacht rock, “Vahevala,” also from Sittin’ In. The song allowed their superb band that included musicians on everything from alto saxophones to steel drums, with whom Loggins and Messina were glad to share the stage, to show off.

After a round of applause and yelling by the audience, as is the custom, the twosome came back for an encore. They saved what are perhaps their most well known songs “Mama Don’t Dance” and “Danny’s Song” for this last bit of the show. “Mama Don’t Dance” sounded exactly like the recording, and inspired event the most awkward of attendees to get on their feet. “Danny’s Song” was an incredible way to end the night, and I dare say, sounded better than the studio version.

It’s a rare band that attracts as wide a fan base as Loggins and Messina. There is something for everyone at one of their concerts; those who watch CMT religiously, Buffalo Springfield-loving folk rockers and those who happen to have a soft spot for cartoon bears are assuredly going to have a good time. And there is no venue more fitting for such a concert than Bethel Woods, NY, as it brought a generation together in 1969, and continues to bring good music junkies together forty years down the line.