Woodstock – The Exhibit

Do you curse fate that you were born in the wrong decade? Curse your not-so-lucky stars that you weren’t on the planet when Woodstock shook up Bethel, N.Y., 40 years ago? Or maybe you were there and you’d just like to re-live that wild weekend. Next month you’ll have the chance to be there in spirit with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Woodstock exhibit.

The exhibit will show off artifacts from the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair – without having to deal with all that pesky traffic and mud. We assume there will also be no drugs, nudity or rain inside the Cleveland museum.

You can check out the peace, love, hippie and rock ‘n’ roll exhibit July 3 through Nov. 29 in the Ahmet M. Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall.

Photo: AP Photo
In this Aug. 1969 file photo, concert-goers sit on the roof of a Volkswagen bus at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair.

Woodstock took place Aug. 15-17 in 1969 on a dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, outside of Woodstock in upstate New York. It attracted 500,000 fans with 1.5 million left people stalled in traffic outside the fest grounds, shutting down the New York State Thruway, according to NewsNet5.

The festival featured rock and folk artists such as Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sly & the Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Johnny Winter, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Canned Heat and Mountain.

The exhibit will include souvenirs from artists as well as Woodstock executive producer Michael Lang such as the original hand-written plan for the fest, John Sebastian’s tie-dyed cape and jacket and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young performance contract, according to NewsNet5. There’s also the original stage plans, clothing wore by Stephen Stills, posters and other key documents, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum website.

Click here for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s website.

Click here for the NewsNet5 article.