In early August of 1969 I was really looking forward to Woodstock. I had seen the posters around New York City. I asked around and found a couple of guys from Westfield, NJ who were driving up on Wednesday, two days before the official start of the festival. My friend Richard and me lived in Elizabeth NJ. We all drove up in a Volvo.
When we arrived on Wednesday there was already a substantial crowd, at least several thousand people. All Richard and I took with us were our sleeping bags and the clothes on our back. No tickets, no money. Our group camped up on a grassy hill near a stand of pine trees about 1/4 mile north of the main stage, opposite the main spectator area.
Early Wednesday evening Richard and I went for a walk around the festival grounds. We sauntered down the hill, then along the road that passed just back of the stage. At this point, the deluge of people had not yet arrived, cars were still able to move along the road. We hopped on the back trunk of a car to move down the road. Richard and I soon hooked up with some people, including a guy named Sunshine from Philadelphia. We shared a joint and talked about Tim Hardin and his addiction to heroin. Soon Richard and I managed to connect with some acid.
A little later in the evening, back at out campsite, the acid came on. We sat around a small campfire and talked about the non-ordinary and the occult. Our conversation got scary. We quieted down and went off to our sleeping bags. That first night we slept amongst some pine woods, just back of where the Volvo was parked. It rained and we got wet. Richard and I slept near a camp of ten or twelve musicians from Georgia and the deep south.
The next morning was Thursday. After getting out of our soggy sleeping bags, we hung the bags up on trees in an attempt to dry them. Then Richard and I walked towards the stage area. We bummed around along the road behind the stage. We would stick our thumbs out for rides, or just hop on the hoods or trunks of passing cars. I remember seeing Abbie Hoffman around, then Hugh Romney (now Wavy Gravy). Just for fun, I decided to ride a few miles into town. More and more people were arriving. and I rejoiced at seeing all the people showing up. Already traffic was backed up for many miles.
Friday was the official start of the concert. Sometime in the afternoon I sat behind lines of people in the audience, just enjoying the music. By this time the gates had come down and it was a free festival. Richard and I hadn't expected to pay anything anyway. We didn't have any money at all, and had to hustle even our food. Somehow we expected everything to be free and provided for.
I remember seeing Swami Satchitananda blessing the festival, and saying that nowhere, outside of India, had such a large crowd assembled. I wandered around the audience, then took a seat about a hundred people back from the stage and watched the show. I remember seeing Richie Havens, then later, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez. I didn’t stay in my seat long, I moved around a lot.
Friday night it rained. In the morning our sleeping bags were soaked. Being already high from a few tabs of acid here and there, Richard and I went to the lake for a swim. It was exhilarating and great fun to swim nude with all the friendly people. After a swim and some cleaning with Dr. Bronner’s soap, I was refreshed and ready for a full day of fun. I strolled around near the stage. Before long the music started again. I saw Country Joe, John Sebastian and Santana.
Along the road, behind the stage, people were walking around with handfuls of acid, just passing tabs around for free. At one point an announcement came from the stage, not to take the green or the blue, but I had already taken several and I felt just fine.
Saturday night I sat on top of a car parked on the road which ran behind the stage. It was a beautiful spot if you didn't mind not seeing the performers in front. The stage was accessed by the performers with a small foot bridge than spanned across the road. Looking to my right, I could see the bright lights of the stage and performers stomping around. The music was loud and clear. There was a tremendous energy in the air.
I sat on the car, tripping, and watched all sorts of characters in play. Some were walking along the road and some were hanging out, moving to the music or just being weird. Somehow it seemed a drunk from the New York bowery was there, waving hands and directing traffic. Traffic was hordes of people with a few crawling cars, also a few supply trucks. I stayed for hours on the car, enjoying the view. So many interesting people. As Credence Clearwater played, a guy in drag gyrated and swayed, with an occasional shriek of delight exclaiming that this was just like California. Following Credence Clearwater was Janis Joplin. Then Sly and the Family Stone. As they played I headed back to my campsite. Sly played “I want to take you higher, as everyone light up candles or matches. Thousand of little lights everywhere.
Some hours later I headed back to the stage area. Moving into the audience I saw The Who perform the Tommy rock opera. In the pre-dawn light I felt waves of ecstasy moving through my body and brain as I thrilled to strains of Amazing Journey. At dawn, the final act was Jefferson Airplane. I moved off the field in the morning light, having stayed up all night. I waited in the hog-farm line for some breakfast.
Early in the afternoon I discovered a special area in the wooded area to the right of the stage. Paths through the woods were marked with signs such as High Way, and Groovy Way. One commune set-up on the path with thousands of tabs of brightly colored acid piled high into a pyramid. Headshops were set up, tables on 4 sides with assorted wares like portable water pipes, papers and assorted trip gear. People sat in little groups along the path sharing drugs in a communal, giving spirit – passing joints, bottles of wine with several tabs of acid dissolved, hash-pipes, and other forms of dope. One could just stroll up to a group and join in. People were sharing everything.
As I was sitting, already high on multiple doses of acid a guy came up to me with a bag containing what he described as mescaline coated with psilocin powder. It looked like dirt. I asked him how much I should take and he said take what you want. I ate a couple of chunks.
The pranksters had built a little playground out of wood. Here was a rope swing, monkey bars, and a chicken coop on stilts. When it began to rain, I met a girl and swung on the rope swing with her.
Already tripping when I entered the woods, I began ingesting all kinds of dope. I joined group after group with Richard. I took many swigs of acid laced wine, dropped many tabs of acid. When I wanted some THC, I asked someone along the path, and was without hesitation directed to a guy standing a hundred feet away. He had some blue caps and wanted $4 each for them. When we told him we didn't have any money, he ended up giving them away for free.
Richard and I walked with careful, deliberate steps along the trail. We were fully stoned. At one point we left the woods and looked out from the edge across the huge field of people at the stage area. Richard put his finger in his mouth with a confused expression, as he did when thinking deeply, and expressed concern that we were getting too high. Perhaps we had taken too much acid. I was confident that we were fine. I reassured him, telling him not to worry, we had transcended having to be concerned. I was on the right track. Just go higher and higher. I was beyond fear.
I was feeling incredibly ecstatic, waves of bliss coursing through my body. Every cell in my body exploded in bliss. I felt that I was on a heavenly plane of experience, I felt tuned into multiple dimensions simultaneously. Every desire was satisfied, there was want for nothing.
The energy amongst the people was building. People were giving abundantly to one another. When the rain started I was too high to care.
As evening came on, I became tired, having been up for several days. I looked for a place to crash and slept through the night into the next morning. Someone came by and said that Hendrix was going to play but I was too tired.
When I awoke, most people were gone. The landscape was a sea of mud and trash. I had to find a way home and found someone going to North Jersey.