Reel To Reel: Creating Woodstock

In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Woodstock, please join us for a special screening of the new film, Creating Woodstock. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Mick Richards (film Director and Woodstock attendee), Joel Rosenman (partner in Woodstock Ventures and producer of the original Woodstock festival), John Morris (Head of Production of the original festival), Eric Morris (film Producer), and Bill Belmont (Artist Coordinator of Woodstock). The conversation will be moderated by GRAMMY Museum Founding Executive Director Bob Santelli.

For three days in August 1969, nearly a half-million young people descended upon Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York for the rock ‘n’ roll event that defined a generation. Mythologized for 50 years, the filmmakers set the record straight with Creating Woodstock, the most comprehensive examination of how the festival came to be using original interviews with key figures, rare archival footage, and unearthed photographs. Find out why the Grateful Dead wanted a “do over” and Crosby, Stills & Nash weren’t going to show up, why The Who refused to play and Jimi Hendrix almost didn’t make it, and how it turned into a free concert. Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, and Leslie West recount their experiences, including performing on a stage that nearly collapsed, while founders of Woodstock Ventures recall moments from the initial idea for the festival, to the search for a suitable site and then the race to build a venue, promote the event and, most importantly, book the bands.