(Harper Collins)
www.harpercollins.com

(Adams Media)
www.adamsmedia.com

BY LEE ZIMMERMAN

Brace yourself... the biggest onslaught of dewy-eyed nostalgia and unabashed commercial pandering since the Bicentennial is well underway.  Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but with the fortieth anniversary of the Love Generation's supreme moment of nirvana taking place this month (August 15-18, to be precise), Woodstock Nation will pressed to resurrect the three days of peace, love, music, mischief and mayhem that became a touchstone for baby boomers everywhere.

Amidst the flood of books that are certain to hit bookshelves this summer, The Road To Woodstock will likely be the one that will attract the most attention. At very least it offers the greatest potential in terms of firsthand recollection and reminiscing, being that it's written from the perspective of the man who was ultimately responsible for guiding the festival through, from its uncertain start to its somewhat tattered conclusion.  In the critically-acclaimed Woodstock documentary, Michael Lang was seen as the tousled-haired 25 year-old wunderkind who wheeled around the site on his motorcycle and kept a clear head in the midst of the chaos unfolding around him.  In the book, he comes across as equally adept, clearly determined to pull off the biggest concert event in history, a man/boy whose early infatuation with John Coltrane convinced him that predetermined parameters were meaningless and that great things can happen when the tethers are taken off and spontaneity is given free reign.  It was the ideal philosophy for coping with the chain of events that would eventually lead more than 300,000 kids to Bethel New York for the single most impressive gathering of musical talent in Rock history.  After all, it took no small amount of confidence and conviction to lock horns with the almighty Bill Graham, wary and resistant local officials, and artist managers who demanded payment before their acts would take the stage.  The fact that Lang managed to persevere through it all became a credit to his constitution.

The opening chapters retrace Lang's back story, specifically his early adventures in Greenwich Village and Coconut Grove, his spectacular pre-Woodstock prototype via 1968's Miami Pop Festival, and his initial introduction to Woodstock's environs where he eventually settled. However, the bulk of the book deals with the build-up to the event itself, specifically the massive amount of preparation and planning.  Consequently, music enthusiasts might be disappointed that only about a third of the approximately 280 pages recount events that transpired during the actual festival, and while a number of other perspectives are offered - from musicians, partners and participants - more of that commentary conveyed specifically over those three days might have served readers more.

Happily then, Woodstock Revisited tells the Woodstock story from a more emotional and immediate point of view.  It gives a glimpse that avoids the usual backstage perspective and tells it instead from the vantage point of the people who journeyed there almost on a whim, young, wayward, adventure-loving thrill seekers who were somewhat uncertain about the experience they were embarking upon but still more than willing to immerse themselves into whatever they might encounter.  At just over 200 pages, it's a quick, easy read, and while the glossary of terms at the end seems somewhat perfunctory, it does add historical perspective.  Nevertheless, it's the first hand accounts of these intrepid souls that provide fascinating commentary, particularly for anyone who wasn't around to experience it first-hand.  After forty years, the amount of actual recollection is impressive (how about that adage, "If you remember the ‘60s, you weren't there?"), but beyond the starry-eyed descriptions of rain-drenched fields, drug-induced nirvana and wacky fellow travelers, it's the context of these tales that becomes most striking, offering a sociological glimpse of a time now faded into the recesses of memory, when cultural upheaval seemed the norm. 

In the introduction, editor Susan Reynolds writes:

"While each story in Woodstock Revisited focuses on the Woodstock experience, together they illustrate America in the late sixties and how the baby boomer generation evolved,  These stories go beyond tales of being caught in traffic or mired in the mud.  They reflect what was going on in the minds of the hardy souls who traveled to Woodstock and thus what was going n in our nation."

If this isn't the final word on why one should have been there, then it's just possible no amount of convincing will ever be enough.

Nevertheless, leave it to Lang for the final word.  "It was the time of all our lives," he says succinctly early on.  "For me, Woodstock was a test of whether people of our generation really believed in one another and the world we were struggling to create."

Amen.  And too bad those sentiments don't resonate today.  Consequently, those moved by the movie would be best advised to also read the books.