29 Years Later, Reflecting on the Life and Death of John Lennon by Conor Levis
"Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today
Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one " - "Imagine" by John Lennon
Unlike many people in this country, I don't remember where I was on December 8, 1980. Mostly because I wasn't even born yet. That doesn't mean I don't understand the significance of what happened on this day 29 years ago. For many, the Assassination of John Lennon ranks right up there with many of the other iconic events of the 21st century. People remember exactly where they were the night when Howard Cosell first broke the news in the final minutes of the Monday Night Football game that Lennon had been shot outside of his apartment building in New York City. His killer will remain nameless on this blog because we choose not to acknowledge him. He was suicidal and killed Lennon to "steal his fame" because "he was a nobody at that time". At the time it was an enormous blow to not just the music industry and to pop culture, but to our society. 29 years later, his impact is still felt today.
Though it's a somber anniversary, it is a day to celebrate John Lennon's life. The legendary musician's body of work and life still resonates with many of today's artists. The Roots drummer, Questlove, talked about the impact of John Lennon's death on him, tweeting, "29 yrs ago My 5th grade art teacher tried to explain Lennon's impact in tears. next day she brought Revolver to school: hooked for life." Lennon clearly inspired every genre of musicians and it is still seen today. To some, he was just another member of the Beatles. To others, he was a hero. He wasn't just about the music, he had a message of peace...a vision, a dream. John Lennon was so influential that President Nixon's administration tried to have him deported on several occasions and actually did have Lennon ordered to leave the US within 60 days on On 23 March 1973. The decision was ultimately overturned in 1975 and FBI files regarding Lennon have since been uncovered for the making on the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon. These FBI files document the Bureau's role in the Nixon Administration attempt to deport Lennon in 1972 to stop his anti-war campaign before the Nixon re-election campaign.The FBI admitted it had 281 pages of files on Lennon but refused to release most of them, they contained "national security" information. When will we ever see a musician or star with this much impact again?
Today, I choose to remember John Lennon for what he was. An unbelievable musician and an even better human being. A genius, a visionary, a hero. I could go on and on but I would never find enough words to explain the impact this man had not only on my life, but on millions and millions of others. He was the driving force behind the greatest musicians of all-time, the Beatles. You all I know how I feel about them. I don't know where or what I would be without Lennon's music. Lennon continues to be mourned throughout the world and has been the subject of numerous memorials and tributes, principally New York City's Strawberry Fields, a memorial garden area in Central Park across the street from the Dakota building. Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, later donated $1 million for its maintenance.It has become a gathering place for tributes on Lennon's birthday and on the anniversary of his death, as well as at other times of mourning, such as after the September 11 attacks and following Harrison's death on 29 November 2001.
There will be another memorial and gathering tonight at Strawberry Fields in New York City. Tonight if you think of it, at 10:50 pm (the approximate time of his death), have a little moment of silence for Lennon. It's the least you could do for one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all-time. It's the least you could do for one of the important human beings of all time.
John Winston Ono Lennon October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980
For Veteran's Day, I decided to pass along a piece I wrote back in May about Memorial Day. Although they are two separate holidays, the message remains the same. Please remember on this day to honor those who served and keep them in your thoughts. I know you hear that often, but I hope this might inspire you to actually do it. Here's the actual link with a very nice comment from a Veteran at the bottom. http://celticsmusichotbitches.blogspot.com/2009/05/day-of-lost.html Not To Be Forgotten by Conor Levis
What does Memorial Day mean to you? It's a day that often means different things to different people. Maybe it's a day off from work, maybe it's a day off from school. Maybe it's a beach day, a cookout, or a time to observe fireworks. Or maybe you celebrate the day for it's true meaning. Unfortunately, it seems that the latter is in the minority these days. For most people, the holiday has become just another day in a long weekend. And really... who can blame them? When the weather gets nice and people can take time out of their busy lives, it's hard to fully appreciate something that doesn't resemble a major holiday. I'll admit, in the past Memorial Day was always just another day to me. Not the day that's supposed to commemorate U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. That is...up until recently.
A few months back, I had just finished a short, solid shift at work and feeling a bit more upbeat and high spirited than usual. I was walking out to the parking lot when I spotted a man wearing veteran clothing. He must have seen me looking because he began staring in my direction as he approached. It was a stare of familiarity as I had seen this man around there before. I decided to say something to him as I was about to pass. I noticed he was wearing a hat that said Vietnam Veteran, so I decided to ask him the obvious question. "Where did you serve?" the only thing that came out on the spot. "Vietnam", he responded as he came to a complete stop. I wanted to make it short and sweet so I simply reached out to shake his hand. "Thank you" is all I said as I looked him in the eye. He looked back at me almost a bit confused or perturbed. I wasn't sure if I had said or did something wrong so I took a step forward to walk away but he grabbed my shoulder to stop me. Then he said something I will remember for the rest of my life. "You know, you're one of the only people to thank me since I've been back", he said with tears in his eyes. The Vietnam War ended 34 years ago. I had no idea what to say next. As tears trickled down his face, I was happy because I felt I had done something good but so sad for this man at the same time. I basically let him know that there were others out there who felt the same way and that his service was greatly appreciated. He shook my hand again and walked away, almost like he was a little embarrassed. He had nothing to be embarrassed about.
Why had this man been so unappreciated after returning from war? I did some reading and research on it and found that this was much more common than people would think. I didn't realize how badly Vietnam veterans were treated when they returned home. Because the Vietnam War was the most unpopular and greatly protested war in this country's history, many people who were frustrated with the government back in the mid 60's to early 70's began taking it out on the soldiers. The press began spinning the returning news to negatively change public perception and painted our soldiers as "baby killers" who would willingly kill innocent people. Protesters would show up at the airport to heckle and ridicule some of our returning men. Vets would refuse to wear their uniforms upon return to avoid the backlash. It still blows my mind how this could have been when most of the men serving were being drafted and had no say on whether to fight or not. How can you fault them when those factors are at play?
Thinking about it now, I can still picture his face. The more I look back, I start to realize that there was more behind those tears than one man's nonrecognition. Behind each tear was a story. All the things he had seen, the pain and suffering he had endured, but more importantly...the friends and comrades he may have lost along the way. And that's what the holiday is all about.
Yesterday I spent Memorial Day like I do every other one. Hanging out with friends, lounging poolside, even went kayaking. But in spite of all this, my mind stayed elsewhere. I was quiet all day for the most part and even had a few friends ask me if something was wrong. I thought about my friend from a few months ago and the friends he must have lost. I thought about the youth of my generation that are serving as I write this and the lives that are lost each and every day. I finally felt in touch with this great day that we take for granted. So I ask again...What does it mean to you?
We're back, we're back, we are back! Well, atleast I am (Conor). I apologize for not posting anything in like 2 months. I wish I could come up with a valid reason...but then I'd be lying. There is no reason. You should be happy though that we are actually doing something with our lives other than writing on a website. I realized recently though that I miss sharing my thoughts and feelings with all of you. So the blog must go on! I promise I will keep up with the posting. So please start reading again. I don't ask for much.
Conor-Rick (and Stan) Vocabulary of the Week: "The Daylights Savings Defense" A phrase coined by Stan and I and inspired by my brother, Dane, on the way home from Salem the other night. We overheard my brother tell his girlfriend on the phone he could only see her for half an hour because it was Daylights Savings Time. This didn't make sense to us so I defined it as "any time you use Daylight Savings Time as an excuse to get out of a situation".
For example...Girl from bar: "Hey, it's Jenn with two n's from the bar last night, what time will you pick me up tonight? (Important note: never date a girl who shortens her name by throwing in extra letters. It's a very subtle way of announcing, "I'm a skank...and there are currently 3 mutated STDs forming under my cocktail dress"). You: Oh...ummm yeah about that. I forgot that it's going to be Daylight Savings Time. So I guess we can't go out tonight.
Doesn't make sense? It doesn't have to make sense! It's Daylights Savings, it already doesn't make sense. The Daylights Savings Defense, use it wisely.
There's an 86% chance one of these girls is a Jenn with 2 N's
The Great Car Ride of 1997 (That happened in 2009) by Conor Levis
It's never a good thing when you can't even count on one hand how many good things happened to you in a year. I know this because it's a problem I currently suffer from. The only reason I bring this up is because Halloween on Saturday was one of the best days of my year. That isn't saying much. You might remember this post from a little while back (or tried not to). Unfortunately, my optimistic plea at the end was not answered. So are you ready for another venting piece? I promise not to be so dreary this time.
For the past few years, my friends and I have tried to make it a ritual to go to Salem, Massachusetts for Halloween. It really is the best place to go on the holiday. Everytime we go we have such a great time. I especially needed it to be a great time after the funk I've been in recently after having trouble financially, with school, and with my relationships. I guess I just needed something to look up. And so I grabbed a few of my close friends and set off on the Great Car Ride of 1997 (dubbed by Stan and I on our way to Salem. It was a very entertaining ride down and for some reason, that I don't think any of us understood, I decided on the year 1997). I wouldn't call it an adventurous drive down but it was definitely an active and lively one. I drove from Hooksett to get Stan, back to my house to get my brother, to my friend Bannon's on the other side of town, to the liquor store, and then we finally hit the highway (this all took approximately an hour and a half and we hadn't even set off on our journey).
The ride down was just like old times. I hadn't seen my friends in a little while, but we picked off right where we left off. Jokes were flying left and right, songs were sung, great conversations were had. I laughed and smiled more in those hours than I had in 2 weeks. But I guess that's the beauty of friendship. That no matter what happens, it stays constant. I could go into seclusion and not talk to anybody for 2 years...but the minute I run into a friend of mine, he will joke about something that happened the last time we were together. It's the truest of partnerships. I never knew how much I missed these moments until I was living them again. The highlight of the trip was the entire car singing "Steal My Sunshine" by Len and "Gimme The Loot" by the Notorious B.I.G. Before Salem, we had to stop in Boston to pick up my brother's best friend at Tufts University and my friend, Christian, at my school in Brookline. After already driving for 3 hours, we finally set off for Salem with a full car...and I couldn't have been happier.
The guys on Halloween
Driving into Salem is always a pain in the ass on Halloween. We sat in traffic for almost 30 minutes, taking turns leaving the car to piss in somebody's yard (Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures) before we ultimately decided to just park the car in front of a residence and walk the rest of the way. What a mistake. We walked nearly two miles before we finally arrived in town and, of course, saw millions of closer parking spots along the way. But that was okay. The night was young and promising, and we all had each other. Once in Salem, we met up with Rick and another group of friends. From there, we set out on the town. If you haven't been to Salem for Halloween, you're missing out. People dressed up in costumes fill the streets all over the city. You have never seen so many creative costumes in your life. The winner in my opinion was a guy who dressed up as Allen from The Hangover. He looked exactly like him and had the big sunglasses with the baby strapped in front of him. Classic. Bannon came in a close 2nd with his costume of The Jolly Green Giant. People around town loved it.
Jolly Green Giant Bannon...and a sad Moher
My friends and I just did the usual thing. We had done some drinking before and we walked around to check out the old landmarks and all of the interesting people. Christian did his thing and basically hollered at every girl who was a 5 and above while I tried my best to play wing man (not my usual game plan). Rick, Stan, Bannon and I reminisced on old times and soaked in the new times. The highlight of the night was definitely when we nearly witnessed a murder. We were in a rough part of town when we heard someone yelling. We looked over and there was a man with a butcher's knife trying to kick somebodies gate in. When he reached the door, another guy, also holding a knife, ran out of the house and booked it as the first guy chased him around the house. We didn't see what happened...because we didn't want to know what was going to happen. All I know is it was scary and I'm glad we got out of there.
After a few hours, we went back to the apartment of our friend who goes to Salem State. We spent the rest of the night drinking and enjoying good conversation. I often found myself having to sit down to do some reflecting. Even though I was having one of the best times I had in a while, I still couldn't help but feel a certain void. It stems from my relationship with my girlfriend.
It doesn't matter how long you know someone...when love happens, you just know it. I knew I loved my girlfriend from the moment I laid eyes on her. It was the way that moment made me feel inside that I knew. It really makes all the difference in the world to have that someone special in your life. The last two months, I know I've had that certain someone. During that time, I was never more happy with anyone else and she felt the same way. She told me how she already loved me more than anybody else, how her feelings for me were already on a completely different level than anyone before, how I treated her so much better than any guy ever had, and how she had never felt more safe with another guy. I felt the exact same way. We often talked about the future and how it was going to last. All of our hopes and prayers were coming true. It was two months of perfection, something we had never experienced before.
Then something happened. We fought for the first time. Following maybe our best week ever was an up and down week including several arguments and ending with a big blow up on Saturday night. The sad thing is that it was over something stupid. I couldn't even tell you what it was about if you asked me now. The only thing I knew was that things weren't perfect anymore. We decided to take a few days away from talking to clear our heads and get things back on track...and while I thought it was working, I found out quickly that it wasn't for my girlfriend. We talked on Thursday night and she told me she thought she only needed a little more space to get over what happened. She thought maybe it was because she never felt so attached to someone and she never thought it would happen to us. Once again, it wasn't the case. I didn't hear from her all day Friday and on Saturday morning she still didn't have answers. That's where we left it. I haven't heard from her since and I'm left here confused, wanting those answers but unable to get them. I know she probably doesn't have them herself, and that's what hurts the most. Maybe we rushed things, but we couldn't help it. We were just acting on how we felt...and we were crazy about each other. But I think we neglected the most important thing and the foundation of any relationship. Our friendship. The worst part is that we would have been great friends. It was the similarities and coincidences in our personalities that really brought us together. I think we just started out too hot to not cool off.
I'm not sure where we stand anymore. Will we continue on? Will we break up? Are we broken up right now? These are things I don't know. I decided it's best not to force anything and just see how it plays out. If we are to continue, I know I will make her the happiest girl in the world...even more than before. If we don't, I'll know it's something I can't control. Even if I'll always look back at our short but amazing relationship and wonder what could have been. I'm not sure that I will even shed a tear. Because there isn't a thing in this world I would trade the last two months we spent together for. Do I wish I could go back and prevent what happened? Absolutely, more than anything in this world. But the experience we shared the last 2 months is more than anything I could have ever asked for. She showed me what it was to truly love somebody. She made me want to be a better person. She showed me that there is always hope, no matter how bad things get back. And when I was feeling lost after a year of turmoil, she allowed me to find myself again. For that I will always thank her. If this is the end, I can take solace in knowing I did all the same for her. That I treated her the way she always wanted to be treated. And knowing that one day she will miss me. Maybe not now, maybe not anytime in the near future, but she will one day. And it won't be because she is attracted to me. It won't be because I'm a laid back guy. It won't be because I was nice, sweet and treated her better than anyone before. It won't because I know how to make her laugh or make her cry. Know the things she loves and the things she hates. It won't be because of how I made her feel when we made love. And it won't because we were so similar. It won't. It will be all of those things together that will make her realize she had everything she ever wanted and everything she needs. Like she told me. I just hope she'll know this before it's too late.
These are the things I thought about as I zoned out in a drunken haze. It had been a great night and for the first time in a while, I felt content with myself. There was nothing left to do...but go.
The drive home was a little more adventurous than the drive down. For some reason, I decided to let Christian, the drunkest person of our group, drive to the gas station. I must have figured, "Hey, it's right up the road. What could possibly happen?" Boy was I wrong. I think it was around the time Christian drove over the median turning at a light that I realized my mistake. I quickly had Christian pull over and I took control of the vehicle. It was one of the worst driving performances we had ever seen. It caused my friend Bannon to create these classic one liners:
Christian has worse hand eye coordination than Christopher Reeve...post mordem.
It's hard to believe someone can drive worse than Stephen Hawking...but it happened
After reaching the gas station and heckling Christian for a solid 10 minutes straight (although it continued well after), we embarked on a journey to find a 24-hour Sonic restaurant in Peabody that somebody had mentioned at the party we were at. This was also an unsuccessful venture as we drove around in circles for atleast half an hour before somebody finally thought to call the store...and found out they had closed at 2 in the morning. We missed them by about 20 minutes. We also realized that we were driving in circles because Christian kept punching Peabody, MA into the GPS. No address, just Peabody, MA. So it kept taking us to the same place. And just when we thought this night couldn't get any funnier, we drove by Bunghole Liquors. Yes, you read that correct and no, that isn't a typo. A liquor store named Bunghole Liquors. We had to turn around and go back just to confirm it was real...and then we died laughing. We had been driving for nearly an hour and were only about 10 minutes from the place we left, but once again we didn't care. Everyone was in high spirits.
You couldn't make this stuff up...or apparently you can.
I had driven for hours and after dropping Dan and Christian off at school in Boston and my friend Stan at his house in Hooksett, I found myself sitting outside my brother's girlfriend's house as they talked on the porch. It was nearly 5 in the morning, even with daylights savings time, and I was exhausted. I had done a lot of driving, a lot of walking, and a lot of reflecting...but I was happy. It had been a stressful couple of weeks, but I had found a bit of normalcy in my life again. I watched my brother's girlfriend smack him across the face and the shameful walk he took back to the car. I understood that I hadn't been the only one hurting. Each person deals with their own problems on a daily basis. People change in ways you can never understand. Promises that were always intended to be kept are broken. Even the strongest of feelings and emotions can disappear overnight. As I finally set off for home, tired and emotionally drained, after a long weekend...I couldn't help but laugh inside. I learned to not sweat the little things. Because in this ever changing world, there are few things you need more than a little love...and friendship.
Happy Beatles Day everyone! I apologize for the blog's recent 3 week hiatus. Here is a post that I wrote 3 months ago and never got around to finishing...only it is most relevant now. 09/09/09 has officially been dubbed as "Beatles Day" for the release of the band's Rock Band game and remastered albums. The Beatles are currently the number 1 trending topic on Twitter and I just read several rumors that the Beatles discography will finally be made available on iTunes today. Many of you know me as the biggest Beatles fan you know. So naturally...I had to make this post.
A Fab-ulous Game by Conor Levis
Yes, I am blogging about a video game today. It's not just any video game though. Months after the confirmation of a Beatles Rock Band game, details were finally released at a press conference on Monday (3 months ago). With Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison in attendance, we finally got our first look at the game with a trailer. Why is this important? Because Rock Band was once my favorite drunk game to play with friends and it instantly became cool again with a game dedicated to the greatest band of all-time. Not only that but there is the chance that this game will promote The Beatles' music and get some of the younger people and people caught up in only today's music to listen. If this game sells, which it already looks like it will, we could be headed for another Beatlemania in the U.S. It's going to be released on 09/09/09, which I found ironic given John Lennon's obsession and direct ties to the number 9 (Revolution 9 anybody? Number 9, Number 9, Number 9...). It's already got me giddy. Here's a look at the trailer for the game:
A few things I love about this preview. Definitely love the graphics. They have everybody spot on along with the venues. From Liverpool, to the Ed Sullivan Show where they first performed, to the concert at Shea Stadium in NY, and even atop of the Apple building. It looks like they are going to take you through the entire Beatles career.
I'm also happy about the song choices and the fact that we have some songs confirmed. When the game was first announced it was rumored that only songs from Please Please Me and Abbey Road would be playable...which would have been great anyway but is only a small sample of the Beatles work. It looks like they hit everything from the early years with "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" to their experimental work with "I Am the Walrus" to the final albums with "Here Comes the Sun". Here's a list of the songs confirmed by the trailer:
It has been confirmed that there will be 45 original playable tracks total. It's also been confirmed that the entire Abbey Road album will be available for download to play. Which got me thinking...what songs do I most want to see in the game?
Also, two more trailers were created to show more of the game. Here they are in their entirety.
Not only is the game being released tomorrow, but also every Beatles album remastered and re-released. This is another chance to get people listening to some of the greatest music ever created. Stores across the country are having a special midnight opening on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and crowds are expected. It's been decades since the band has received as much buzz as they did this summer. The game has already done incredibly well in pre-orders so I want to make sure I get there first thing on Tuesday night and grab my game. I hope a lot of you do too.
When Rick and I started this blog last December, our goal was to...actually we really didn't have a reason for it. It was really a drunken, spur of the moment when blogs somehow entered a conversation we were having. But once it was created and we began posting frequently, we discovered the blog did hold some kind of purpose. The main goal is for us to share thoughts and pass along information and multimedia on things you might not otherwise know or care about. Because of this we feel the need to pass on an event that is often forgotten by my generation.
This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, the festival that took place from August 15 to August 18, 1969 on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. This morning marked the final day when Jimi Hendrix performed. What was described as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music", it is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most pivotal moments in popular music history and was listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll. During the sometimes rainy weekend, thirty-two acts performed outdoors in front of an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 concert-goers. The entire three day festival was captured on film and turned into an award winning documentary. You can watch the documentary on Comcast On-Demand.
Forty years after Woodstock, Bobbi and Nick are still together, happily married
for 38 years with two children
When I think of Woodstock, I think of more than just a festival. That's because it was more than a music festival. It was one of those unique moments that changed history, one that we'll probably never see again. The festival itself has been replicated several times...but nothing has come close to the original. People think of Woodstock as just being three days filled with sex, drugs, and music...and it was, but that's not even close to being the half of it. It was about half a million young people; teenagers and young adults from all of the country and who all shared the same beliefs, coming together for 3 days. Sure, there were drugs...a lot of them. Of course, there was sex and what the counterculture called "free love". But that was the beauty of it. For three days, complete strangers came together to live in a field, love one another, and listen to music. They showed the world how the youth of America could unite in peace and music. No reports of violence, just peace and music. How did such a wonderful and historic event come about?
Woodstock showed that young people from all over the country could co-exist
1969 was a time of turmoil and in a way, had the perfect storm of elements to create an event such as Woodstock. With the Vietnam War, the draft, and the height of the counterculture, young people everywhere were searching for some form of solidarity. While protests and rallies were a normal process of the time, there weren't many demonstrations that influenced or captivated our nation. That is until July 20, 1969, when Max Yasgur gave Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, and Artie Kornfeld access to his 600 acre, Bethel, NY farm.
Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, and Artie Kornfeld all initiated the efforts of Woodstock. Lang and Kornfeld had the vision and put the show together, Roberts and Rosenman handled the finances. Before long, the concert was in place and the booking began. In April 1969, newly-minted superstars Creedence Clearwater Revival were the first act to sign a contract for the event, agreeing to play for ten thousand dollars. The promoters had experienced difficulty landing big-name groups prior to the Bay Area rockers committing to play. Creedence drummer Doug Clifford later commented "Once Creedence signed, everyone else jumped in line and all the other big acts came on."
Soon, the festival had landed one of the most star-studded lineups in music history with the Who, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and the Band among others. The Jimi Hendrix Experience were given the honor as the headlining act. Originally, the organizers told Bethel authorities they expected no more than 50,000 people. Once the word got around about who was playing at Woodstock, that number grew rapidly.
The stage and crowd of about 400,000 young people
Woodstock was designed as a profit-making venture, aptly titled "Woodstock Ventures." It famously became a "free concert" only after it became obvious that the event was drawing hundreds of thousands more people than the organizers had prepared for. Tickets for the event cost US$18 in advance (approximately US$106 today calculated for buying power, and approximately US$75 today adjusted for inflation) and $24 at the gate for all three days. Ticket sales were limited to record stores in the greater New York City area, or by mail via a post office box at the Radio City Station Post Office located in Midtown Manhattan. Around 186,000 tickets were sold beforehand and organizers anticipated approximately 200,000 festival-goers would turn up.
A naked girl addresses the crowd behind her
Free Concert! When thousands of people began showing up at the site several days before the event even started, they soon realized their attendance expectations would be met and eventually doubled. Young people from all over the country had traveled to upstate New York to join the cause. The event poster read "3 Days of Peace and Music", everything that the 60's youth and counterculture stood for. The crowd arriving in greater number and earlier than anticipated made the decision for the organizers. The security fence that lined the field was eventually cut in part by UAW/MF Family. This prompted many more people to show up.
The faces in the crowd
The influx of attendees to the rural concert site in Bethel created a massive traffic jam. Fearing chaos as thousands began descending on the community, Bethel did not enforce its codes. Arlo Guthrie made an announcement that was included in the film saying that the New York State Thruway was closed. That's right, the traffic heading to the festival was so backed up...they shut down the New York State Thruway! To add to the problems and difficulty in dealing with the large crowds, recent rains had caused muddy roads and fields. The facilities were not equipped to provide sanitation or first aid for the number of people attending; hundreds of thousands found themselves in a struggle against bad weather, food shortages, and poor sanitation.
The traffic going to Woodstock backed up and ultimately closed the New York State Thruway
Despite the poor conditions, people used the festival's slogan to get through the weekend. Peace and music. Concert-goers went sliding in the mud, went skinny dipping, sang songs, and made new and sometimes life-long friends during the weekend. Here are some videos that show you the atmosphere that was at Woodstock.
John Sebastian performs in front of the crowd at Woodstock
Friday, August 15, 1969
The festival officially kicked off at 5:07 p.m. with an 8-song set from folk-artist, Richie Havens. The first day of the festival was dedicated to folk musicians.
The psychedelic/rock fusion band Sweetwater followed Havens, becoming the first band to play at Woodstock...performing "Crystal Spider" here.
Abbie Hoffman, a social and political activist in the United States who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") during the 60's, interrupted The Who's performance to attempt a protest speech against the jailing of John Sinclair of the White Panther Party. The Who's guitarist, Pete Townshend, was adjusting his amp between songs, turned and saw Hoffman over his right shoulder, proceeded to hit Hoffman in the back of the head with his guitar and sent Hoffman directly into the pit in front of the stage. The incident was not caught on film but there is an audio recording, so we'll give you that. The two songs here are the hits "Pinball Wizard" and "My Generation".
Abbie Hoffman Incident
Jefferson Airplane, originally scheduled to finish up on the second day, began their set at 7 AM on Sunday morning...following the Who. The band later recalled staying up the entire night before and being beyond tired when they took the stage. Regardless, they played one of the more memorable sets of Woodstock. They kicked off things off with their hit "Somebody to Love" and ended with "White Rabbit"
Although Saturday's acts went into Sunday morning, the scheduled lineup for Sunday didn't start until 2 PM when Joe Cocker took the stage.
Joe Cocker performs "With a Little Help From My Friends". Another one of the memorable performances from Woodstock.
After Cocker's set, a thunderstorm delayed the event for several hours. Here's what transpired in the crowd during that time:
Awesome, right?
The concert resumed when Country Joe came back out with his band, The Fish, at around 6 PM.
The Band took the stage around 10 PM and performed hits such as "Tears of Rage" and "The Weight"
Blood, Sweat & Tears ushered in the midnight hour with five songs, including "Spinning Wheel".
Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) came on to perform around 3 AM. They claim that this was only the 2nd live performance they've done together. What a time to do it. Here's the hit "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes".
Monday, August 18, 1969
Jimi Hendrix, who was supposed to close the show on Sunday Night, didn't end up coming out until Monday morning for the defining set of the Woodstock Festival. The only bad part was that so many people had left the concert because it was a Monday (work, school, etc.), that only about 180,000 people of the once 500,000 got to see this performance. Luckily, the entire set was captured on film and people today get to enjoy it. Included here is my favorites, "Foxy Lady", "Fire", "Voodoo Child", Hendrix playing guitar with his teeth, the famous rendition of "Star Spangled Banner", "Purple Haze" and "Hey Joe". Enjoy.
The Encore
Woodstock Music & Art Fair- August 15, 1969 to August 18,1969
Woodstock was an incredible event. Myself, and I assume Conor, both stand for everything it originally stood for. Peace. Love. Anti-Establishment. Music that meant something, either artistically, politically, or socially. Notice how in there "commercially" doesn't appear. This is what made Woodstock 99 (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, and Insane Clowne Posse) the shitfest it was. Commercialism is all that is wrong with America, but I digress... This new Woodstock revival, the features on TV and the new movie with Dmetri Martin, Taking Woodstock, is commercially driven, and creating more of a black spot on the Woodstock name. How so? Well here we go...
This new Taking Woodstock movie is being distributed through Focus Features, a subsiderary company of Universal, who is owned by NBC. Subsiquesntly the reviews in the trailor are from Access Hollywood, a show on NBC. All of these new Remembering Woodstock 40 years later specials have been shown primarily and increasingly on NBC. NBC had an hour special, they have been having features on the NBC nightly news.
So what, NBC saturates as many channels of its own media control as possible with Woodstock programming to make money in the midst of Woodstock's 40th anniversary. Who cares? Well guess who owns NBC and makes money when NBC makes money... GE. GE makes nuclear weapons. GE finances wars. GE are terrible, terrible people. GE, the establishment, has taken an anti-establishment event about peace and love and is selling it to you to fund thier weapons creation department. Sorry for the rant, but I really hate it when the man takes our counterculture, packages it, and sells it to the mainstream to finance things our counterculture is fighting against.
As promised, here's a full report on Paul McCartney's two night stay at Fenway Park. I ended up going to both shows and Rick went to the Thursday show. Now that I've had a few days to collect my thoughts...
Best Show Ever by Conor Levis
Incredible. Sensational. Out of this world. Surreal. These are only some of the words that come to mind when I think about Paul McCartney's two night stand at Fenway Park in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday night....only these words can't even begin do it justice. The consensus? Best show ever. So you can imagine how hard it is for a lifelong and die hard Beatles fan like myself to try and articulate what I experienced during those two nights. I'm going to try it anyway.
To many, if not all, the Beatles are considered the epitome of rock and popular music. You can certainly include me in that demographic. When I first heard that Paul McCartney was coming to Boston to play two shows at Fenway Park, I decided right then and there that I would be going at all costs. It doesn't even matter that I'm a student with bills and loans to pay who has been struggling financially all summer long. I was determined. I was going and I wanted the best seats in the house. About a week before the first concert, my best friend committed to go with me and we began the search for tickets...on EBay of course. I found two seats on the field at Fenway, 17 rows from the stage for $100 less than retail value on each ticket. I won't tell you how much we paid...but it was enough. Maybe they weren't the best seats in the house but they were pretty damn good and at a fairly reasonable price. Seventeen rows from the stage. I was on my way to see one of my heroes. That was enough.
There's always a certain something in the air before a big event in the city of Boston....whether it's a big game, a playoff game, or a big show. Maybe it was all the traffic on my way into the city or maybe it was seeing people in their Beatles gear, but I definitely felt it. I arrived at my best friend's, who lives only a few blocks from Fenway, about an hour before the show was set to start. MGMT was the opening act so we wanted to make sure we got there in time to see them. After some pre-show activities, we walked over to Fenway. I remember walking with an extra bounce in my step because I knew how promising this night was.
We got there just as MGMT was starting their set and took our seats down on the field. Walking on the Fenway outfield was very cool. I wouldn't have even realized I was on the field until I looked at the Green Monster and where I was in relation to home plate. Unfortunately, MGMT played to a relatively empty crowd because of the timing. 6:30 pm on a weekday...a lot of people were still arriving at the show at 8 pm. I really enjoyed MGMT though. "Electric Feel" sounded awesome live.
MGMT finished their set around 7:15 pm and the waiting game began. I figured McCartney would wait to come out so everyone could show up. I believe it was around ten of 8 when Paul finally appeared. The place went crazy as he walked onto the stage and a weird feeling came over me. I was now in the presence of one of the greatest musicians to ever live...a member of the greatest band of all-time. Paul played us his songs and everybody in Fenway Park sang and danced like they never had before. I know I did. I remember at one point everybody in my section sat down...but I remained standing. This was a once in a lifetime experience and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. It was the most fun I had ever had in my life. Just know that Paul McCartney played a two and a half hour set without taking a break once! This is a man who is almost 70 and he's still got it. The ovations and cheers Paul received throughout the show was unbelievable. I don't know if it had ever been louder in Fenway Park.
The concert was so good that I had to go again. I remember going home that night feeling as content as ever; but when the morning hit my tune suddenly changed. Thinking about how a few of my friends, including Rick, would be there at the Thursday show, and even though I had to work that night, I decided that I was going no matter what it took. All morning I searched for people and tickets to go with. My friend Phil finally agreed to go and the craigslist/ebay search began. Unfortunately it wasn't a successful one and I missed out on every opporunity that presented itself. Feeling defeated, I decided to go to work.
I was only there for about an hour when fate stepped in. My manager told me a co-worker of mine was looking for coverage on Saturday. I saw this as a chance to get out of tonight's work, so I called the guy and told him I would work for him all day Saturday if he covered my three hours tonight. He agreed and I immediately made a phone call to my friend Phil. "Still want to see Paul McCartney?", I asked. "Of course" he replied. "Meet me at my house in fifteen minutes". I rushed home, grabbed some clothes, and hopped into Phil's car when he arrived. We were on our way to Fenway to scalp tickets.
There was no guarrantee that we could even get tickets but I knew I just had to try. Plus, I wanted to be in the city just so I could hear Paul even. My friend told me the night before that you could hear the concert from blocks away. We left to go down around 7:00 pm, made it down, parked, and began walking at around 7:40 pm. I think I took speed walking to a whole 'nother level. We got within a block of Fenway when we heard a huge ovation from the crowd. We knew Paul had just come out. I began running at this point and made it to Fenway just as the 2nd song, "Jet", began. I started asking people if they had tickets but to no avail. We saw a line at the Fenway box office so we decided to stand in it. I didn't even know if they were selling tickets or if people were just picking them up. Then I heard somebody next to us say "2 tickets?". I turned and asked if he was selling. "Yeah. Great seats. 150 each.". Sold. I just wanted to get in there so I was taking the first offer that came my way. We got into our seats around the 4th song of the set which was "Flaming Pie". I had already seen the three previous songs the night before so I didn't mind. Our seats were right on the third base side, about 5 rows up. Not like the night before when we were on the field, but still great seats.
I noticed right away that we had a more lively crowd than the first night. People were screaming, dancing, and singing to every song. Unlike the night before, people were standing for the whole show. I know I did. McCartney proceeded to play his songs for us. Here is the setlist from the show:
Drive My Car Jet Only Mama Knows Flaming Pie Got to Get You Into My Life Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady Highway The Long and Winding Road My Love Blackbird Here Today Dance Tonight Calico Skies Mrs. Vanderbilt Eleanor Rigby See the Changes Band on the Run Back in the U.S.S.R. I'm Down Something I've Got a Feeling Paperback Writer A Day in the Life / Give Peace a Chance Let It Be Live and Let Die Hey Jude Day Tripper Lady Madonna I Saw Her Standing There Yesterday Helter Skelter Get Back Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End
After another two and a half hour set, the show came to an end and once agan in spectacular fashion. I was left standing there, out of breathe and my voice almost completely shot, staring at the stage with admiration, thinking only one thing....best show ever. I called our friend Rick whom I had been texting all night during the show. "That was the greatest thing I've ever seen". I completely agreed. I sent a text to another friend of mine who was there (one that I told the night before was going to be the greatest show she's ever seen) that read "So how did you like the show?". "AMAZING! Best show I've ever seen!", is what she responded with. That seemed to be the consensus from everybody who was there. Don't believe me? Look no further than the comments in the videos I'm about to provide you with. They will pretty much reiterate what I already told you.
It's an unbelievable experience when you're in the presence of someone who is larger than life. There were times I couldn't help but stare off and think to myself, "I'm watching the greatest living member of the Beatles perform. THE BEATLES." It was the most surreal experience of my life. This summer hasn't been the greatest for me. I'm a struggling, broke college student in desperate need of work and with bills and loans to pay. It seems like every day brings something new to make my life hell. For the first time in my life, I'm legitimately stressed out. The thing is, spending those 2 nights at Fenway...I knew I wasn't alone. I'm not the only one feeling this way. For some of us, it wasn't just about going to see Paul McCartney perform for fun. We NEEDED a night like that. For those two and a half hours we spent at Fenway Park, we forgot about our problems. We forgot about the stress and monotony in our everyday lives that brings us down. We sang and we danced away to some of our favorite songs, some of the greatest and most famous songs of our lives. It was the most fun we have had in a long, long time, or in my case...ever. I saw people who had been waiting a lifetime to see this man. People who came to see the hero of their generation. To even say it was special would be the biggest understatement I could ever make. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before in my life. Life changing? Absolutely. Put simply, it was the greatest concert I've ever seen and probably will ever see. It just doesn't get better.
I found these videos on YouTube recorded by someone who was at both the Wednesday and Thursday show (like me). They are of high quality and it looks as though they're near the same section as me to give you an idea of my seats. I would post every video, but I'll save you some time and give you the important highlights in order.
MGMT performs "Electric Feel". Very cool, unfortunately nobody else there really knew who they were as they were only there for Paul. But there were a handful people who got up and danced. I would have if I wasn't alone lol.
MGMT performs "Time to Pretend"
McCartney came out around 8 PM and kicked things off with "Drive My Car" from the Beatles' Rubber Soul album.
He then followed up with one of his Wings hits, "Jet"
Paul McCartney - "Got to Get You into my Life" by the Beatles
Paul McCartney- "Foxey Lady" by Jimi Hendrix. McCartney plays a medley with the guitar from Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" as a tribute to the man himself. He then told us a story about how Jimi Hendrix opened one of his concerts with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" only 2 days after the album's release with McCartney and George Harrison in the crowd. Jimi had learned it in just 1 day. Paul said it was one of the greatest tributes he's ever recieved and now plays "Foxy Lady" at all his shows to show the same respect back to Hendrix. He also talked about their friendship and how Hendrix was a "very cool and humble guy".
Paul McCartney - "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles
Paul McCartney - "My Love" by Wings. A song that Paul wrote and recorded for his wife, Linda Eastman, while she was still alive. When he announced he was playing a song for his wife...I thought for sure it would be "Maybe I'm Amazed" but I always thought this song was fantastic as well.
Paul McCartney- "Blackbird" by the Beatles. Loved this performance. Just listen to the crowd sing along. The crowd sang along to every Beatles song but you can only hear it this well during the acoustic songs. It was incredible.
Paul McCartney- "Here Today", a song he wrote for John Lennon. Listen to the ovation that John Lennon got. This video doesn't do it justice, it was much louder actually being there. It gave me chills. I almost teared up a little for this one, I won't lie.
Paul McCartney- "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles
Paul McCartney- "Band on the Run" by Wings. One of the best performances of the night.
Paul McCartney- "Back in the U.S.S.R." by the Beatles
Paul McCartney- "Something" by the Beatles This was Paul's tribute to George Harrison, performing the Harrison composed "Something" on the ukulele. The ovation for George was much louder in person than it was on this video. An incredible performance, another one where everyone sang along. Also couldn't help but get a little emotional for this one.
Paul McCartney - "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles
Paul McCartney- "A Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance" by the Beatles In my opinion, the BEST performance of the night. Not only is "A Day in the Life" arguably one of the greatest songs of all-time, but just listen to the transition into "Give Peace a Chance" in this video. If that doesn't give you chills...I don't know what will.
Paul McCartney- "Let It Be" by the Beatles
Paul McCartney- "Live and Let Die" by Wings. One of his most famous songs post-Beatles. This performance had it all...including fireworks!
Paul McCartney- "Hey Jude" by the Beatles More performances that will give you chills. The na-na-na part was so fun to chant and sounded unbelievable in the stadium. Definitely the funnest part of the show. This was the final song of the original set. He left the stage after this song to the loudest encore applause I've ever heard. It was almost at deafening level.
Paul McCartney- "Day Tripper" by the Beatles Of course, he came back out after probably a minute and a half of applause. This Beatles' classic was the first song of the first encore.
Paul McCartney- "Lady Madonna" by the Beatles
Paul McCartney- "I Saw Her Standing There" by the Beatles A very fun performance. Nearlt everyone in the stadium was dancing for this one. This was the final song of the first encore. If I said the first encore applause was deafening, the second one put that one to shame. I think it was because we weren't sure if Paul was coming back for a 2nd time, so we wanted to make sure we screamed unti he did.
Paul McCartney- "Yesterday" by the Beatles Paul came back out for a 2nd encore set and kicked it off with perhaps his best song, "Yesterday". This was another fun singalong.
Paul McCartney - "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles "Helter Skelter" is one of my favorite Beatles' songs of all-time. I'm so happy he performed this.
Paul McCartney- "Get Back" by the Beatles This was the second to last song he performed and then informed us the next one would be the last of the night.
Paul McCartney- "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)/ The End" Only fitting to end with this song at any Beatles' show. He started with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", followed by a short medley in which he went into "The End" from Abbey Road. Very awesome.
We are Rick and Conor. We are like all blue blooded Americans and love three things, the Celtics, music, and hot bitches. This blog is about, but not limited to, these three ideals.
Though it's a somber anniversary, it is a day to celebrate John Lennon's life. The legendary musician's body of work and life still resonates with many of today's artists. The Roots drummer, Questlove, talked about the impact of John Lennon's death on him, tweeting, "29 yrs ago My 5th grade art teacher tried to explain Lennon's impact in tears. next day she brought Revolver to school: hooked for life." Lennon clearly inspired every genre of musicians and it is still seen today. To some, he was just another member of the Beatles. To others, he was a hero. He wasn't just about the music, he had a message of peace...a vision, a dream. John Lennon was so influential that President Nixon's administration tried to have him deported on several occasions and actually did have Lennon ordered to leave the US within 60 days on On 23 March 1973. The decision was ultimately overturned in 1975 and FBI files regarding Lennon have since been uncovered for the making on the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon. These FBI files document the Bureau's role in the Nixon Administration attempt to deport Lennon in 1972 to stop his anti-war campaign before the Nixon re-election campaign. The FBI admitted it had 281 pages of files on Lennon but refused to release most of them, they contained "national security" information. When will we ever see a musician or star with this much impact again?
