愛污传媒

Skip to main content

'We are all one': Woodstock photographer looks back 55 years later

Share

In August 1969, American photographer Henry Diltz was on the phone with a friend who was organizing an outdoor concert.

"He said, 'You should be out here at this music festival,'鈥 Diltz recalls.

The invitation was accepted, and within hours, Diltz was on his way to cover a massive counter-culture event set to take place on a dairy farm 60 kilometres from Woodstock, N.Y.

鈥淚t was a huge concert and it was mainly about the music,鈥 Diltz said.

From August 15 to 18, 32 acts performed, including Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix - some of the biggest musicians from that era.

Jimi Hendrix was among the Woodstock performers. (Henry Diltz)

Music historian Alan Cross said that without the tumultuous decade of 1960s, Woodstock would never have happened.

鈥淲oodstock came along at a very interesting time in American society,鈥 said Cross. 鈥淲e had the Vietnam War which was terribly unpopular and Richard Nixon was also terribly unpopular."

55 years later, issues like the Ukraine War and the upcoming U.S. election have Diltz convinced that 2024 is in some ways, just as divisive as 1969.

"It鈥檚 much better to unite and inspire than it is to divide and incite," said Diltz. "That sounds like today."

According to Cross, beyond the music, the people who showed up also defined Woodstock.

From August 15 to 18, some of the biggest musicians from that era. (Henry Diltz)

"We had these idealistic hippies that were looking to extend the summer of love that started in 1967 through to at least the end of the decade," said Cross, who added event organizers expected a crowd of roughly 50,000 people to attend Woodstock. "But 450,000 people showed up and this was a cultural moment."

Those who attended endured harsh conditions.

"It was rainy, it was muddy, there were no facilities and food was hard to come by," said Cross. "It was not a comfortable experience."

Diltz said he is proud of the pictures he took and even prouder to have participated in what he called a moving cultural experience.

"It was a form of uniting everybody," Diltz said. "We are all one."

Almost half a million individuals came together for the Woodstock Music Festival to create a moment etched in human history. It was a symbol for peace and social change, captured through the photographic lens of Diltz.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

A father and his two children who suffered severe burns in a Springfield, Ont. house fire have undergone surgery.

Local Spotlight

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥