The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame receives portion of original Woodstock stage
Woodstock was that little concert held back in August of 1969 on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York that was billed as an “Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music” that attracted an audience that some estimate at over half a million. Over the course of the three days and despite sporadic rain thirty two acts performed on the historic outdoor stage.
Not only was the festival a pivotal moment in the history of popular music it served as a defining moment for the counter culture generation that at the time was protesting the United States involvement in Vietnam. Financially the concert was an unmitigated disaster until the release of the 1970 documentary film of the same name along with a double album that featured the song written by Joni Mitchell and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of Woodstock and in celebration the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio mounted a wall exhibit of various artifacts tied to the concert. The exhibit will be around for another month and now features a new piece of memorabilia...a portion of the original stage.
After Woodstock everything that could be sold was auctioned off in order to meet the financial demands. This is included the stage were some of the greatest performers of the time had stood and entertained over half a million flower power children for three days.
Steve Gold attended the festival and after the concert the father of his then girlfriend purchased the plywood panels from the stage and re-purposed them as a paddleball court. In 2017 Gold acquired the panels and started up “Peace of Stage” that is a website where fans of the concert can purchase pieces of the original stage that have been lovingly made into beautiful necklaces and collectibles such as a Floating Stage Frame, 50th Anniversary Acrylic Stage Frame and Tree Hugger Frame. They also sell a variety of T-shirts.
A portion of the proceeds go to help a number of charities including: Winnarainbow, The Rainbow Stage Project and The Stardust for Peace project that includes Orange Ribbons for Jaime, Feed the Children, Why Hunger, the Jed Foundation and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. For more information and to purchase your very own piece of the Woodstock stage visit www.peaceofstage.com.
The mission of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is to engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll. The Rock Hall shares stories of the people, events and songs that have shaped our world. This is done through the constructon of various exhibits, innovative educational programs and live concerts. For more information about the Rock Hall visit www.rockhall.com.