The Woodstock Show

i love the woodstock show
it was put together with love for the decade

i took a lot of liberties with the show
the csny set was based on the original recordings of the songs
their set in white lake was fantastic
but i think the live experience didn't quite translate to tape
it was a question of 'you had to be there'
we weren't there
i was eight
so in reviewing the album and the movie
i decided to go with album tracks instead of live tracks

i also cut out a ton of joan baez songs
and the same with a bunch of other performances
we had to take three days and get it down to 2 hours
the deeper i went into the catalogue
the deeper connection i felt to the event
ultimately i decided to go for the songs that vibed me the most

soul sacrifice
i watch troy on this song
his sacrifice
he could be anything
but he decided to be a drummer
that blows my mind
troy - your dedication to your art is admirable

i wrote a nice blog about bobby
so i'm not going to blow anymore sunshine up his ass
but man - bobby - you were great on this show

marty singing joe cocker is one of those moments
where if you're not smiling you're not alive
we all love marty together
all at the same time
that's real currency
that's the stuff that makes your humanity come to the forefront

and nicky
singing stephen stills
and playing piano on sha na na
did you catch it?
we know nicky for the zep shows
but he's flexible
and tight
when he steps up to sing the who set
we remember
oh yeah - nicky - he's the best

and leslea
in america carlia sings the janis
in canada les sings it
i remember nicky telling me that to sing janis
you have to sing every song like it's going to be the last song you ever sing
they both do that
carlia brings the spark
leslea brings the authenticity

for the hendrix set
i told clifton to lead the band
this was a bold call
our stock in trade being the 'note for note' creed was hanging in delicate balance
but clifton channels 1969
he looks it
plays it
and lives it
his part of the show is important
it's the farewell
clifton kissed it goodbye with grace

i've been posting some funny stuff about the mud and the acid
but could you imagine something like woodstock happening in this day and age?
that much unorganization
people getting in for free
wow
what a vibe
it's my theory that our imperfections are what make us attractive
woodstock was one big beautiful imperfection
today
they calculate how many napkins you take at the $12 beer stand
there's nothing rock 'n' roll about that

man i wished i was born 10 years earlier
would i sacrifice growing up with zep floyd and stones
for growing up with jimi janis beatles and stones?
i don't know
it's all so star trek worm hole stuff

the woodstock show goes into the vault
it's a strange time for me
i'm putting the imperfections away for a while
2012 has our american agency kicking in
big time
we're smart and exact now
and of course i like that
but it'll be nice to pull this show out in a couple years
and get back to the garden

all my love to all of our audiences
and the beautiful musicians who gave all they had show after show
2011 was the journey to see if we had what it takes to survive
we do

peace and prosperity

craig
december 22, 2011
jack daniels - lots of it