Rogers 1
Lydia Rogers
Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
11 November 2015
The Precedent for American Music Festival Culture
Woodstock set the precedent for todays music festival culture and is visibly evident to
this day. The Woodstock Music and Art Festival was known as historys largest happening, The
Flowering age of Aquarius, and initiation to freedom for those who participated. Woodstock was
a free concert that took place in Bethel, NY on August 15th-17th, 1969. Half a million people
showed up to see 32 live performances including bands like; The WHO, The Grateful Dead, and
Jimi Hendrix. An overview of the Woodstock Music Festival community included: medical tents,
live music, food concessions, security Peace Patrol, airplane hangar for movies, and tripping
tents for those who decided not to be sober participants. Current day music festivals, such as
Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, adopted some of these services and utilities Woodstock created. A
recreation of Woodstock was created in 1999 and a destructive riot broke out, individuals who
participated often explained their actions in terms of we having a collective sense. Current day
music festival culture is becoming increasingly intriguing to the American public because it
brings people together to share an experience and provides a new world to express an alter ego.
What is the Self Categorization Theory, and how does it relate to todays American music
festival culture? The St. Pauls riot that occurred at the 1999 Woodstock recreation and was
thought to have been a result of the Self Categorization Theory by many sociologists. The Self
Categorization Theory is defined as an individuals social identity having a determining
influence on crowd behavior. The theory describes the circumstances under which an individual
Rogers 2
perceives a mass of people including themselves as a group. I agree that it is easy to think and
relate yourself as part of a group when participating in music festival culture because my
experience with Bonnaroo confirms it. I was surrounded by people on an everyday basis for three
entire days whether it was when I was eating, sleeping, showering or going to see band
performances. Based off of my first hand experience with American music festival culture I can
strongly advocate that by the end of my experience the concert goers in a sense were family to
me. Everyone had a common goal of enjoying themselves and experiencing new things so it was
hard to think of myself as an individual. LeBon (1895/1995) explains, by the mere fact that he
forms part of an organized crowd, a man descends several rugs on the ladder of civilization
(Pg.52). In other words, LeBon is saying that when individuals associate with a group their
personal identity begins to diminish and blend in with the rest of civilization.
The research I have conducted on todays American music festival culture shows a direct
correlation between Woodstocks service and utility ideas and how theyve been adopted by
current day music festivals. Max Yasgur was the owner of the dairy farm where Woodstock was
held. He graciously let the young entrepreneurs: Michael Lang, John Roberts, and Joel
Rosenman rent out the farm field and hold the free music event. Local residents were unhappy
about this event occurring in their hometown while others welcomed concert goers with free
food and water when the Food for Love concessions ran out. Woodstock created health and
safety measurements by providing a designated first aid tent area that was provided by volunteer:
nurses, doctors and EMT. A specially trained group of individuals made up the Peace Patrol
security at Woodstock to ensure crowd control. The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival takes
place in Manchester, TN and is an example of a current day music festival that operates under
similar terms that which Woodstock implemented.
Rogers 3
How are the two Music festivals communities similar to one another? Bonnaroo hosts
125 bands and comedy acts including: music legends, up-and-coming artists, and world
renowned comedians. The name Bonnaroo translates to the best on the streets in French and
the creators of Bonnaroo chose this name to honor the Louisiana music tradition of live music
performances in the street. Bonnaroo has its own code of conduct that participants must abide by
to maintain order as well as trained security. Their pods or as Woodstock refers to them as tents
are there for: medical assistance, vehicle issues, and concert activities. The camp grounds at
Woodstock was the farm field but at Bonnaroo it is called centeroo and it includes: Music,
food and fairly priced craft vendors, comedy theatre, and a cinema. In addition to the Woodstock
ideas Bonnaroo stemmed from, new ideas were also created. A toll booth system is used at the
gates of Bonnaroo to control overcrowding, by using a wristband as their Passport into the
venue. Informational booths and sanitation stations are spread out over the festival grounds as
well. Bonnaroos utilities and services overlook what I consider to be an important point about
how todays American music culture is affected by the historical event, Woodstock.
Pasquale Rotella, the chief promoter of the Electric Daisy Music Festival suggests that
Festivals have become a huge part of American Culture. Woodstock was the first glimpse the
public eye got in the 1960s to an overnight fun filled musical experience. The millennial
generation has been one that has shown great interest in attending music festivals, Rolling Stone
suggests. Ive always believed that people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
According to both Rolling Stone and Huffington Post, music festivals are becoming increasingly
popular because festivals change the way music is experienced. Music Festivals are a good way
to sample hundreds of bands live or on record over a short time span. Woodstock came up with
this musical experience that current day music festival goers still crave.
Rogers 4
Those who did not participate in Woodstock, Time Magazine states that the festival was,
A squailed freakout, a monstrous Dionysian revel, where a mob of crazies gathered to drop acid
& groove to hours of amplified cacophony, (Aug.29,1969). In my opinion, an outsiders view
doesnt get the full community sense that participants get when they are a part of something like
this. I feel as though the public during the 1960s resisted cultural changes, due to the Vietnam
war still being in effect. This quote suggests that when Woodstock happened people had culture
shock about this new upcoming concept and their perspectives were too parochial. In my opinion
Music festivals today thrive and are recognized for its positive aspects. Bands are drawn to
festivals to promote their music and develop a larger fan base and music festivals support the
local economy. Based off of my personal experience festivals are a positive thing because it
promotes a cooperative and harmonious community rather than a competitive one. Woodstock
prepared the public for cultural growth. It can be inferred that over time the public became more
accepting to new ideas and experiences.
The concept of Woodstock was important because it molded the basic values of American
music festival culture today. Woodstock was referred to as three days of peace & music and I
think that still applies to todays festivals. Huffington Post mentions, festivals are used to
communicate and make connections to society. I agree with this statement because music
festivals are a social event and they also allow for freedom of expression. The people at the event
ultimately mold the music festival culture because they are a part of the experience.
Why do you think American music festival culture has become what it is today?
Rogers 5
Woodstock set the basis for todays music festivals and gave the public a chance to express
themselves and create a new type of community. There are different reasons why each person
would attend a music festival, whether it may be to listen to their favorite bands or make social
connections. While some rejected, others embraced Woodstock and it prepared the public for
cultural change. Woodstock created the festival experience that nobody could have fore saw and
it has now become something worldly renown. American music festivals today adopted
Woodstocks principles while also making additional improvements. After Woodstock occurred
people began to think with a more open mind and willing to try new experiences, that is why I
think that American music festival culture was positively affected and malleable to the current
day public. More people should participate in music festivals because it gives you an experience
like no other.
Annotated Bibliography
Friedman, Emily. Woodstock Nation: What created famous mud filled festival. ABC News
Rogers 6
Network, 14 August 2009. Web. 18 October 2015.
ABC News Network published an article about the historical musical event, Woodstock.
The article explained basic facts about the event such as; the date it took place, where it
was, and what it was like inside of the festival. Max Yasgur was the owner of the farm
field in the town Bethel, NY where Woodstock was held. Woodstock was a free concert
that had a lineup of 32 bands where headliners such as: The WHO, Jimi Hendrix, and
Janice Joplin preformed. People talk about how Woodstock was historys largest
happening and an initiation to freedom. The festival lasted three days and included
overnight camping grounds open to the public. Medical and water/food tents were set up
all along the farm land in preparation for the million people that showed up. Not much
profit was made from the outrageous 60s music festival but, they did manage to make
some revenue that came from the films and tributes made about the legendary event. The
author was objective about the information provided in the article. The information
mentioned in the article about Woodstock was for the sole purpose of informing the
audience. This information comes from the popular news source ABC news. The
intended audience are those interested in historical music events or those who dream of
attending this event but was before their time. This source has all the background
information on my topic. The background information I was able to gather provided great
support on how other current music festivals piggy backed off some of Woodstocks
original ideas. This source fits into my research because it shows how current music
culture was developed. This source was also a good comparison I used later on in my
research after I learned more about current day music festivals. I will use this source in
my project because the information found is a big part of my topic purpose.
Rogers 7
Knopper, Steve. How Coachella, Bonnaroo and More Festivals Revamped the Music Industry.
Rolling Stone, 22 May 2014. Web. 18 October 2015.
Rolling Stone published an online article from the 1209 Issue discussing music festival
culture and its impact on the community. Music Festivals are growing in popularity
among the United States there has been reported to be over 60 festivals slated to take
place. The article discusses how festivals completely alter the way that music can be
experienced. Music Festivals are also a good way to get exposed to and sample hundreds
of bands in one weekend. People seem to be attracted to music festivals because a lot of
bands operate under a radius clause which means that the bands can not perform at any
other venue within a set time of the festival date. A good portion of music festival goers
are millennials but not limited to. The bands are attracted to music festival gigs to
promote music and develop their fan base. Festivals have become a huge part of
American Culture, Pasquale Rotella (chief promoter of the Electric Daisy Music
Festival) says. The Electric Daisy Festival takes place in Las Vegas and this past year
attracted more than 400,000 people. The author seemed to be biased, there was nothing
but positive remarks about how music festivals benefit the community. This information
is reliable because, there were sources credited for the information I found within the
article. This article is derived from a popular source. Rolling Stone is a perfect source for
the information I am looking for about music culture. The intended audience are those
who would be interested in going to a music festival or people who just read to be
informed about current music culture. This source was very helpful and contained
credible information about why these gatherings are so intriguing to participants and
Rogers 8
bands. It helped my understanding of my topic because it did a good job with relating its
information to current events. This source will appear in my project because, I was able
to retrieve a lot of information that was both accurate and intriguing.
Vider, Stephen. Rethinking Crowd Violence: Self Categorization Theory and the Woodstock
1999 Riot. Theory of Social Behaviour 34.2 (2004): 52-55. Print.
The Scholarly Journal Theory of Social Behavior written by Stephen Vider has an article
that explains the 1990s music festival culture and compares it to the 1960s. The
recreation of Woodstock occurred in 1999 on July 23-25th and there was a lot of
controversy about how or why the riot broke out. The riot included burning of cars and
other destructive acts at the Woodstock recreation. Vider writes about how individuals
who gather at large events such as this, explain their actions in terms of we creating a
collective sense. Other psychologists proposed multiple theories for the riots outbreak
such as the Self Categorization Theory or the False consensus effect. Lebon (1895/1995)
explains, by the mere fact that he forms part of an organized crowd, a man descends
several rugs on the ladder of civilization (Pg. 52.) During the riot many of the police felt
as if they had no control over the crowd due to the amount of participants committing
these acts. At a music festival such actions committed are thought to be done as a
community. The festivals cultural environment has been created by the people
themselves at the event. I think that the author feels objective towards the riots nature.
There were multiple sources suggesting different theories as to why the riot occurred in
1999. The quality of this academic source is reliable information because it has been peer
reviewed. The intended audience are those who want to be informed about the historical
Rogers 9
music event and those who are curious about music festival culture. This source is the
most credible compared to my other sources. This source was helpful because, it shows
what can happen when you gather large masses of people into an enclosed area and why
there is such thing as crowd control at music festivals. This source fits into my research
because it displays an accurate representation about what it is like to participate in a
music festival and the cultural feel you get. This source will not appear in my project
because, I wasnt able to retrieve a mass amount of information from it.
2015 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Safety. Web. 18 October 2015.
The Bonnaroo Music Festival takes place in Manchester, TN. The Music festivals website
page identified all the facilities and services offered at this event. The page article
included a community list of rules Roo goers must keep in mind. The camping grounds to
the festival was also mapped out and its importance to your trip to Bonnaroo. This article
was helpful to my topic because it served as a comparison to Woodstock. There was no
bias in this article and was only created to inform people about the music festival. I was
able to identify similarities in the two festivals and how current day music festivals
developed similar ideas as those that were at Woodstock. This was a good source to have
because it was reliable to my research that I had done because it was created by an actual
Music Festival. I am going to use this source in my research because it shows how
current day music festival culture adopted similar ideas Woodstock had created.
Rogers 10
