by Michael Lang
First published 2009
Michael Lang pulls back the curtain on organizing the 1969 Woodstock festival. The co-creator and producer walks readers through the mayhem that nearly killed the event before it started. Lang documents the desperate hunt for a location, clashes with government officials, and money troubles that almost ended the project. He shows how half a million attendees swamped every plan the organizers had made. The book covers the artists who performed, the massive crowds, severe weather problems, and critical moments when disaster loomed. This New York Times bestseller reveals the inner workings of the three-day event that became a defining moment in American culture. Lang brings the chaos and wonder of Woodstock to life for readers who remember the era and those discovering it for the first time.
Genres: history, 20th-century, biography-memoir, american-history
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, historical-events
Setting: Woodstock
Period: 1969
304 pages · Hardcover · Ecco