The Woodstock festival of 1969 and its continuing significance is the subject of this wide ranging book which brings together writers from the fields of sociology, media studies and popular music studies. Each chapter explores a specific aspect of the festival and its influence on the music industry, the rock festival 'tradition', sixties nostalgia and the cultural impact of popular music.

Contents: Introduction, Andy Bennett; The three Woodstocks and the live music scene, Dave Laing; '1, 2, 3 What are we fighting 4?' Music, meaning and 'The Star Spangled Banner', Sheila Whiteley; 'This is your Woodstock': popular memories and political myths, John Street; 'Everybody's happy, everybody's free': representation and nostalgia in the Woodstock film, Andy Bennett; Reporting Woodstock: some contemporary press reflections on the festival, Simon Warner; The contradictory aesthetics of Woodstock, Allan F. Moore; 'Unsafe things like youth and jazz': Beaulieu jazz festivals (1956-61), and the origins of pop festival culture in Britain, George McKay; A public transition: acoustic and electric performances at the Woodstock festival, Dave Allen; Still picking children from the trees?: reimagining Woodstock in 21st century Australia, Gerry Bloustien; Afterword: Country Joe McDonald remembering Woodstock, Country Joe McDonald with Dave Allen. Index.