Woodstock
wasn’t the only potentially world-changing concert held at the end of the
1960s—it certainly triggered a wave of subsequent mega-concerts, such as the
Holland Pop Festival held in June of 1970. Filmed and recorded but still
relatively unknown, this show is now getting a nice release in a three-disc (two
CDs, one DVD) package under a title that’s certain to draw some attention—The
Dutch Woodstock, an association that seems pretty apt based on this set.
This
three-day festival certainly was modeled after the upstate New York one, and
shared some acts with it, including Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat and Santana.
But this show also had many distinctly European acts, and it’s the chance to see
such groups—many of which are no longer around—that gives The
Dutch Woodstock its special buzz.
Sure,
we know Pink Floyd, but at the time of this show, the quintessential space-rock
band was floundering, lacking direction after the acid-fueled crackup of
frontman Syd Barrett. Floyd had not found its direction with Dark Side of the
Moon (that came in 1973), and here the band is shown playing jammy versions of
its epics “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” and “A Saucerful of
Secrets.”
Lesser-known
in the U.S., the band Family is worth checking out here, for its oddball
performance of “Drowned in Wine,” which features a truly bizarre vocal from
Roger Chapman. The weird fusion-meets-art-rock instrumental band Soft Machine
cranks out “Esther’s Nose Job.” Pre-“Bang a Gong” T-Rex delivers an electric
guitar/bongos duet of “By the Light of the Magical Moon.”
The
bands on this bill span the gamut, from the druggy jams of the Airplane to the
New Orleans voodoo-sparked gumbo music of Dr. John. That’s how it was in those
days—anything would fly. Concert bills were varied in those days, and it’s
certainly refreshing in today’s world of packaged tours comprised of bands
playing in a similar style. Remember: Sha Na Na played at Woodstock. In those
days, eclectic was the norm.
Typical
of concert films from this era, the camera goes in close—often focusing on faces
of the singers and players. That can be a bit disconcerting for a musical
gearhead like me, and I’d like to see what kinds of guitars they’re playing and
what their hands are doing. But that was how these shows were shot in this
time—check out the Monterey
Pop and Woodstock movies
for other examples.
Public
nudity was also a staple at these shows, and the director here seemingly sought
to catch every instance at this show on film. There’s also drug taking, and
shots of the members of the 100,000-person audience freaking out. There’s one
dude holding a pair of food cans up to people’s heads for reasons unknown. This
kind of thing went with the territory.
The
audio isn’t bad, especially considering when this was made. The performances are
as-is, so every piece of flat singing (Grace Slick is a prime offender in some
spots) and out-of-tune guitars (ditto Santana) is left intact. That’s cool. This
set does a great job fulfilling its mission: to be a time capsule, a prime
artifact of an era long gone by and acts we’ll not see the caliber of again.
Well worth checking out both as a cultural artifact, and as a once-in-a-lifetime
concert experience.
Buy The Dutch Woodstock 1970 CD/DVD set on Amazon
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO
 | The Dutch Woodstock 1970 2CD1DVD - £11.99 |
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