Basement Tapes Mini-Tour: By the Time We Get to Woodstock

The entire Weightstaff is going on a roadtrip. Where are you going to be on June 28th and June 30th? Our first stop is seeing Levon Helm and his Midnight Ramble cats playing down under the stars in Central Park as part of the Summerstage lineup on 6/28. If you didn't catch Levon at the Beacon for what has ended up in my "shows of a lifetime - 5 gold star" category, you must not actually like music if you miss this second chance.

Next stop is Bethel, NY on 6/30 to catch Bob Dylan finally play the Woodstock concert site! This show is at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a 16,800 capacity amphitheater on the exact same hallowed ground of the original festival. This place is supposed to be beautiful. I can already feel the mystique and pleasure of seeing Bob walking out on stage with the ghosts of Hendrix, Joplin, Jerry, Danko, and Manuel flying around. If there truly is a higher being, somewhat local resident Levon Helm with grace us with his presence.

Who's comin with us?

Did you know: Bob Dylan was in negotiations to play the original Woodstock, however he had to pull out as his son was taken ill. He also was unhappy about the number of the hippies piling up outside his house near the originally planned site. He would go on to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival two weeks later (Wikipedia).

Check out: A great site which discusses the location of the Woodstock festival (actually 50 miles from the town of Woodstock), Bob Dylan's significance to the area, and the road the promoters took to secure the site.