History may not repeat itself at Woodstock<\/p>\n
By Riris Irawati<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It isn't known whether any Indonesians had the
\nchance to witness the original 1969 Woodstock concert which the
\n60s generation affectionately refers to as three days of love,
\npeace and music.<\/p>\n
However, a quarter of a century later, it's unlikely that this
\ncountry of over 180 million people will have no representatives
\nat the festival being held in Saugerties, upstate New York, from
\nAug. 13 to Aug. 15, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the
\ncounterculture concert.<\/p>\n
After all, a popular Jakarta based youth magazine has been
\nadvertising for weeks that, together with a private travel
\nagency, it is offering a package trip to the U.S. called
\n\"Woodstock '94 Tour\".<\/p>\n
The package includes a Jakarta to New York return air ticket,
\nadmission to Woodstock '94, five nights accommodation at a New
\nYork hotel, breakfast and lunch, city tours and more for only a
\nmere US$2,425, excluding one percent value added tax (VAT).<\/p>\n
Knowing Indonesian teens' and twenty-some-things' increased
\ntravel-mindedness, it would be dead surprising if the package did
\nnot sell well, especially in major cities.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, like everywhere else, Woodstock '94 has been
\nsold in a very methodical manner, something which would be quite
\nunthinkable back in the 60s.<\/p>\n
Like it or not, after 25 years, Woodstock and the people
\norganizing it, are moving and grooving in the 90s.<\/p>\n
While the original Woodstock is remembered as a symbol of
\nsolidarity, peace, love and anti-establishmentism, Woodstock '94
\nis likely to go down in history as a very heavily marketed event.<\/p>\n
The organizers, including Michael Lang of the original
\nWoodstock, have teamed up with a $4 billion entertainment
\ncompany. While the 250,000 available tickets are being sold at
\n$135 each, the concert will also be broadcast live on pay per
\nview television.<\/p>\n
Responding to criticism of Woodstock's commercialization,
\nLang, now 49, said he is not trying to recreate history or sell
\nWoodstock '94 to his generation. The event is grounded in the
\nrealities of the 90s.<\/p>\n
With such arguments at the forefront of the organizers' minds,
\nobviously it would be naive to expect a repeat of three days of
\nlove, peace and music in Saugerties.<\/p>\n
However, it would also be rather premature to suggest that
\nWoodstock '94 will be merely a showcase of 60s' fading stars.<\/p>\n
The fact that until early this month about 100,000 tickets
\nremained unsold indicates that even in the 90s, it takes more
\nthan just marketing to capture the spirit of a generation.<\/p>\n
While history may not repeat itself at Woodstock '94, it's
\nnice to know that something, besides flairs, from a decade hailed
\nthroughout the world as days of rage and years of hope, is still
\nalive here and there.<\/p>",
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