Where was he headed, that naked guy clambering his way through the crowd? The date was Dec. Maybe he was headed for the future. The thought occurred to me as the 50th anniversary of Woodstock approached — it took place just four months before Altamont — and, with it, an inevitable torrent of images conjuring up a bygone era of peace-and-love.

What was Woodstock really like? This week marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic music festival in Upstate New York. The massive crowd overwhelmed organizers, who were forced to make the event free. Most recently, Woodstock 50 was canceled after months of setbacks, including losing sites at Watkins Glen and Vernon Downs. To celebrate the golden anniversary, we interviewed dozens of original Woodstock attendees to hear their own stories of peace, music, drugs, tragedy and more. And they listened.

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Right: A young woman wearing fresh flowers, body paint, and vivid colors. Left: A young hippie sits cross-legged in a New York City park in A couple with matching flower body paint walks together during the Isle of Wight Festival in the UK in Left: A young couple are caught making love inside their tent at the Isle of Wight Festival in