Atlantic City Weekly

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WOODSTOCK 1969. Its promoters hyped it as a "weekend-in-the-country" rock concert with big-name vocalists and bands. About 186,000 tickets were sold in advance of the three-day event, but when the gates of the Woodstock Music Festival opened at a few minutes past 5pm on Aug. 15, 1969, thousands more pushed their way through the flimsy fences and ticket booth barriers at the entrance. At final count close to 500,000 people were drawn to the 600-acre outdoor concert site in New York's Sullivan County on grounds rented from dairy farmer Max Yasgur by four young Woodstock promoters.

Yes, there was free love, along with lots of drugs and booze. However, the attendees were, for the most part, a peaceful group with personas reflecting the era of hippie culture with tie-dyed clothes, flower power and the mantra "make love, not war." They mainly came for the music, and were treated to performances by the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Richie Havens, Sly and the Family Stone, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez and dozens of others.

Reflections of Woodstock at Caesars Circus Maximus Theater on Dec. 26-27 and 31 (New Year's Eve) will pay tribute to Woodstock icons with impersonators of Joe Cocker (Adam McDonough), Jimi Hendrix (Peter Peterkin), Janis Joplin (Sherie Rae Parker) and Sly (Bobby Brooks Hamilton) from Sly and the Family Stone. Joe Quinlan sings hits by Jim Morrison who didn't perform at Woodstock, but was the Doors' lead singer during the Woodstock era.

Patte Rockwell, the production's director, writer and producer, describes Reflections of Woodstock as much more than a show. "When guests come to the theater, they'll experience the show and they'll also experience a party. The interactive show is not just on the stage, it's in the theater and on video screens, so there are all kinds of reflections going on. We really like to think of this as a commentary of 1969; it's not just Woodstock," Rockwell says.

The story is told in a humorous manner by a host (Bill Weeden) playing the role of a fictitious Woodstock ticket-taker. The 75-minute production features dancers and the nine-piece Blackwater Breeze band. The band will play an original 3 �-minute composition titled Reflections of Woodstock Overture while authentic film footage taken at the actual concert is shown on large video screens.

"People who attend the show will think that they're at Woodstock, if only for a brief period of time," says Rockwell. "We'll be introducing the music of Woodstock to a whole new generation, and I think that those who actually lived through Woodstock will be intrigued by our show."

Cape May resident Lynn Remey, who falls into the latter category, has already made plans to attend Reflections of Woodstock. Remey was 16 years old when she rolled into the Woodstock parking lot in a Volkswagen mini-bus with two older cousins. She readily recalls details of the event. "It was a sea of people; it was almost hypnotic to watch the motions through those crowds of people," Remey says. "It was incredible. I definitely went for the music, and of course the music was awesome. It was the cutting edge for the day."

Remey's entourage arrived at Woodstock a day early and camped out the night prior to the first day's events. "We were among the first in when the gates opened, so we went down by the stage and set up camp and just stayed there with our cooler of food and beer. The first day everybody was partying and we stayed up all night." Remey says that it rained off and on during the three days. "I did bring a couple of changes of clothing, which all got soaked - a pair of patchwork bell-bottomed jeans that I designed and a long jeans skirt. I don't think that I wore shoes the whole time. There was a place to swim and people were skinny dipping. Of course that turned muddy pretty quick."

Lynn discussed the performers that she enjoyed most, including Jimi Hendrix ("His rendition of the 'Star Spangled Banner' was quite a thing. And then setting the guitar on fire. It was pretty much like, 'Whoa!'), and I was always in love with Joan Baez, so seeing her was very special to me."

Lynn said that the concert affected her life though it didn't totally change it. "I think it had an effect on anyone who was there. It was such a strange experience; I've been to many other festivals after Woodstock, but nothing could compare to Woodstock."

Remey, the proprietor of The Wild Side in West Cape May, is a tie-dye specialist who designed and constructed the outfits for Reflections of Woodstock band members.

Woodstock is one of a handful of 20th-century musical events to live in the annals of entertainment history. Reflections of Woodstock re-enacts the music and aura of those historical "three days of peace and music." Production principals, in addition to Rockwell, include Stephanie Nielson, executive producer; Grammy-nominee Joe Donofrio, musical director, and Donna Daniels, choreographer.

Reflections of Woodstock at Caesars Circus Maximus Theater: Friday, Dec. 26 at 10pm; Saturday, Dec. 27 at 9pm and Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 10:45pm. Tickets are $25 on Dec. 26 & 27; $50 on Dec. 31 and can be purchased via Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420.