Even without MAGA, the nation was divided – younger liberals were against the war, older conservatives, for it. Family members, as we see these days, were on opposing sides, making holidays contentious.
I thought we had left those times behind, but with Trump now launching a war in Iran, we are seeing history repeat itself. So far, there have not been boots on the ground, but service members have already died. Who knows how many more? And for what?
That’s what this current war has in common with Vietnam. President Johnson who deepened our involvement in the Vietnam War, never clearly articulated why we were there. Even then, “the domino theory,” that if Vietnam fell, other southeastern nations would follow, ran hollow to many. The same now goes for Iran, where Trump seems to be flying by the seat of his very large pants, not telling Americans why we need to blow Iran off the map.
What we had then and don’t have now is Woodstock, that massive concert, held on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. From August 15 to 18, an estimated half a million people came together to listen to singers and rock ’n roll superstars like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix.
I didn’t go, not because my father stopped me like Suzannah’s did, but because back then and even now, I have a fear of large crowds. But I loved the music, especially loved the Beatles and was super jealous when my best friend, Lynne, won a ticket to their 1965 concert at Shea Stadium.
Suzanne didn’t get to go to the Beatles concert when they stopped in Memphis on their U.S. tour. Her father, a Korean War army colonel, supported the war, even insisted his son, Ron, enlist before he could be drafted. A religious fanatic, he despised rock ’n roll. And when John Lennon made the statement that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ, he insisted that Suzannah attend a protest at their church. He forced Suzannah to hold a sign, “Go Back to Britain,” and burn all her Beatles paraphernalia and records along with other church goers.
Suzannah’s best friend, Olivia, Livy, is going to Woodstock, and she asks Suzannah to come with her. Knowing her father would be furious, she says no. But after another confrontation with him, when she blames him for forcing her peace-loving brother to go to Vietnam, she makes the decision to leave.
Patton, who was too young to attend Woodstock, has done an amazing job researching what happened during those four days. Her descriptions of what the concert goers faced – heavy rain, mounds of mud, shortages of food, and long lines for the porta potties – make us feel like we are there. In a press release sent with the book, she talks about how hard she had to work to get an accurate account of who sang when. I was surprised to learn that many of the headline acts sang at odd hours, like 3 a.m. Suzannah, like so many who did attend, I assume, had a hard time staying awake, even after all the time waiting for stars like Janis Joplin or Joni Mitchell to perform.
While Suzannah and Livy are best friends, their history has been fraught. They went three years without talking, so being with Livy, Suzannah has a lot she wants to say, and a lot she wants to hear. What Suzannah doesn’t expect is to fall in love with Leon. When Livy’s boyfriend fails to show up, she worries that Livy will steal Leon away.
Patton tells the stories from two perspectives, 1969, when Suzannah is at Woodstock, and 2019, when she returns with her granddaughter for the concert’s 50th anniversary. We know that Suzannah’s life resulted in a child and a grandchild. But we have to wait for the ending to see what other lasting effects attending that mass gathering had on her future.
Baby Boomers believe, and often say, that we had the best music in the 1960s and 1970s. Reading Kissing the Sky, the title taken from a Jimi Hendrix album, “Kiss the Sky,” just confirmed that view. And it seems that even younger musicians share some of that belief. At the 2026 Grammy Awards, 82-year-old music icon Joni Mitchell dazzled in a gold and black sequined outfit, accepting her 11th Grammy for Best Historical Album for “Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980).” She received a standing ovation.
Kissing the Sky
Lisa Patton
Top Shutterstock photo by mark reinstein
Saugerties, New York, USA, August 12, 1994. Crowd in front of the main stage at the 25th anniversary on opening day of the 25th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival.
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