Woodstock

Martin Scorsese was one of the assistant directors and editors of this seminal, Oscar-winning documentary/concert film. To catch every act at Woodstock would’ve been impossible (due to legal issues, in some cases), but the movie does capture the love-in mood, the silliness, and, above all, the chaos of the era. The footage of hippies getting stoned, caring for one another, and bathing nude in a pond is often more enjoyable than the sometimes-draggy concert footage, which loses vitality on the small screen. Still, the all-star roster has yet to be overshadowed by any other concert event, and conceivably you could just listen to the movie and still enjoy it. Just don’t trust network showings, which usually censor the profanity, including Country Joe and the Fish’s notorious “Fish Cheer.” An important sociological document as much as a massive who’s who of rock and folk in 1969, which is why it endures today while pretenders like Lollapalooza are already forgotten.