By Gary Bennett
This article appears in the April 20, 2023, edition of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” magazine.
Relive the powerhouse music that shaped a generation with Neil Berg’s The 60’s: Peace, Love & Rock N’ Roll, rolling into Frederick’s Weinberg Center on April 21 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are still available.
Composer/producer/arranger/musician Neil Berg returns to Frederick with his new production that takes us on a musical trip to the stormy, counterculture 60’s. Berg and his talented troupe of musicians last wowed Frederick audiences in October 2021 with his show 50 Years of Rock N’ Roll.
In this new production, Berg recounts the 60’s through music and stories, culminating with a celebration of the historic Woodstock concert in 1969. If you didn’t make it to Woodstock like me (I was only 12) but remember all the wonderful music wafting down the hall from your big sister’s jukebox, you’ll not want to miss this rollicking evening.
Berg is privy to many behind-the-scenes stories from Woodstock due to his personal friendship with Michael Lang, the original organizer and producer of the iconic event.
“Michael brought me into his New York City office about 15 years ago to discuss the possibility of writing a Broadway musical about Woodstock—stories about unknown artists like Bert Sommer, who was in the Broadway musical Hair, and who was a solo artist at Woodstock and got the first standing ovation.”
That idea morphed into The 60’s: Peace, Love & Rock N’ Roll when Berg realized there are many more stories to tell and music to play that had nothing to do with Woodstock. Berg is not shy about sharing these tales.
Berg promises we’ll hear the story of Joni Mitchell’s song Woodstock, and her relationship to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who were famously playing only their second concert ever in public. We’ll learn about the famous bands that were invited to play, but did not. We’ll hear about Carlos Santana playing his entire Woodstock set tripping on LSD given to him by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.
And don’t forget the music! Berg and his merry band of Broadway performers will cover the music of Woodstock acts Richie Havens, Country Joe McDonald, The Band, Canned Heat, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker. (Lineup is subject to change.)
A who’s who of 60’s rockers who did not perform at Woodstock will be covered too: Bob Dylan, Four Seasons, Beach Boys, Beatles, Rolling Stones, James Brown, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin, Monkees, Neil Diamond, Cream, Mamas and the Papas, Otis Redding, Doors, Shirelles, Tina Turner, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin and more.
For everyone who wanted to be at Woodstock but wasn’t, The 60’s: Peace, Love and Rock N’ Roll will make you feel like you are there.