August 21, 1997
Dear Melanie;
Your performance at Yasgur's Road last Saturday night was the highlight of our show and, some say, the highlight of your career. You were exceptional.
In spite of, or maybe because of, the politics surrounding the show, you gave a performance, in front of an unexpected crowd of 15,000 that was ridden with emotion that attendees at the festival told us afterward that they were literally moved to tears.
We can never thank you enough for standing up for our civil rights and singing out for freedom of assembly. This was so much more than a concert. This was a rally. Together with the Hidden Years Band of South Africa, who have suffered political repression in the music industry for over 30 years, you delivered a message so filled with poignancy that it emphasised the importance of music as a medium of free speech. A performance of this significance is beyond words.
We wish you all the best personally and professionally. We proudly consider you to be a friend of the farm forever. You and your family are always Welcome Home.
Love,
Roy + Jeryl
Roy Howard
Jeryl Abramson
As a crowd of several dozen Woodstockers sat or
stood nearby, she played her old favorites on an acoustic guitar with
her 16-year-old son, Beau Jarred. She may be one of the only
original Woodstock musicians to make it to the site this
year.
Peter Schekeryk, her husband and manager, beamed as his
wife played; "Look how much fun they're having," he
said. "You can't buy that. We didn't want to miss it.
We wanted to be here -- we're here every year."
In
the tiny audience was Robyn Gerry, daughter of the man who purchased the
site last year.