Yes, I have read some of the reviews of this docu-fest and some seem to try to make more out of this movie than they need to. The late '60's was a remarkably joyous time for me and millions of other quasi-hippies: people filled with idealistic dreams of a peaceful, environmentally sound world where we shared the wealth (and our pot!) with our brothers and sisters and disdained the corporate ladder syndrome and all its trappings! This movie is a microcosm of what was going on in '69, good or bad. Esalen was trying to do its own thing to try to help people make sense of the world and happened to throw a nice party by inviting the likes of Joni Collins, Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash etc., the Combs Sisters, et al to perform. What ensues is somewhat less than spectacular camera work and some disjointed editing, but hey, it's a concert and all kinds of things are happening here that happen at 3-4 day gigs like this. This crew wasn't going for Academy Awards: they wanted to capture the festival not only in all its glory, but also in its shortcomings and inconsistencies.
You see average Joe hippies ramble on at the mouth when interviewed, smoke pot, drink wine, frolic about in hot water spas and so on and so forth: much like any number of concerts in that era, whether in Denver/Boulder, Taos, Mt. Shasta, Vermont, etc. In my humble opinion, this particular concert film was a real delight. Crosby, Stills,etc. jamming on "Down by the River", uncut and turned loose was awesome; Joan Baez's endearing ballads with her wistfully vibrato vocal renderings were sheer delight. Other acts as well (like Joni Mitchell) were also a joy to watch.
But the "creme de la creme" of the whole shindig was the glorious, climactic rendition of "Oh Happy Day". The initial collaboration between Joan Baez and the Combs Sisters group ultimately extended to every musician in the house getting onto the stage for one of the most naturally rousing and spiritually uplifting live performance I have ever seen. Everyone in a 3 mile radius seemed to be lifting up his/her voice to the gospel strains of this most joyous hymn. It was an admixture of all sorts of people and races: Carefully coiffed urban Soul Sisters; long-haired hippies, folk singers and whatever from rural and communal enclaves; straight-type promoters, producers, etc. from the business world. The spontaneous and uplifting music totally united this diverse and energetic group, kind of reminiscent of Ravi Shankar at Monterey in '67. For a short time, at least, peace was amongst us.
You see average Joe hippies ramble on at the mouth when interviewed, smoke pot, drink wine, frolic about in hot water spas and so on and so forth: much like any number of concerts in that era, whether in Denver/Boulder, Taos, Mt. Shasta, Vermont, etc. In my humble opinion, this particular concert film was a real delight. Crosby, Stills,etc. jamming on "Down by the River", uncut and turned loose was awesome; Joan Baez's endearing ballads with her wistfully vibrato vocal renderings were sheer delight. Other acts as well (like Joni Mitchell) were also a joy to watch.
But the "creme de la creme" of the whole shindig was the glorious, climactic rendition of "Oh Happy Day". The initial collaboration between Joan Baez and the Combs Sisters group ultimately extended to every musician in the house getting onto the stage for one of the most naturally rousing and spiritually uplifting live performance I have ever seen. Everyone in a 3 mile radius seemed to be lifting up his/her voice to the gospel strains of this most joyous hymn. It was an admixture of all sorts of people and races: Carefully coiffed urban Soul Sisters; long-haired hippies, folk singers and whatever from rural and communal enclaves; straight-type promoters, producers, etc. from the business world. The spontaneous and uplifting music totally united this diverse and energetic group, kind of reminiscent of Ravi Shankar at Monterey in '67. For a short time, at least, peace was amongst us.