The Fugs marked the 60th anniversary of their first concert with a raucous, sold-out performances at the Byrdcliffe Barn in Woodstock on Aug. 22 and 23. Founding member Ed Sanders led the group through a set that blended biting satire, poetry, and countercultural anthems, joined by longtime bandmates Steven Taylor, Coby Batty, and Scott Petito. Roy Gumpel/The Overlook.
From left, Steve Taylor on vocals and guitar, Coby Batty on percussion and vocals, Ed Sanders—founder and singer-songwriter— and Scott Petito on bass and keyboards performed at Byrdcliffe Barn in Woodstock on Aug. 22, marking the 60th anniversary of the Fugs’ first concert. Roy Gumpel/The Overlook.
The band’s began in 1965, when Sanders and the late Tuli Kupferberg turned their Peace Eye Bookstore rehearsals into a boisterous debut at Israel Young’s Folklore Center in New York City—where, as Sanders remembered, the drummer played on a cardboard peach box after his hide drum was stolen the night before. Six decades later, the Fugs’ mix of protest, humor, and radical joy still drew a crowd eager to celebrate the enduring spirit of one of America’s most unconventional rock-poetry collectives. Roy Gumpel/The Overlook.

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