Thursday, October 1, 2026
Retro69, a Woodstock tribute band, held a benefit concert on April 26 at Barrier Brewing Company in Oceanside, bringing together music fans and animal advocates to raise funds for Bobbi and the Strays Animal Shelter and Rescue.
Bobbi and the Strays Animal Shelter and Rescue, based in Freeport, provides shelter, veterinary care and adoption services for dogs and cats, along with community education programs. The organization relies heavily on donations to continue its operations.
The Oceanside benefit was part of an ongoing effort to support the shelter.
“They’re a no-kill shelter, they take care of a lot of animals and they’re under a lot of pressure,” said Allan Spielman, keyboard player and business manager for Retro69. “Any donation, big or small, makes a concrete difference.”
The event featured live music from the tribute band, known for performing music from the 1969 Woodstock festival in the order in which it originally appeared. The group’s setlist included songs associated with artists such as Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Santana, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, The Who and Jimi Hendrix, among others.
“We do the music in the order of the concert,” Spielman said. “That’s our specialty. We try to be true to Woodstock.”
Spielman said the band has performed in various forms since 2010 and often mixes music with light narration to give audiences historical context.
“At libraries and community events, we kind of make jokes and tell the history as we go through,” he said. “It’s interactive.”
He added that the group formed out of a long-standing interest in 1960s music festivals and has continued to evolve through different musicians over the years.
“We’ve been doing this for 16 years,” he said, noting that the band performs across Nassau County, New York City, New Jersey and Long Island.
Spielman also shared a personal connection to the animal shelter, explaining that his involvement dates back decades, adding that the shelter has remained a key focus of the band’s charity work.
“It started for me in 1999,” he said. “I brought kittens to Bobbi and the Strays, and years later I went back and just kept going. I got very attached.”
The event raised over $1,800 for the shelter, with additional donations expected through ongoing contributions tied to the performance.
The event’s turnout reflected strong community support for both local music and animal welfare causes, noting that every contribution helps sustain rescue and adoption efforts.
