Far out
I lived in Sacramento in the late 60's, and we used to go to SF to the Winterland auditorium. I saw "It's a Beautiful Day", Janice Joplin etc. The only thing I can say is that it was fun! interesting! Cosmic! And, I remember and relish most of it. There was an aura of innocence and beauty if you were part of the counter-culture. I am glad that I got to experience those years.
On the other hand, if you were "straight," you were in another world, almost a parallel universe. Typically the straights shunned the hippies.
I was caught in the middle. The counter-culture was a luxury I couldn't immerse myself in completely, but I would dip my toes in during weekends. Actually, I
lived for those weekends! I was working myself through college, which turned out to keep me from going overboard - and I did see those who ended up with bad trips, in mental hospitals (they were still in existence then), or dead.
In hindsight, I think life is all about balance. The whole flower child scenario has turned out class A gardeners all over the world. The straight lifestyle has helped us all to stay on course in retirement savings. And, many of us ended up in recovery.