The Woodstock Music & Arts Fair (August 15th to 18th 1969) is one of the most famous music festivals of all time. It has become one of the images people have of America in the 1960s. About 400,000 came to Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York for “three days of peace and music”. They heard Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, The Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, The Who and many others. The first day was largely folk music, the second two rock music, but much bluesier stuff than you hear now.
People see it as the height of the 1960s counterculture, but most who came were hardly hippies.
It became the third largest city in New York state – a city of children, Edwin Newman called it. Everywhere there was drugs, mud and great music. Some were naked, some had sex in public. Some had tents, some slept under the stars – or in the heavy rains that came the first night. Pneumonia became a fear. Two were born there and two died (of heroin and a tractor backing over a sleeper). It was amazingly peaceful, laid back, live and let live. Peace, man.
The Who did not get on stage until five in the morning on Sunday – they wanted a certified cheque first. But once paid they delivered. They did all of “Tommy”, their new album. Right after the song “Pinball Wizard” Abbie Hoffman came on stage and took the microphone and said, “I think this is a pile of shit, while John Sinclair rots in prison!” Pete Townshend yelled at him, “FUCK OFF my fucking stage!” and hit him on the head with his guitar. Hoffman left.
After The Who played the sun came up and Grace Slick sang “White Rabbit”.
Jimi Hendrix closed out the show. He got on stage at nine Monday morning right after Sha Na Na (whose music was dated even then). Many had already left. Hendrix played for an hour doing 16 songs, among them his unforgettable “Star-Spangled Banner”. Then it was over.
A year later both Joplin and Hendrix would be dead.
The line-up:
- Friday August 15th 1969
- Richie Havens
- Sweetwater
- Bert Sommer
- Tim Hardin
- Ravi Shankar
- Melanie
- Arlo Guthrie
- Joan Baez
- Saturday August 16th 1969
- Quill
- Country Joe McDonald
- John Sebastian
- Keef Hartley
- Santana
- Incredible String Band
- Canned Heat
- Grateful Dead
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Janis Joplin
- Sly and The Family Stone
- The Who
- Sunday August 17th 1969
- Jefferson Airplane
- Joe Cocker
- Country Joe & The Fish
- Leslie West/Mountain
- Ten Years After
- The Band
- Johnny Winter
- Blood Sweat And Tears
- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
- Monday August 18th 1969
- Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- Sha Na Na
- Jimi Hendrix
Who did not come:
- Bob Dylan: his son was sick
- Joni Mitchell: wanted to be on “The Dick Cavett Show” instead
- The Doors: Jim Morrison does not do outdoor concerts
- The Moody Blues; could make more money in Paris
- The Byrds: did not think Woodstock would be anything great
- Led Zeppelin: would not get top billing
See also:
- Monterey Pop Festival – two years before and only half the size, but it did more to shape rock music
- Jimi Hendrix
- Country Joe and the Fish: The Fish Cheer/I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag
Abagond 