Woodstock Music & Art Fair
When: August 15 to August 18, 1969
Where: Bethel, New York (Max Yasgur's 600 acre farm)
Who: Thirty-two Rock, Folk, Blues Artists.
Founded by: Michael Lang, John P. Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld
Ticket Price: $18 in advance / $24 at the gate (for all 3 days)
Medley: Leavin' Trunk, Halfbreed, Just To Cry, Sinnin' For You
3. Santana
Waiting
Evil Ways
You Just Don't Care
Savior
Jingo
Persuasion
Soul Sacrifice
Fried Neckbones
4. Canned Heat
I'm Her Man
Going Up the Country
A Change Is Gonna Come
Leaving This Town
The Bear Talks
Let's Work Together
Too Many Drivers at the Wheel
I Know My Baby
Woodstock Boogie
On the Road Again
5. Grateful Dead
St. Stephen
Mama Tried
Dark Star
High Time
Turn On Your Lovelight
6. Mountain
Blood Of The Sun
Stormy Monday
Long Red
Who Am I But You And The Sun
Beside The Sea
For Yasgur's Farm (then untitled)
You And Me
Theme From An Imaginary Western
Waiting To Take You Away
Dreams Of Milk And Honey
Blind Man
Blue Suede Shoes
Southbound Train
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival
Born On The Bayou
Green River
Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do)
Commotion
Bootleg
Bad Moon Rising
Proud Mary
I Put A Spell On You
Night Time Is The Right Time
Keep On Choogin'
Suzy Q
8. Sly & The Family Stone
M'Lady
Sing A Simple Song
You Can Make It If You Try
Everyday People
Dance To The Music
Music Lover
I Want To Take You Higher
Love City
Stand!
9. Janis Joplin
Raise Your Hand
As Good As You've Been To This World
To Love Somebody
Summertime
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
Kosmic Blues
Can't Turn You Loose
Work Me Lord
Piece Of My Heart
Ball and Chain
10. The Who
Heaven And Hell
I Can't Explain
It's A Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight To The Blind
Christmas
Acid Queen
Pinball Wizard
(Abbie Hoffmann Incident)
Do You Think It's Alright?
Fiddle About
There's A Doctor I've Found
Go To The Mirror Boy
Smash The Mirror
I'm Free
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Gonna Take It
See Me Feel Me
Summertime Blues
Shakin' All Over
My Generation
Naked Eye
Woodstock
3 Days of Peace & Music
DVD - Amazon.com
DAY THREE - August 17, 1969
1. Jefferson Airplane
The Other Side of This Life
Plastic Fantastic Lover
Volunteers
Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon
Eskimo Blue Day
Uncle Sam's Blues
Somebody To Love
White Rabbit
3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds
2. Joe Cocker
Delta Lady
Some Things Goin' On
Let's Go Get Stoned
I Shall Be Released
With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Country Joe & The Fish
Barry's Caviar Dream
Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
Rock And Soul Music
Thing Called Love
Love Machine
Fish Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixing-To-Die-Rag
4. Ten Years After
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes
I May Be Wrong, But I Won't Be Wrong Always
Hear Me Calling
I'm Going Home
5. The Band
Chest Fever
Baby Don't Do It
Tears Of Rage
We Can Talk
Long Black Veil
Don't You Tell Henry
Ain't No More Cane
Wheels On Fire
Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
The Weight
(After midnight - Monday Morning) - August 18, 1969
6. Blood Sweat And Tears
More And More
I Love You Baby More Than You Ever Know
Spinning Wheel
I Stand Accused
Something Coming On
God Bless The Child (Order ?)
7. Johnny Winter
Mama, Talk To Your Daughter
To Tell The Truth
Johnny B Goode
Six Feet In The Ground
Leland Mississippi Blues/Rock Me Baby
Mean Mistreater
I Can't Stand It (With Edgar Winter)
Tobacco Road (With Edgar Winter)
Mean Town Blues
8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
(Set One - Acoustic)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Blackbird
Helplessly Hoping
Guinnevere
Marrakesh Express
4 + 20
Mr Soul
Wonderin'
You Don't Have To Cry
(Set Two - Electric)
Pre-road Downs
Long Time Gone
Bluebird
Sea Of Madness
Wooden Ships
(Encore - Acoustic)
Find The Cost Of Freedom
49 bye-byes
9. Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Everything's Gonna Be Alright
Driftin'
Born Under A Bad Sign
All My Love Comin' Through To You
Love March
10. Sha-Na-Na
Na Na Theme
Jakety Jak
Teen Angel
Jailhouse Rock
Wipe Out
Who Wrote The Book Of Love
Duke Of Earl
At The Hop
Na Na Theme
Jimi Hendrix
Live at Woodstock
DVD - Amazon.com
11. Jimi Hendrix (The Gypsy Sun & Rainbows Band)
Message To Love
Hear My Train A Comin'
Spanish Castle Magic
Red House
Master Mind
Here Comes Your Lover Man
Foxy Lady
Beginning
Izabella
Gypsy Woman
Fire
Voodoo Child (slight return)/Stepping Stone
Star Spangled Banner
Purple Haze
Woodstock Improvisation/Villanova Junction
Hey Joe
Hendrix insisted on being the final performer and was scheduled to perform Sunday at midnight.
He didn't take the stage until 9 A.M. on Monday morning and played for 2 hours to a dwindling audience.
Cancelled Acts
Jeff Beck Group (The band broke up in July, forcing cancellation)
Iron Butterfly (Stuck at the airport, their manager demanded helicopters and special arrangements just for them. Were wired back and told, as impolitely as Western Union would allow, "to get lost", but in other 'words'.)
Joni Mitchell (Joni's agent put her on "The Dick Cavett Show" instead)
Lighthouse (Feared that it would be a "bad scene".)
Ethan Brown (Arrested for LSD three days before the event.)
Declined Invitations
The Beatles (John Lennon said he couldn't get them together)
Led Zeppelin (Got a higher paying gig at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in New Jersey that weekend)
Bob Dylan (Turned it down because of his disgust of the hippies hanging around his house)
The Byrds (Turned it down because of a melee during their performance at the first Atlanta International Pop Festival, held at the Atlanta International Raceway on July 4 and July 5, 1969)
Tommy James & the Shondells (Turned it down because of being misinformed about the size and scope of the event)
Jethro Tull (Turned it down because they thought it wouldn't be a big deal.)
The Moody Blues were included in the original posters as performers, but backed out after taking a gig in Paris on the same weekend.
Spirit (they had other shows planned and did not want to back out of their commitments; not knowing how big that Woodstock would ultimately become)
Mind Garage (Declined because they thought it wouldn't be a big deal and had a higher paying gig elsewhere)
Note: Some artists songlists may be incomplete or out-of-order.
If you can correct any songlist, post it below.
Were You At 'Woodstock'? Share Your Stories With Everyone.
Tell us your stories of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
If you've been itching to tell what you did, who you saw, how you survived,
for all these years, here is the place to do it. Some of the songlists are incomplete.
If you can fill in the blanks, please do.
*City:
*State:
*Country: (*Optional)
Comments:
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Went with my big brother and his wife. Had to leave our orange VW and walk. Could not carry everything with us so I said take the camping gear and leave the food. What a mistake. It was like Bob Dylan said we had alot of forks and knifes, needed to cut something. Why did my big brother listen to me?????? Set up the rented tent we had in the middle of a big field. When we got back it was wall to wall tents took forever to find it. It is something I will never forget. When I die I want that in my Obituary
Mike
Chicopee, MA usa - Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 20:03:53 (EDT)I WAS ONLY 12, WE ALREADY LANDED ON THE MOON THAT YEAR.
AS A NEW YORKER AND A YOUNG TEEN BEING INTO SPORTS WE HAD THREE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TO ENJOY.
YOU CAN MIX THEM ALL UP YOU WILL NEVER GET CLOSE TO THE IMPACT THAT WOODSTOCK HAD ON ME.
MY FAMILY WOULD GO TO THE CATSKILLS MOST SUMMERS TO A BUGALOW COLONY WHICH WAS LOCATED RIGHT ON ROUTE 17B.WHITE LAKE WAS RIGHT THERE TOO.
I WAS PLAYING AROUND AND I STARTED TO SEE LOT'S OF PEOPLE COMIMG UP THE HILL. I ASKED WHERE ARE YOU ALL GOING TO.
A YOUNG MAN ABOUT 25 OR SO, WITH A JOINT IN HIS MOUTH SAID WOODSTOCK MAN WOODSTOCK.
I TOLD HIM WOODSTOCK IS NOT HERE IT WAS QUITE A LONG WAY.
HE SAID NO, IT'S WOODSTOCK CONCERT.
I RAN TO MY BUNGALOW TOOK FOOD FROM THE FRIDGERATOR AND A HOSE AND STARTED FEEDING HUNGRY TIRED HIPPIES. THE FOOD WENT QUICK AND I JUST STOOD WITH MY WATER HOSE AND SPRAYED WATER ON PEOPLE.
THIS IS SO UNREAL, A FEW PRETTY GIRLS GOT THIER TOPS SOAKED AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME BESIDES PLAYBOY DID I EVER SEE TITIES.
THE DAY WENT INTO NIGHT AND MORE AND MORE CAME UP ROUTE 17B INTO THE THOUSANDS. I WAS FRIENDLY WITH A POLICE OFFICER AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE NY STATE THROUGH WAY WAS CLOSED BECAUSE OF ALL THE PEOPLE.
MY PARENTS TOLD ME DO NOT GO. MY FRIEND AND I WENT THROUGH THE BACK WOODS FOR ABOUT A MILE AND WE SAW EVERYTHING, THE MUSIC THE MEN AND WOMEN SKINNY DIPPING AND WASHING IN THE LAKE.
I WENT EVERYDAY AND IT WAS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST TIME OF MY LIFE.
Kenny Blum
- Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 01:00:34 (EDT)
We were there. almost in the front row. stage in front army medical tent to my left shoulder. "don't take the brown acid."
james cain
los lunas, new mexico the us of whatever - Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 13:50:04 (EST)
I'm 23 years old, my father is 62 and he went to Woodstock when he was 19. He lived in central NJ and told me his parents didn't want him going (for fear of riots and such) so he woke up early in the morning, brought his dog and picked up his girlfriend. He said the next day there was a photo in the paper of a couple that looked like them and a dog that looked like theirs. I don't think he's sure if it really was them or a look-alike couple+dog but my grandparents saw the photo in the paper and were pissed haha.
I was never really all that into the music of that time, even though my father has played it around me all my life. I do enjoy it in an appreciative type of way, and I do wish I could have gone to the show for the atmosphere and the energy.
I recently found original Woodstock records from a thrift shop and thought my father would love to listen to them in hopes it'll be like a blast from the past type of thing. Maybe we'll spark up and listen to them together haha
Rachell
Neptune, New Jersey USA - Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 23:20:25 (EST)
My wife and I sold almost everything we owned at the time to pay for our trip to Woodstock. We arrived on the 15th and left on the 18th. We were camped out on a hill behind the masses so we had a good view, with the help of my binoculars brought back with me from Vietnam in 1968. It was at times hard to deal with all of the anti-war things going on around me but I didn't voice my opinion because the event was way to special to Linda and myself to ruin it with negativity. Music Lovers to this day To and Linda.
Tom Boggess
Portland, Oregon - Friday, February 10, 2012 at 16:39:01 (EST)
I was 16 years old, I went with 3 friends from Long beach. One of the best things in my life that I did Instead of wishing I had gone. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We were smart enough to go on Thursday, I guess we just it would be a mad house on the roads. All I can say is that you really had to be there to get it.
Steven kaufman
Long Beach , NY US - Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 12:24:42 (EST)
I tried to hitch-hike to Woodstock when I was 17 but got caught up in the northbound traffic mess on the East Coast in August of 1969. Rejected, I headed up back where I started on the Jersey Shore. The consolation was that I got tickets to a show that weekend at the Asbury Park Convention Hall and saw Led Zeppelin. They were the warm-up band for Joe Cocker. That was the first time that I was convinced that Led Zeppelin was the best band I even heard. I have never given up on them as my favorite band of all time to this very day. In fact as an avid fan I made it a point to see them again at Madison Square Garden in 1973. Little did we know at that time that they were filming a movie at that show in NYC..."The Song Remains the Same". That was the second time that Led Zeppelin has turned out to be a landmark in my life and I owed it all to my miscue on Woodstock!
Damon Bruno
Long Branch until 1975, NJ USA - Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 00:30:11 (EST)
Was 24 at the time. Just got back from spending some extended time overseas. I learned Swedish. Had a big hassle with the US Army and got my final discharge a few days before the concert. I was so burnt out from dealing with them that I just crashed. Missed it all. I guess the music and the video's will have to do it. I did jam with Richie Havens in NYC. He was pretty cool.
Bill Robinson
Maplewood, NJ USA - Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 00:59:52 (EST)I was 13 years old. Went to summer school while my parents were traveling in Europe. I had a weekend break and talked my sister into going to this concert. Figured I'd get a ticket somehow. We got separated on day one. The next morning I walked around for 3 hours trying to find the car. I eventually realized that she had left ("I was bored and went home"). No shirt, no shoes no wallet.
I had a glorious time.
I was up for 3 days straight. Hitched back to NYC. They dropped me off by the GW bridge. A cop with a big blue coat and brass buttons bought me a subway token and a pair of flip flops. Went home and slept for 48 hours straight.
Daniel Doman
New York, NY US - Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 18:39:04 (EST)We lived close enough to go and we decided not to. I was 24 and my wife and I had been married for two years, having just moved home from Texas where I was in the Army. We thought it would be too much of a mob scene and we would be surrounded by crazy young kids. And of course, we were right, but how I wish we weren't so stupid. The thing I remember about that weekend was the radio news coming from the New York stations. New York had two "all news" stations at that time, and several top 40 stations with reporters on the scene, as well as traffic helicopters and planes in the air. Updates were frequent, and the initial reports sounded like it was a bad scene. Throughout the weekend, some reporters played up the disaster side of it. Issues like food shortages and drug problems made the headlines. It wasn't until after the weekend was over that we realized, despite the media's panic, that it was an event we should not have missed.
Carl
Harrison, NY USA - Monday, December 05, 2011 at 14:07:47 (EST)I am a 17year old doing a research paper on Woodstock for my history class. (I'm procrastinating right now.) Rock music wouldn't be what it is today without the Woodstock Festival. The four men who got the idea (John Roberts 24 years old, Joel Rosenman 27 years old, Artie Kornfeld 25, and Mike Lang also 25) original planned the festival to fund their consturction of a Rock 'N' Roll retreat and recording studio in Woodstock New York.The original location had been in an industrial park in Wallkill, a smaller town outside of Woodstock. A month or so before the event Wallkill passed a law banning the festival. A man named Max Yasgur saved Woodstock by offering the use of his Dairy farm near Bethel, New York. People started showing up before the workers had time to finish putting the fences and gates up, they were then forced to make it a free festival. Attracting many more people than the predicted 50,000 people. Half a million people attended Woodstock. In the end the founders were over $1million in debt and had 70 lawsuits filed against them. There is no way something like this would happen today.
Crystal WIlkerson
DEKALB, Illinois United States - Thursday, April 07, 2011 at 20:58:28 (EDT)What a flashback finding your site. I was 15 at the time of woodstock and yes, a group of my friends and I had a plan to go without our parents finding out. Our age range was from 15 to 18,there was 7 of us.We did buy our tickets early $18 and we each told our parents that we were going to spend the weekend at each other's houses. We left on Thurs nite in a old cargo van that had pillows, sleeping bags and bean bags tossed all in the back.we arrvied early Friday morning and of course the rest is history. I will share one memory that my brother and I still laugh about. We were to the left of the stage and were tripping on some mighty fine acid,when Sha Na Na came on stage. Well we started to freak, Thinking at first that a bunch of greasers came up from NYC and were going to try and take over the concert. Of course we realized that wasn't true, but to this day we still crack up about it. Oh by the way our parents did find out and we were grounded, but it was worth it.
MJK SPIDER
Phoenix, az USA - Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 18:31:58 (EDT)I was 19, we went up on Saturday, 4 guys and 3 girls in a '68 Firebird rag top. We were told that the concert had been cancelled and the girls rented a room for the night. Us guys were pissed since we had no place to stay and not enough money to rent a room anyway. So we decided to try to get to the concert site.
We drove in the general direction and when we hit a roadblock we detoured around it. We picked up hitch hikers who rode on the hood and trunk and no one bothered us. There was so much traffic that we could not go more than 25 mph. In the late afternoon we finally parked the car about a mile from Yasgar's farm and hiked in. We were handed a mimeographed sheet of paper telling us that we were part of the 4th largest nation on the planet as there were more than 300,000 people in attendance.
There were cottages that lined the road as we walked. The residents had signs offering to sell drinks of water from their garden hoses but we had wisely brought our own. We also carried a blanket, a chess board and 4 small kerosene lanterns that we used to illuminate the chess board after the sun went down.
My friend Dave and I sat far to stage right of the concert playing chess while our other two companions, both named Jack, went down to the lake to skinny dip. We sat there listening to Canned Heat and playing chess until the performances ended. Then we hiked out and drove the car to Monticello to get some dinner. We then decided to try to get back to the concert site and managed to drive directly to the entrance. While looking for a place to park we came across some people who said they were leaving and offered us their prepaid motel room.
We did not go back to the concert on Sunday, we picked up the girls and drove back to Brooklyn. Thank you God for keeping watch over 7 teenagers off on what may have been the greatest adventure of our young lives. My only regret is that I left my camera in the car and took no photos to prove we were there.
Chuck Simms
Tucson, Arizona uSA - Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 08:52:33 (EST)Back then I was still living in the small town of Hornell, NY while looking at life and the draft. One of my best childhood buddies had enlisted in the Coast Guard and was stationed in a small town on the Hudson River and had mentioned a festival was going to happen and we ought to check it out if he could get leave? That was the beginning of the rest of our lives with memories that will last a life time, from being two of the naked bodies in the pond along with hundreds of others, smoking what ever was there, the music, the crowd, it was just every where you looked or crashed. Everybody just got along, shared what they had and lived the dream of the moment which I think we are all still getting a grip on while digesting what had happened to us all? A few years ago my wife was watching a documentary on Woodstock and happened to see people sliding down the hill in the mud and started screaming at me to hurry and see this part. I swear it was Larry Peterson and I with our arms around each other covered in mud just like it was yesterday and tears came down my cheeks as we watched. Years earlier I had told my wife about what we did and to this day I guess we will never know for sure but in my mind I know it was Larry and I!
Steven L. Covell
Thousand Oaks, California America - Thursday, November 03, 2011 at 13:00:35 (EDT)I am only 19 years old but love to hear the stories of Woodstock, and would give any thing to go back to that era. Sadly growing up in the era I have the spirit of the people is no longer there, the music isn't nearly as good. Not only was the '60's full of good weed, LSD and other drugs, but it was full of love and free open spirits which is what we sadly lack in the world today. My step dad and uncle was both at the Festival and every chance I get I ask them to tell me one more memory that they had from Woodstock, and just pretend I was there with them, reading all your stories are truly inspiring and extremely beautiful. Many of you have the same memories as my family has told me but your point of views are entirely different. It has been very groovy to read each one of your stories and hope many many more stories will be posted
LET THE DIRTY FLAG FLY!!!!!!!!!!
Matt C
WV - Sunday, October 09, 2011 at 17:47:36 (EDT)I was 15 and me and my 16 year old buddy were driving around Saturday morning when we heard on the radio that there was a wild scene called Woodstock going on in NY, and Hendrix was going to be there! So we drove to Bethal NY (only about 2 hours) got about 5 miles from the concert, parked the car and started walking until we met a couple of girls who were camping. Ended up staying with them over night and went home the next morning! I guess we forgot we were supposed to see a concert! But I don't remember for sure!
Mark
Kingston, pa - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 17:28:35 (EDT)I joined the Navy in 69, out of boot camp and stationed in Bainbridge, MD. Went to New York with one of my friends, Ron Stark and we bought tickets to Woodstock. We had short hair since we were military and really stood out but had a blast. I was so stoned that my memory is vague but, remember the hassle getting there, the rain, the music, the drugs, and most of all the two lovely little hippie girls that just blew me away. Never will there in the course of human history be an event that could ever come close to the essence of the times. I was so lucky to be there.
Carl Brent
Mobile, Alabama Mobile - Monday, August 29, 2011 at 05:04:27 (EDT)Got there the wednesday before show & just hung out,me & friend hitched from Kearny,NJ,We left after Country Joe & the Fish sunday.ended up missing alot of good bands but after sleeping in mud or should I say hardly sleeping for 5 days was offered a ride home & I still to this day do not reme,ber anything about the ride home,probably slept all the way home & rest of riders have passed away,most memmorable moment for me was when Sly & Family Stone playing Want to Take You Higher & could feel the ground rumble under my feet from everyone stomping there feet,Also remember seeing alot of naked women & for a 16 year old was a really big deal
Greg H
Kearny[Bradley Beach], NJ - Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 10:53:17 (EDT)I believe that your line up is based on the anticipated pre-show schedule. A few of Friday's performers had trouble getting there and were rescheduled for Saturday, and at least one opted to wait until it wasn't raining. (The Incredible String Band, who later admitted that coming in after Santana was a mistake; the crowd was already rocked out and they wanted the heavy stuff.) Here's the line up I have:
■Richie Havens (followed by Swami Satchidananda, who gave the invocation)
■Sweetwater
■Bert Sommer
■Tim Hardin
■Ravi Shankar
■Melanie Safka
■Arlo Guthrie
■Joan Baez
Saturday, August 16
■Quill
■Country Joe McDonald
■John Sebastian
■Keef Hartley Band
■Santana
■The Incredible String Band
■Canned Heat
■Mountain
■Grateful Dead
■Creedence Clearwater Revival
■Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band
■Sly & the Family Stone
■The Who
Sunday, August 17 to
Monday, August 18
■Jefferson Airplane
■Joe Cocker
■Country Joe and the Fish
■Ten Years After
■The Band
■Johnny Winter
■Blood, Sweat & Tears
■Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
■Paul Butterfield Blues Band
■Sha-Na-Na
■Jimi Hendrix
Karen
Stuart, FL US - Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 12:47:07 (EDT)Was 16 at the time. Some guys from school and I were going to go. We had all got our tickets and were going to go in my VW Bug. My Dad found out, took not only the battery out of my car, but pulled the distributor as well. He told me he would break my legs if I tried to leave. He gave me a radio, plugged it in and said, "Here listen all you want". I listened to what I could on 89 WLS. My wife says she's glad I didn't go, as I would have partaken of a little 'Herb', a little wiskey and probably never come 'Down' to get home. To this day, whenever I here Joe Cocker sing "With A Little Help From My Freinds", I get cold chills. - I wonder ??????
Hank
Indiana - Monday, August 15, 2011 at 07:24:36 (EDT)I came upon a posting that asked who the guitarist was for Paul Butterfield at Woodstock. That was Howard "Buzzy" Fieiten, a child wonder who jammed with Eric Clapton as part of Cream on their first tour of the U.S.
The comment has also been made that the performances were generally pretty poor. I would say that is true of many of the big name groups, particularly the Grateful Dead. They were so bad that Jerry Garcia later commented that it showed the loyalty of their fans that they remained popular after that miserable showing. Many of the best acts were complete unknowns, who afterwards went back to being complete unknowns.
I have several memories that I would appreciate if someone could fill me in on. One of them was at the final approach to the farm. We arrived a couple of days early and there was an "amusement park", carnival rides etc.? This was on the actual grounds of the festival, but it seemed to vanish by the time of the actual festival. Was I hallucinating? I suspect that someone who helped set up would know about this.
My second memory is that Janis Joplin performed on a live video projection onto a big screen, a great idea. However it was not shared with any other act. Anyone know anything about this?
Woodstock is great memory of what now feels like a long time ago. It is too large a story to capture in this context, but I am grateful for the opportunity to read the experiences of others.
Lee Wolfson
Mahtomedi, Minnesota United States - Friday, August 12, 2011 at 16:46:40 (EDT)I was 19 at the time of the festival. Several days before the festival began a friend was telling me about it and we made vague plans to go. We knew some people who were going and tried to bum a ride with them without success. My friend Bob showed up at my house one morning with plans to hitch a ride, I said OK and we were off. I had $1.50 and a grabbed a can of lentil soup from my mothers cupboard. We put our thumbs out on Sunrise Highway and soon got a ride. West however far you can take us Bob said. Where are you going asked the driver? Woodstock! We got our first ride into Queens and we were let off at the on ramp to the Cross Island Parkway. Our next ride brought us to the Cross Bronx just after the toll booth. We walked quite a bit after that as there was no where anyone could safely stop. I remember how scary it was on the Cross Bronx getting through the underpasses on a thin catwalk, cars flying by beeping. A van flew by and someone yelled out the window. We didnt notice immediately but they had pulled over at the entrance to an off ramp about 200 feet up the road. We ran up to the van and some guy said get in and something about us getting killed on the road where we were. Where you guys going he asked. Woodstock! There was a brief silence and a short conversation between the driver and the other two guys. The guy who told us to get in said well so are we and you guys are a day too early It turns out that the guys in the van were part of the stage crew who were heading up to Bethel to make some modifications to the stage or so they said. The ride took about six hours with the last 10 miles being two of those three hours. We were let out of the van at a gated area across the street in back of the stage area. We spent the first several hours looking for people we knew were going there with the hope that we could join their camp and stay in their tent. That never happened. We ended up hanging out with a group of strangers at a camp site in a big circle around a fire. There was a station wagon with an amp and an electric guitar. I played a few tunes (The Doors) and Bob joined the party circle. With no place to stay we looked around for some kind shelter. On the road in back of the stage, not far from where we were dropped off there was a small stream which appeared to be part of a farm. There was a big barn off in the distance. We made our way to the barn and were stopped by a couple of girls from Ohio who told us it was private property. We spoke with the girls who were not willing to let us hang out with them. They had a small tent. They gave us a box of whit powdered doughnuts. Not far from the stream was a partially collapsed chicken coop which Bob and I took residence in during a brief downpour. The chicken crap was piled high on one end. We moved some things around and set up camp. Lentil soup for dinner out of the can heated over some burning sticks. Walking around aimlessly visiting different groups of people partying was the next event. Bob was in heaven, I was drug and alcohol free. Sleeping in the coop was manageable. The following morning we made our way along the stream which flowed under the street in back of the stage along the chain link fence left of the stage area. The fence had been completely trampled and we made our way in front of the stage about 100 feet back into the crowd and claimed a spot. As I recall there was a meditation chant before Richie Havens took the stage. I was in awe of the music. We stayed in that spot for several hours before we went on our search for food. The $1.50 and whatever Bob had bought us a hoagie, yum. There was a pickup truck with some guys giving out apples too. We were back and forth from the music to the off central parties, the announcements to get down from the scaffolds and the unsuccessful search for the Hog Farm. The evening of the second day after swimming in a pond we discovered the corn field. It was probable grain corn but it was not fully formed and cooked well in an open fire with 10 Years After barely audible in the background. Lack of food, water, proper shelter after others discovered our chicken coop and the unrelenting feeling of being soaked to the marrow made for a miserable but memorable experience. The last day proved to be just as interesting. Following the masses away from the fair grounds was a tiresome trek. People and cars moved at a slow but steady crawl. Some car owners allowed people to sit on their cars to ride out. Although this was no faster than walking it provided some rest. Someone overturned a pretzel vender who was charging way too much for stale damp pretzels and was handing out pretzels. We had a hand full and some guy in a car asked for one. We asked if we could sit on his car and he offered to us to get in rather than risk scratching his paint, a red firebird. The driver was from East Islip only about 10 miles from Patchogue where we started from. How fortuitous for us as we procured a ride home. I returned to Woodstock at Bethel some years ago. The small stream is still there on a nicely manicured private property with a ranch style home. The chicken coop and the barn are gone and the memories are fading but it still brings a smile to my face when people say with amazement. you were at Woodstock.
Sal LaFemina
Blue Point, New York - Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 15:14:04 (EDT)I was 17 that summer just graduated from High School in June, when a friend from Brooklyn phoned me and asked if I wanted to come up then go to a Concert later that summer little did I know the Odyssey that it would lead too. The best part is I came too two weeks after the concert in up state Vermont on a commune and made back to the Burgh in time to start classes, and I still use the pierced ear that I received that Friday..
Com
Orlando, FL USA - Monday, August 08, 2011 at 18:36:58 (EDT)Friends and I got all excited about going, but it was a week or two before the end of college summer quarter and we had projects due and exams . . . and, anyway, there would undoubtedly be others to go to.
Carolyn Buschbacher
Cincinnati, OH - Tuesday, August 02, 2011 at 21:07:02 (EDT)Being at Woodstock left me feeling exhilarated and part of something so amazing. Being surrounded by the music, the hippies, the rain, the drugs and sex. A shameless feeling of freedom in every way. I thought this was the beginning of the "new world" that our generation would create. Since then, I have been saddened by the reality that our generation lost its way and became more materialistic than our parents generation. What a shame.
Robert
New York, NY USA - Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 18:06:01 (EDT)MAn it was the trip OF A LIFETIME. OH MAN,we got to NEW York State. Finally WEVE made it, BUT, little did we know IT WAS A LONG WAY yet to WOODSTOCK. We were 16 and 18 and I think David was 19 . Three Southern Hippies that heard of a Big Rock concert and decided to take a road trip. Im talkin we heard about it say on Sunday afternoon and headed out Monday morning in a 65 Chevy Bel Air. All it took was hearing Joe Cocker May be there and Joplin. WE WERE SET. Raided our savings and hit the road. We were lucky that no mechanical problems happened but my buddy Mike got bad sick from some things that grow in cow droppings and we had to take him to a hospital in Virginia. That held us up for about 12 hours and we made it by Wednesday I think. It was the greatest experience of my life and both my buds are passed now. Both from Cancer. We were friends for life. But it had to be the longest trip back I ever experienced. No air conditioner and it was so hot we were riding on fumes when we coasted in home. I wouldnt trade it for nothing. WE MADE SOME GOOD FRIENDS AND HAD SOME GREAT LIFE LONG MEMORIES TO TELL OUR KIDS. WOODSTOCK MEMORIES A SOUTHERN BOYS DREAM. We never new the history that was going to be. God Bless the Farmers that helped us out when we were n need of just a glass of water. It was like drinking HEAVEN. I WILL ALWAYS HAVE WOODSTOCK IN MY DREAMS. ELMO
Elmo
BUM--CK, SC USA - Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 13:52:23 (EDT)I was 21 and my brother was 20 when we went. My brother went early and helped to set up. I arrived Friday afternoon with a couple of girls and had to sit far up the hill. I was feeling no pain and all of a sudden this shape came flying at me. It was my brother. How he found me in all those people(and in his compromised state) I'll never know.
One of the best experiences of my life.
Mike Rock
Syracuse, New York USA - Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 12:05:24 (EDT)MUD hippies and drugs- oh yes the music- the hippies thought the farmers were stuip hicks- yea at $5 for a can of coke who is a jerk
tom
new york, ny usa - Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 19:26:38 (EDT)I was living in Worcester,Mass.in 1969. I hitch-hiked to NYC in spring 1969 and saw a poster in a bookstore for an upcoming music festival to be held in upper N.Y.state later in the year. I kept this info in the back of my mind.I turned 19 in June.Later that summer I heard a buzz about the upcoming music festival I had seen a poster of. That Friday
evening of the first day of the festival a friend and I decided on the spur of the moment to hitch out to it. No food, money or supplies, just the clothes on our backs. We got to the entrance of the Mass Pike and were picked up by an old Cadillac ambulance. In it were a bunch of people who asked us where we were headed.I said we were going to this Woodstock thing.They were also headed there.I forget where they were from, maybe Boston, as I ran into them a couple of more times at other music venues after that. We stopped for gas at the Charlton rest area on the pike. There were other"freaks"(us included) at the rest area and the general consensus was EVERYBODY was going to Woodstock!
You could just "feel" the excitement building.I could sense that this was gonna be a BIG event.Back into the ambulance we all piled in, maybe eight or ten of us.Out come the pipes, the joints, and wine.
Rockin'&rollin;',we get onto the New York Thruway. I remember at the toll booth, a hand drawn sign saying "Woodstock,exit something or other". I guess the attendant just got tired of being asked.
Now at some point during the night, My buddy and I are now in a car with a couple of other guys. I don't remember when,why or how we changed vehicles, but the four of us are getting close to the festival site, as there is unbelievable traffic and people everywhere. At this point I have no idea where we are, but I don't care. I remember a torrential downpour, and I'm glad I'm in a car, nice and dry. I remember asking the guys if they have any food, as I'm starving.
They say they have some "brownies" that they made,help yourself.
I don't know how much I ate, but it musta been quite a bit.
The rain stops, and so does traffic.Somebody says to us to just pull over, as we couldn't drive any further.So we did.Now begins the long treck,and I don't know what I'm in for.
Mobs of people, all heading in one direction. All sorts of people, young, and not so young.It's hot and steamy. We walk and walk, what seemed like for miles.The further we go, the bigger the crowd gets.
Finally, I hear music. I see a fence, towers, vehicles of all shapes and sizes parked everywhere around.We are at the backside of the stage. I hear this drum solo, and I think, this must be the Iron Butterfly doing "Inna-godda-davida", as I remember their name on the poster I saw in NYC.(Later when I saw the movie did I realize that it was Santana, whom I hadn't heard of at the time.I don't think they had released their first album as of yet.)
We has to walk around the fence to get to the"seating" area to see the front of the stage.That was when I saw the ENORMOUNTY of the crowd.
It was overwhelming to see the massive size of the crowd.As far as the eye could see, all the way up to the top of the hill.
Thirsty as hell, somebody told us that there were concession stands at the top. So we trudged up and stood in line at a stand. When we got to the stand, they were sold out. Next stand, next line, same thing, sold out.Bumma, bumma.
Back down the hill, there was some guys SELLING water, for a BUCK!
Unheard of, selling water and for a buck!!! in 1969 !But hey, we were thirsty. I didn't have any money, But my buddy, Tommy Murphy, did have some, lucky for us.
I remember seeing skinny-dippers at the pond.They didn't care who saw them.They was just digging it.
So many people, doing so many things, partying, grooving,just having a good time.
But Tommy had had enough.It was getting towards sundown and he wasn't much of a "freak".So we started the walk back towards the road, the highway, the Thruway.
I remember getting into a car full of girls. Don't remember where they were going, but I know I fell asleep leaning against one of them.
Anyways, it was Sunday morning, and I was back in Worcester.
I think I had fun, I don't remember alot of it, but what I do remember,I'll never forget.
Mondo Ronzoni
- Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 14:33:46 (EDT)I was 15 and went with a friend from summer school. I told my mother I was sleeping over my friend's house and he told his he was sleeping over mine. What an adventure that was. It was a weekend of firsts for us both. I won't get into specifics but I haven't been the same since :)
Did anyone find my sleeping bag?
Robert Burdick
Deerfield Beach, FL US - Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 20:29:49 (EDT)I am a 17year old doing a research paper on Woodstock for my history class. (I'm procrastinating right now.) Rock music wouldn't be what it is today without the Woodstock Festival. The four men who got the idea (John Roberts 24 years old, Joel Rosenman 27 years old, Artie Kornfeld 25, and Mike Lang also 25) original planned the festival to fund their consturction of a Rock 'N' Roll retreat and recording studio in Woodstock New York.The original location had been in an industrial park in Wallkill, a smaller town outside of Woodstock. A month or so before the event Wallkill passed a law banning the festival. A man named Max Yasgur saved Woodstock by offering the use of his Dairy farm near Bethel, New York. People started showing up before the workers had time to finish putting the fences and gates up, they were then forced to make it a free festival. Attracting many more people than the predicted 50,000 people. Half a million people attended Woodstock. In the end the founders were over $1million in debt and had 70 lawsuits filed against them. There is no way something like this would happen today.
Crystal WIlkerson
DEKALB, Illinois United States - Thursday, April 07, 2011 at 20:58:28 (EDT)What a flashback finding your site.I was 15 at the time of woodstock and yes, a group of my friends and I had a plan to go without our parents finding out. Our age range was from 15 to 18,there was 7 of us.We did buy our tickets early $18 and we each told our parents that we were going to spend the weekend at each other's houses. We left on Thurs nite in a old cargo van that had pillows, sleeping bags and bean bags tossed all in the back.we arrvied early Friday morning and of course the rest is history. I will share one memory that my brother and I still laugh about. We were to the left of the stage and were tripping on some mighty fine acid,when Sha Na Na came on stage. Well we started to freak, Thinking at first that a bunch of greasers came up from NYC and were going to try and take over the concert. Of course we realized that wasn't true, but to this day we still crack up about it. Oh by the way our parents did find out and we were grounded, but it was worth it.
MJK SPIDER
Phoenix, az USA - Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 18:31:58 (EDT)Woodstock is over rated musically - only CCR, Jini Hendrix, Janis Joplin,The who, and C,S& N had more than 3 hits when they played santana - no, Grateful dead-no, etc. combined hits ( top 40 or more)-grand total -the greatest festivals ever was the Us festival 1& 2 -all bands at their prime- combined top 40 hits over 260- I agree all festivals are fun and woodstock had some great music but ( have some guts -pass this on start a debate) but if you have any musical integrity-the US festivals rule-it was clean- run well=you could party and play pinball with rock stars - (I had backstage passes)Gang of Four the Ramones the dead the clash the kinks David Bowie ( Modern love tour) the Pretenders Ozzy B-52's Talking Heads inxs Van Halen Motley Crue Judas Priest Willie Nelson and many many others
Walt
Tacoma , Wa USA - Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 00:12:06 (EDT)I ordered the 3 day ticket from an ad in the local paper and went up with 2 guys from home. We got there Friday afternoon and the fence was already down. As we drove toward the "place," the traffic just stopped and that's where we parked. Eddie's mom had packed a picnic basket, which we left in the car. We walked toward where everyone else was going, it was all abuzz with excitement. People were dressed in the most colorful manner, selling their wares along the newly trod path through the cool green woods. Merry pranksters were practicing t'ai chi, nursing babies, corralling flocks of kids of all ages. We walked up to and over the lip of the natural ampitheatre, walked down to a comfy spot on the grass about 30 feet from the stage and a bit on the stage left. I spied my cousins and their friends, ran to say hello. They told me where their tent was and I took a mental note, but by the time we tried to locate them the following day, the directions were all wrong. We three sat on our 2 sleeping bags...Moonbeam didn't bring one, but he drove. Everyone was quite cordial with their neighbors, anticipating but not knowing what we were in store for. Waiting in the heat we watched the workers putting the last touches on the stage and towers. We kept looking for our friends who were supposed to show up but we never found them. Friday went off like a dream until the well-documented rain. We slid down behind the stage in the mud and took cover in a stand of trees in our two sleeping bags. Moon and I quarrelled but still shared the sleeping bag. Eddie left the next day, he was too bummed out by our spat, but left the picnic basket for us. We ate, found a place to pee, and wash up a bit, then parked the sleeping bag in a tight section near the few consessions and never-ending two-way foot traffic on the ridge. We communed with our new neighbors for the Saturday line-up, slept in that spot, and woke up hungry to Grace Slick. Sunday we ate dry granola, water, and enjoyed more music until the rain came again. I stood up and said I'm going home, so I missed Jimi. Yeah, it changed my life.
Lorri Spada
Pittsburgh, PA USA - Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 00:04:48 (EDT)I was born in 1978, so obviously I was not at woodstock. But in Highschool I did an essay on woodstock and ever since I have been in love with knowing more about it. My father who was 19 yrs old at the time of woodstock DID ATTEND! I have heard his story of the event over a million times, but never get tired of hearing it! I have enjoyed very much reading other people's experiences of woodstock. Ohhhh what I would have given to see Joplin sing!!!!
Andrea
Round Rock, Texas - Friday, March 04, 2011 at 18:48:54 (EST)I had just gotten back from the Nam in 68 and married in 69 with a baby on the way and decided not to go as I had enough of sleeping in mud. The wife and I were taking a ride north of the Mohawk river and stopped for a young fellow with a back pack. When I asked him where he was going he said to Woodstock. He had no idea of where that was and was headed in the wrong direction. So we took him all the way to route 20 and 10 and headed him south on 10, he only had about 100 miles to go, hope he got there.
I am watching the movie on TV tonight and have not regrets, but it was a significant event fo the sixties.
peace.
Bill Allen
Remsen, NY USofA - Friday, March 04, 2011 at 00:48:40 (EST)
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