Thirty-two musical acts graced the Woodstock stage.
The Woodstock Music and Art Festival, held from August 15 to 18, 1969, in Bethel, New York, was a historic gathering of legendary rock, folk, and soul artists. This four-day event, famously held on a farm, brought together some of the most iconic musicians and bands of the 1960s.
The Lineup
The festival opened with Richie Havens, who performed eight songs including "Freedom". Other notable acts included Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Canned Heat, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band, and Jimi Hendrix.
Hendrix, who closed the festival, played a legendary set including his iconic rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Notable Performances
The Who's setlist included "Pinball Wizard", "See Me, Feel Me", and "My Generation". Sly and the Family Stone's set featured hits like "Everyday People" and "Dance to the Music". Hendrix's closing set famously included "Purple Haze", "Hey Joe", and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Highlights from the Festival
- Sweetwater, a psychedelic rock/classical fusion band, was the first to perform at the festival.
- Ravi Shankar, known for teaching George Harrison to play the sitar, played five songs in the rain at Woodstock.
- Janis Joplin gave a spirited execution of 10 songs at Woodstock, starting around 2 a.m., including "To Love Somebody", "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)", and "Piece of My Heart".
- Sly and the Family Stone played eight songs at Woodstock, starting around 3:30 a.m., including "Dance to the Music", "Stand!", "Everyday People" and "I Want to Take You Higher".
- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young began their 16-song set around 3 a.m. Sunday night (or make that Monday morning). Their nine-song acoustic set included "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "Marrakesh Express". The electric set that followed included "Long Time Gone" and "Find the Cost of Freedom".
- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band's five-song set at Woodstock included "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", "Driftin'", and "Born Under a Bad Sign".
- Bert Sommer, a former member of The Left Banke, played 10 songs at the festival, including "Jennifer" and "America".
- Jimi Hendrix insisted on closing the show and played a 16-song set that featured hits such as "Foxy Lady", "Purple Haze" and "Hey Joe". He also played a striking and memorable rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". Hendrix was found dead in London on Sept. 18, 1970, from an overdose of sleeping pills.
- The Who performed a 24-song set at Woodstock, beginning around 5 a.m. Sunday morning and including many songs from their rock opera "Tommy". At the conclusion of their set, Pete Townshend slammed his guitar into the stage and threw it into the crowd.
- The festival was initially supposed to be hosted by Woodstock but was cancelled due to rumors of a million-person attendance.
- Melanie, who made her first recording at age 5, performed two songs at Woodstock, including "Beautiful People".
- Farmer Max Yasgur allowed the concert to take place on his alfalfa field, hosting over 500,000 attendees.
- The Band's 11-song set at Woodstock included the songs "Tears of Rage", "Long Black Veil" and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever".
- Jefferson Airplane's eight-song set took off at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. This psychedelic rock band from San Francisco performed such hits as "Volunteers", "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" at Woodstock.
- Arlo Guthrie, the son of folk singer Woody Guthrie, played "Coming into Los Angeles", "Walking Down the Line" and "Amazing Grace" at Woodstock.
- Sha Na Na performed nine songs at Woodstock, including "Yakety Yak", "Wipe Out" and "At the Hop".
- Blood, Sweat and Tears performed five songs at Woodstock, including "Spinning Wheel" and "Something Coming On".
- Ten Years After performed five songs at Woodstock, including "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "Help Me" and "I'm Going Home".
- Johnny Winter performed nine songs at Woodstock, including two with his brother Edgar Winter, also a blues singer with albinism. The set included "Johnny B. Goode", "I Can't Stand It" and "Tobacco Road".
- Tim Hardin, a Greenwich Village folk musician, performed only two songs solo at the festival, "Misty Roses" and "If I Were a Carpenter".
- Creedence Clearwater Revival performed an 11-song set at Woodstock, including "Bad Moon Rising" and "Proud Mary". Their performance was not included in the Woodstock film or album due to lead singer John Fogerty's dislike of it.
- Richie Havens started the concert around 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15, playing eight songs including "Motherless Child".
- Joe Cocker took the stage around 2 p.m. and performed five songs, including his version of The Beatles' song "With a Little Help from My Friends", as well as "Something's Goin' On".
This lineup represents a historic gathering of legendary rock, folk, and soul artists that helped define the cultural and musical spirit of the late 1960s.
- The Woodstock Music and Art Festival offered a wide variety of entertainment, featuring not only rock and folk artists but also soul musicians, such as Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, and Joe Cocker.
- Pop-culture icons, like Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Who, showcased their music in the realms of sci-fi and fantasy, as evidenced by their iconic performances at the festival.
