Woodstock: How It Began
The Bands and Big Money
The song Woodstock was written by someone who wasn’t even there!
First, some background.
The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival was held August 15, 16 and 17 (due to inclement weather the festival was extended to August 18th) on the 600-acre farm of Max Yasgur in Bethel, New York.
Thirty-two acts performed at the festival. Ticket prices were $18 in advance and $24 at the gate for all three days. Attendance numbers vary between 200,000 and 400,000, most of whom did not pay to get in.
The name Woodstock has always had an earthy, hippie, back-to-nature feel to it. But in fact, the name Woodstock was all about money. The reason the event was called ‘Woodstock’ was because an investment company known as Woodstock Ventures put up the money to put the show on.
The song Woodstock became a huge hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. But CSN&Y didn’t write the song. Graham Nash’s then-girlfriend Joni Mitchell did.
Mitchell did not perform at Woodstock because her manager told her it would be more advantageous to her career to appear on The Dick Cavett Show instead.
Mitchell’s inspiration for the song came from what she heard from Nash about Woodstock and from televised news reports about the festival that she watched from her hotel room in New York City.
The band Matthews Southern Comfort whose leader was Ian Matthews of Fairport Convention fame did a cover of the song.
Woodstock
I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, where are you going
And this he told me
I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farm
I’m going to join in a rock ’n’ roll band
I’m going to camp out on the land
I’m going to try an’ get my soul free
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it’s the time of man
I don’t know who l am
But you know life is for learning
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation
We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devil’s bargain
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
Songwriters: MITCHELL, JONI
Woodstock lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Woodstock 1969 Lineup
Day One: Friday, August 15, 1969
Richie Havens
1. Minstrel From Gault
2. High Flyin’ Bird
3. I Can’t Make It Anymore
4. With A Little Help
5. Strawberry Fields For Ever
6. Hey Jude
7. I Had A Woman
8. Handsome Johnny
9. Freedom
Sweetwater
1. Motherless Child
2. Look Out
3. For Pete’s Sake
4. Day Song
5. What’s Wrong
6. Crystal Spider
7. Two Worlds
8. Why Oh Why
Bert Sommer
1. Jennifer
2. The Road To Travel
3. I wondered where you’d be
4. She’s Gone
5. Things Are Going My Way
6. And When It’s Over
7. Jeanette
8. America (first standing ovation at Woodstock)
9. A Note That Read
10. Smile
Tim Hardin
1. Misty Roses
2. If I Were A Carpenter
Ravi Shankar
1. Raga Puriya-Dhanashri / Gat In Sawarital
2. Tabla Solo In Jhaptal
3. Raga Manj Kmahaj / Alap Jor / Dhun In Kaharwa Tal / Medium & Fast Gat In Teental
Melanie
1. Beautiful People
2. Birthday Of The Sun
Arlo Guthrie
1. Coming Into Los Angeles
2. Walking Down The Line
3. Amazing Grace
Joan Baez
1. Joe Hill
2. Sweet Sir Galahad
3. Drug Store Truck Driving Man
4. Swing Low Sweet Chariot
5. We Shall Overcome
Day Two: Saturday, August 16, 1969
Quill
1. They Live the Life
2. That’s How I Eat
3. Driftin’
4. Waitin’ For You
Country Joe McDonald
1. I Find Myself Missing You
2. Rockin’ All Around The World
3. Flyin’ High All Over The World
4. Seen A Rocket
5. Fish Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing-To-Die-Rag
John B. Sebastian
1. How Have You Been
2. Rainbows All Over Your Blues
3. I Had A Dream
4. Darlin’ Be Home Soon
5. Younger Generation
Keef Hartley Band
1. Believe In You
2. Rock Me Baby
3. Leavin’ Trunk/Halfbreed/Just To Cry/And Sinnin’ For You
Santana
1. Persuasion
2. Savor
3. Soul Sacrifice
4. Fried Neckbones
Incredible String Band
1. Catty Come
2. This Moment Is Different
3. When You Find Out Who You Are
Canned Heat
1. I’m Her Man
2. Going Up the Country
3. A Change Is Gonna Come
4. Leaving This Town
5. The Bear Talks
6. Let’s Work Together
7. Too Many Drivers at the Wheel
8. I Know My Baby
9. Woodstock Boogie
10. On the Road Again
Grateful Dead
1. St. Stephen
2. Mama Tried
3. Dark Star / High Time
4. Turn On Your Lovelight
Leslie West & Mountain
1. Blood Of The Sun
2. Stormy Monday
3. Theme From An Imaginary Western
4. Long Red
5. For Yasgur’s Farm
6. You And Me
7. Waiting To Take You Away
8. Dreams Of Milk And Honey
9. Blind Man
10. Blue Suede Shoes
11. Southbound Train
Creedence Clearwater Revival
1. Born On The Bayou
2. Green River
3. Ninety-Nine And A Half
4. Commotion
5. Bootleg
6. Bad Moon Rising
7. Proud Mary
8. I Put A Spell On You
9. Night Time Is The Right Time
10. Keep On Choogin’
11. Suzy Q
Janis Joplin
1. Raise Your Hand
2. As Good As You’ve Been To This World
3. To Love Somebody
4. Summertime
5. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
6. Kosmic Blues
7. Can’t Turn You Loose
8. Work Me Lord
9. Piece Of My Heart
10. Ball and Chain
Sly & The Family Stone
1. M’Lady
2. Sing A Simple Song
3. You Can Make It If You Try
4. Stand!
5. Love City
6. Dance To The Music
7. Music Lover
8. I Want To Take You Higher
The Who
1. Heaven And Hell
2. I Can’t Explain
3. It’s A Boy
4. 1921
5. Amazing Journey
6. Sparks
7. Eyesight To The Blind
8. Cristmas
9. Tommie Can You Hear Me
10. Acid Queen
11. Pinball Wizard
12. Abbie Hoffmann Incident
13. Fiddle About
14. There’s A Doctor I’ve Found
15. Go To The Mirror Boy
16. Smash The Mirror
17. I’m Free
18. Tommy’s Holiday Camp
19. We’re Not Gonna Take It
20. See Me Feel Me
21. Summertime Blues
22. Shakin’ All Over
23. My Generation
24. Naked Eye
Jefferson Airplane
1. The Other Side Of This Life
2. Plastic Fantastic Lover
3. Volunteers
4. Saturday Afternoon / Won’t You Try
5. Eskimo Blue Day
6. Uncle Sam’s Blues
7. Somebody To Love
8. White Rabbit
Day Three: Sunday, August 17. 1969
Joe Cocker
1. Delta Lady
2. Some Things Goin’ On
3. Let’s Go Get Stoned
4. I Shall Be Released
5. With A Little Help From My Friends
Country Joe & The Fish
1. Barry’s Caviar Dream
2. Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
3. Rock And Soul Music
4. Thing Called Love
5. Love Machine
6. Fish Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing-To-Die-Rag
Ten Years After
1. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
2. I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes
3. I May Be Wrong, But I Won’t Be Wrong Always
4. I’m Going Home
The Band
1. Chest Fever
2. Don’t Do It
3. Tears Of Rage
4. We Can Talk About It Now
5. Long Black Veil
6. Don’t Ya Tell Henry
7. Ain’t No More Cane on the Brazos
8. Wheels On Fire
9. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
10. The Weight
Johnny Winter
1. Mama, Talk To Your Daughter
2. Leland Mississippi blues
3. Mean Town Blues
4. You’ve Done Lost Your Good Thing Now/Mean Mistreater
5. I Can’t Stand It (with Edgar Winter)
6. Tobacco Road (with Edgar Winter)
7. Tell The Truth (with Edgar Winter)
8. Johnny B. Goode
Blood, Sweat and Tears
1. More and More
2. Just One Smile
3. Something Coming On
4. More Than You’ll Ever Know
5. Spinning Wheel
6. Sometimes in Winter
7. Smiling Phases
8. God Bless The Child
9. I Stand Accused
10. And When I Die
11. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
1. Suite Judy Blue Eyes
2. Blackbird
3. Helplessly Hoping
4. Guinnevere
5. Marrakesh Express
6. 4 + 20
7. Mr Soul
8. Wonderin’
9. You Don’t Have To Cry
10. Pre-Road Downs
11. Long Time Gone
12. Bluebird Revisited
13. Sea Of Madness
14. Wooden Ships
15. Find The Cost Of Freedom
16. 49 Bye-Byes
Day Four: Monday, August 18. 1969
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
1. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
2. Driftin’
3. Born Under A Bad Sign
4. All My Love Comin’ Through To You
5. Love March
Sha Na Na
1. Na Na Theme
2. Jakety Jak
3. Teen Angel
4. Jailhouse Rock
5. Wipe Out
6. Who Wrote The Book Of Love
7. Duke Of Earl
8. At The Hop
9. Na Na Theme
Jimi Hendrix
1. Message To Love
2. Getting My Heart Back Together Again
3. Spanish Castle Magic
4. Red House
5. Master Mind
6. Here Comes Your Lover Man
7. Foxy Lady
8. Beginning
9. Izabella
10. Gypsy Woman
11. Fire
12. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Stepping Stone
13. Star Spangled Banner
14. Purple Haze
15. Woodstock Improvisation / Villanova Junction
16. Hey Joe
Courtesy: DigitalDreamDoor.com
