It appears that we have arrived. I set the controls for the Magic Old School Bus to set us down at the front of the traffic for this trip back to Woodstock so we can have a good spot for me to hang the microphone out the window.
Woodstock was a once in many lifetimes phenomenon that has yet to be equalled. Nobody could plan what it ultimately became, or sketch out the results ahead of time.
“Young Men with Unlimited Capitol Looking for Interesting, Legitimate Investment Opportunities.” — Classified ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, March 1968
The results were too big for one movie even if it was the director’s cut, too big for a boxed set, to big for over a half century of recollections. Too big for a cow pasture in upstate New York, the one we know as Yasgur’s farm.
Less than a month after one generation had taken us to the moon, the next would bring us down to earth.
Woodstock did a lot of things wrong. There wasn’t enough food or sanitation. There was no shelter, so the crowd got soaked It was set up in the beginning as a commercial venture, to film some of the best music acts of the day, and hope to recoup the losses in the movie houses. So much had gone wrong 24 hours into the event, the promoters were sure they had lost millions, yet they were giggling along with everyone else.
This of course was because an astounding number of people had showed up. There had been other rock festivals. But at Bethel ground zero, the sheer number of people flooded the system, shut down the highway, and created a temporary hippie city out in the middle of nowhere. A city whose purpose existed solely to hear live music, expand one’s consciousness, and perhaps get close to the hundreds of thousands of soulmates who happened to be milling around.
At the time some of the acts were huge, but many were new and starting out. All of them, regardless of success, were considered the underground music of the time. Stars included The Who and Janis Joplin. Crosby Stills and Nash had just added Neil Young, Woodstock was their second live performance. Santana was a new band. The Jefferson Airplane and Creedence Clearwater Revival had put songs in the Top 10, but Sweetwater and Bert Sommer were virtual unknowns. Blood Sweat and Tears represented one end of the musical food chain, The Incredible String Band the other.
In this time of streaming and podcast dreaming, I was thinking it would be cool to make an 8 hour loop for sleepers. The music is definitely loopy at times, but at three o’clock in the morning when Sly Stone took the stage, nobody was sleeping.
Theground rules are minimum. This is mostly a music memory mediation meditation . I want to walk around and pick up some crowd sounds, like NPR does when they interview somebody somewhere that they wash dishes.
The bands you hear will be in the order they appeared. So we start on Friday Aug 15, and pack up Monday the 18th around noon when the closer finally gets on. I’ll let you know where we are in time every now and then, but you’ll have Shazam and Chip Monck for that. Although there is a fun conversation with the late Joe Cocker on what it looked like from his tie dyed vantage point.
So as they said after the big thunderstorm during Santana on Saturday afternoon, let’s dive in. We are about to get ourselves back to rock history’s most celebrated secret garden. Keep it chill and mellow. There are 60 pay phones here, and 400,000 people. We are stardust, we are golden. And Richie Havens is taking the stage. Let us now submerge into a podcast we like to call WOODSTOCK STREAM (A HIPPIE DREAM).
Straight from Wikipedia, here is a complete list of artists and their set lists. All times Eastern.
Friday, August 15 to Saturday, August 16
The first day officially began at 5:07 p.m. with Richie Havens and featured folk artists.
Richie Havens
Richie Havens, seated onstage, singing and playing an acoustic guitar
Richie Havens – guitar, vocals
Paul "Deano" Williams – guitar, vocals
Daniel Ben Zebulon – congas
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
"From the Prison"
"Get Together"
"From the Prison" (reprise)
"I'm a Stranger Here"
"High Flying Bird"
"I Can't Make It Anymore"
"With a Little Help from My Friends" (Beatles cover)
"Handsome Johnny"
"Strawberry Fields Forever / Hey Jude" (Beatles covers)
"Freedom (Motherless Child)" (improvised lyrics[5])
Swami Satchidananda
6:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Swami Satchidananda gave the invocation for the festival.[6]
Sweetwater
Nansi Nevins – vocals, guitar
Fred Herrera – bass, vocals
Alex Del Zoppo – keyboards, vocals
Albert Moore – flute, vocals
R.G. Carlyle – guitar, bongos, vocals
Elpidio "Pete" Cobian – congas
Alan Malarowitz – drums
August Burns – cello
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
"Motherless Child"
"Look Out"
"For Pete's Sake"
"Day Song"
"What's Wrong"
"My Crystal Spider"
"Two Worlds"
"Why Oh Why"
"Let the Sunshine In"
"Oh Happy Day"
Bert Sommer
Bert Sommer – guitar, vocals
Ira Stone – guitar, keyboards, harmonica
Charlie Bilello – bass
7:15 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
"Jennifer"
"The Road to Travel"
"I Wondered Where You'd Be"
"She's Gone"
"Things Are Goin' My Way"
"And When It's Over"
"Jeanette"
"America"
"A Note That Read"
"Smile"
Tim Hardin
Tim Hardin – vocals, guitar
Richard Bock – cello
Ralph Towner – guitar, piano
Gilles Malkine – guitar
Glen Moore – bass
Muruga Booker – drums
8:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. (time disputed)
"How Can We Hang On to a Dream?"
"Once-Touched by Flame"
"If I Were a Carpenter"
"Reason to Believe"
"You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie"
"Speak Like a Child"
"Snow White Lady"
"Blues on My Ceiling"
"Simple Song of Freedom"
"Misty Roses"
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar – sitar
Alla Rakha – tabla
Maya Kulkarni – tambura
12:00 a.m. – 12:45 a.m. (His performance totaled over 42 minutes, partially during a rainstorm)
"Raga Puriya-Dhanashri/Gat In Sawarital"
"Tabla Solo In Jhaptal"
"Raga Manj Kmahaj (AIap, Jor, Dhun In Kaharwa Tal)"
Melanie
Melanie Safka – guitar, vocals
1:00 a.m. – 1:30 a.m.
"Close to It All"
"Momma Momma"
"Beautiful People"
"Animal Crackers"
"Mr. Tambourine Man"
"Tuning My Guitar"
"Birthday of the Sun"
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie – vocals, guitar
John Pilla – guitar
Bob Arkin – bass
Paul Motian – drums
1:45 a.m. – 2:15 a.m.
"Coming into Los Angeles"
"Wheel of Fortune"
"Walkin' Down the Line"
The Story of Moses
"Oh Mary Don't You Weep"
"Every Hand in the Land"
"Amazing Grace"
Joan Baez
Joan Baez – vocals, guitar
Jeffrey Shurtleff – guitar, vocals
Richard Festinger – guitar
3:00 a.m. – 3:45 a.m. [8][nb 1]
"Oh Happy Day"
"The Last Thing on My Mind"
"I Shall Be Released"
"Joe Hill"
"Sweet Sir Galahad"
"Hickory Wind"
"Drug Store Truck Driving Man" (duet with Jeffrey Shurtleff)
"One Day at a Time"
"Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South"
"Warm and Tender Love"
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
"We Shall Overcome"
Saturday, August 16 to Sunday, August 17
The day opened at 12:15 p.m. and featured some of the event's psychedelic and guitar rock headliners.
Quill
Dan Cole – vocals
Jon Cole – bass, vocals
Norman Rogers – guitar, vocals
Phil Thayer – keyboards, saxophone, flute
Roger North – drums
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
"They Live the Life"
"That's How I Eat"
"Driftin'"
"Waiting for You"
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald – guitar, vocals
1:20 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (unscheduled performance;[9] day/time disputed[10])
"Janis"
"Donovan's Reef"
"Heartaches by the Number"
"Ring of Fire"
"Tennessee Stud"
"Rockin' Round the World"
"Flyin' High"
"I Seen a Rocket"
"The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag"
"I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag (Reprise)"
Santana
Carlos Santana – guitar
Gregg Rolie – vocals, keyboards
David Brown – bass
Michael Shrieve – drums
Michael Carabello – timbales, congas, percussion
José Areas – trumpet, timbales, congas, percussion
2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
"Waiting"
"Evil Ways"
"You Just Don't Care"
"Savor"
"Jingo"
"Persuasion"
"Soul Sacrifice"
"Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries"
John Sebastian
John Sebastian – guitar, vocals
3:30 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.
"How Have You Been"
"Rainbows All Over Your Blues"
"I Had a Dream"
"Darling Be Home Soon"
"Younger Generation"
Keef Hartley Band
Keef Hartley – drums
Miller Anderson – guitar, vocals
Gary Thain – bass
Jimmy Jewell – saxophone
Henry Lowther – trumpet, violin
4:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
"Spanish Fly"
"She's Gone"
"Too Much Thinking"
"Believe in You"
"Halfbreed Medley: Sinnin' for You / Leaving Trunk / Just to Cry / Sinnin' for You"
The Incredible String Band
Mike Heron – vocals, guitar, piano, various instruments
Robin Williamson – vocals, guitar, piano, violin
Licorice McKechnie – organ, vocals
Rose Simpson – bass, recorder, vocals, percussion
6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
"Invocation"
"The Letter"
"Gather 'Round"
"This Moment"
"Come with Me"
"When You Find Out Who You Are"
Canned Heat
Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Bob "The Bear" Hite – vocals, harmonica
Harvey Mandel – guitar
Larry Taylor – bass
Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra – drums
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
"I'm Her Man"
"Going Up the Country"
"A Change Is Gonna Come / Leaving This Town"
"Rollin' Blues"
"Woodstock Boogie"
"On the Road Again"
Mountain
Leslie West – guitar, vocals
Felix Pappalardi – bass, vocals
Steve Knight – keyboards
N.D. Smart – drums
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
"Blood of the Sun"
"Stormy Monday"
"Theme for an Imaginary Western"
"Long Red"
"For Yasgur's Farm" (song was untitled at the time)
"Beside the Sea"
"Waiting to Take You Away"
"Dreams of Milk and Honey / Guitar Solo"
"Southbound Train"
Grateful Dead
Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
Bob Weir – guitar, vocals
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan – keyboards, harmonica, percussion, vocals
Tom Constanten – keyboards
Phil Lesh – bass, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann – drums
Mickey Hart – drums
10:30 p.m. – 12:05 a.m.
"St. Stephen"
"Mama Tried"
"Dark Star"
"High Time"
"Turn On Your Love Light"
Creedence Clearwater Revival
John Fogerty – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
Tom Fogerty – guitar, vocals
Stu Cook – bass
Doug Clifford – drums
12:30 a.m. – 1:20 a.m.
"Born on the Bayou"
"Green River"
"Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)"
"Bootleg"
"Commotion"
"Bad Moon Rising"
"Proud Mary"
"I Put a Spell on You"
"Night Time Is the Right Time"
"Keep on Chooglin'"
"Susie Q"
Janis Joplin and the Kozmic Blues Band
Janis Joplin – vocals
Terry Clements – tenor saxophone
Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers – baritone saxophone, vocals
Luis Gasca – trumpet
John Till – guitar
Richard Kermode – keyboards
Brad Campbell – bass
Maury Baker – drums
2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m.[11]
"Raise Your Hand"
"As Good as You've Been to This World"
"To Love Somebody"
"Summertime"
"Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)"
"Kozmic Blues"
"I Can't Turn You Loose"
"Work Me, Lord"
"Piece of My Heart"
"Ball and Chain"
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly Stone – keyboards, vocals
Freddie Stone – guitar, vocals
Jerry Martini – saxophone
Cynthia Robinson – trumpet
Rose Stone – keyboards, vocals
Larry Graham – bass, vocals
Gregg Errico – drums
3:30 a.m. – 4:20 a.m.
"M'Lady"
"Sing a Simple Song"
"You Can Make It If You Try"
"Everyday People" (Only No. 1 hit at Woodstock)
"Dance to the Music"
"Music Lover"
"I Want to Take You Higher"
"Love City"
"Stand!"
The Who
Roger Daltrey – vocals
Pete Townshend – guitar, vocals
John Entwistle – bass, vocals
RKeith Moon – drums
5:00 a.m. – 6:05 a.m.; set included most of Tommy
"Heaven and Hell"
"I Can't Explain"
"It's a Boy"
"1921"
"Amazing Journey"
"Sparks"
"Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)"
"Christmas"
"The Acid Queen"
"Pinball Wizard" (followed by Abbie Hoffman incident)
"Do You Think It's Alright?"
"Fiddle About"
"There's a Doctor"
"Go to the Mirror!"
"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" (shortened version)
"Naked Eye" (instrumental finale only)
Jefferson Airplane
Grace Slick – vocals
Marty Balin – vocals, percussion
Paul Kantner – guitar, vocals
Jorma Kaukonen – guitar, vocals
Jack Casady – bass
Spencer Dryden – drums
Nicky Hopkins – piano
8:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.
"The Other Side of This Life"
"Somebody to Love"
"3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds"
"Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon"
"Eskimo Blue Day"
"Plastic Fantastic Lover"
"Wooden Ships"
"Uncle Sam Blues"
"Volunteers"
"The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil"
"Come Back Baby"
"White Rabbit"
"The House at Pooneil Corners"
Sunday, August 17 to Monday, August 18
Joe Cocker and the Grease Band
Joe Cocker – vocals
Chris Stainton – keyboards
Henry McCullough – guitar, vocals
Alan Spenner – bass, vocals
Bruce Rowland – drums
2:00 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.
"Rockhouse" (without Joe Cocker)
"Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring" (instrumental)
"Dear Landlord"
"Something's Coming On"[4]
"Do I Still Figure in Your Life?"
"Feelin' Alright"
"Just Like a Woman"
"Let's Go Get Stoned"
"I Don't Need No Doctor"[4]
"I Shall Be Released"
"Hitchcock Railway"
"Something to Say"
"With a Little Help from My Friends" (Beatles cover)
After Cocker's set, a thunderstorm disrupted the events for a few hours.
Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe McDonald – vocals, guitar
Barry "The Fish" Melton – guitar, vocals
Mark Kapner – keyboards
Doug Metzner – bass
Greg Dewey – drums
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
"Rock & Soul Music"
"Love"
"Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine"
"Sing, Sing, Sing"
"Summer Dresses"
"Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife"
"Silver and Gold"
"Maria"
"The Love Machine"
"Ever Since You Told Me That You Love Me (I'm a Nut)"
"Crystal Blues"
"Rock & Soul Music (Reprise)"
"The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag"
Ten Years After
Edit
Alvin Lee – guitar, vocals
Chick Churchill – keyboards
Leo Lyons – bass
Ric Lee – drums
8:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
"Spoonful"
"Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl" (with two false starts)
"Hobbit"
"I Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes"
"Help Me"
"I'm Going Home"
The Band
Robbie Robertson – guitar, vocals
Richard Manuel – piano, organ, vocals
Garth Hudson – organ, piano
Rick Danko – bass, vocals
Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, vocals
10:00 p.m. – 10:50 p.m.
"Chest Fever"
"Don't Do It"
"Tears of Rage"
"We Can Talk"
"Long Black Veil"
"Don't Ya Tell Henry"
"Ain't No More Cane"
"This Wheel's on Fire"
"I Shall Be Released"
"The Weight"
"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”
Monday, August 18
Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter – guitar, vocals
Tommy Shannon – bass
Uncle John Turner – drums
Edgar Winter – keyboards, saxophone, vocals
12:00 a.m. – 1:05 a.m.;
"Mama, Talk to Your Daughter"
"Leland Mississippi Blues"
"Mean Town Blues"
"You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now" / "Mean Mistreater"
"I Can't Stand It" (with Edgar Winter)
"Tobacco Road" (with Edgar Winter)
"Tell the Truth" (with Edgar Winter)
"Johnny B. Goode"
Blood, Sweat & Tears
David Clayton-Thomas – vocals, guitar
Steve Katz – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Dick Halligan – keyboards, trombone, flute
Jerry Hyman – trombone
Fred Lipsius – alto sax, piano
Lew Soloff – trumpet, flugelhorn
Chuck Winfield – trumpet, flugelhorn
Jim Fielder – bass
Bobby Colomby – drums
1:30 a.m. – 2:30 a.m.
"More and More"
"Just One Smile"
"Somethin' Comin' On"
"I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"
"Spinning Wheel"
"Sometimes in Winter"
"Smiling Phases"
"God Bless the Child"
"And When I Die"
"You've Made Me So Very Happy"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
David Crosby – guitar, vocals
Stephen Stills – guitar, vocals
Graham Nash – guitar, vocals
Neil Young – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Greg Reeves – bass
Dallas Taylor – drums
3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m., with separate acoustic and electric sets.
Acoustic set
"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"
"Blackbird" (The Beatles cover)
"Helplessly Hoping"
"Guinnevere"
"Marrakesh Express"
"4 + 20"
"Mr. Soul"
"Wonderin’"[14]
"You Don't Have to Cry"
Electric set
"Pre-Road Downs"
"Long Time Gone"
"Bluebird Revisited"
"Sea of Madness"
"Wooden Ships"
Acoustic encore
"Find the Cost of Freedom"
Electric encore
"49 Bye-Byes"
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Paul Butterfield – vocals, harmonica
Buzz Feiten – guitar
Rod Hicks – bass
David Sanborn – alto saxophone
Gene Dinwiddie – tenor saxophone, vocals
Trevor Lawrence – baritone saxophone
Keith Johnson – trumpet
Steve Madaio – trumpet
Phillip Wilson – drums
6:00 a.m. – 6:45 a.m.
"Born Under a Bad Sign"
"No Amount of Loving"
"Driftin' and Driftin'"
"Morning Sunrise"
"All in a Day"
"Love March"
"Everything's Gonna Be All Right”
Sha Na Na
Donny York – vocals
Rob Leonard – vocals
Alan Cooper – vocals
Frederick "Dennis" Greene – vocals
Dave Garrett – vocals
Rich Joffe – vocals
Scott Powell – vocals
Joe Witkin – keyboards
Henry Gross – guitar
Elliot "Gino" Cahn – guitar
Bruce "Bruno" Clarke – bass
Jocko Marcellino – drums
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
"Get a Job"
"Come Go with Me"
"Silhouettes"
"Teen Angel"
"(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame"
"Wipe Out"
"Book of Love"
"Teenager in Love" (The sole song from the festival for which no recording has yet surfaced.)
"Little Darlin'" (Only a recording of the last 44 seconds is currently known to exist.)
"At the Hop"
"Duke of Earl"
"Get a Job (Reprise)"
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix – guitar, vocals
Larry Lee – guitar, vocals
Billy Cox – bass, vocals
Mitch Mitchell – drums
Juma Sultan – percussion
Gerardo Velez – congas
9:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
"Message to Love"
"Hear My Train A Comin'"
"Spanish Castle Magic"
"Red House"
"Mastermind"
"Lover Man"
"Foxy Lady"
"Jam Back at the House"
"Izabella"
"Gypsy Woman"/"Aware of Love"
"Fire"
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"/"Stepping Stone"
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
"Purple Haze"
"Woodstock Improvisation" (title is posthumous)
"Villanova Junction" (title is posthumous)
"Hey Joe" (encore)
Source materials
Much of the incidental material in this podcast was gleaned from over 50 years of gathering sound bytes and other audio material. My conversation with Joe Cocker took place in early 2012 and is part of a larger discussion that includes his impression of the John Belushi impression and his retirement years in Colorado.
Special thanks to the musicians and producers who participated in the following recordings:
Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and more, various artists © 1970 and 2009 by Cotillion and Rhino Records
Woodstock Two, various artists © 1970 and 2009 by Cotillion and Rhino Records
Woodstock 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm © 2009 by Rhino Records
Santana: The Woodstock Experience © 2009 by Columbia/Legacy
Jefferson Airplane: The Woodstock Experience © 2009 by RCA/Legacy
Johnny Winter: The Woodstock Experience © 2009 by Columbia/Legacy
Sly and the Family Stone: The Woodstock Experience © 2009 by Epic/Legacy
Janis Joplin: The Woodstock Experience © 2009 by Columbia/Legacy
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music, The Director’s Cut, © 2009 by Warner Brothers, Edition No 066331 of 140000
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