By the time we got to Woodstock, we were half a million strong.

[RobMoney$]

40 years ago, "an Aquarian Exposition" was about to begin.



"Official" set list (or as close as anyone can remember):

Friday, August 15
The first day officially began at 5:07 p.m. with Richie Havens and featured folk artists.

Richie Havens
"High Flyin' Bird"
"I Can't Make It Any More"
"With a Little Help from My Friends"
"Strawberry Fields Forever"
"Hey Jude"
"I Had A Woman"
"Handsome Johnny"
"Freedom/Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"

Swami Satchidananda - gave the invocation for the festival

Sweetwater
"What's Wrong"
"Motherless Child"
"Look Out"
"For Pete's Sake"
"Day Song"
"Crystal Spider"
"Two Worlds"
"Why Oh Why"
The Incredible String Band
"Invocation"
"The Letter"
"This Moment"
"When You Find Out Who You Are"

Bert Sommer
"Jennifer"
"The Road To Travel"
"I Wondered Where You Be"
"She's Gone"
"Things Are Going my Way"
"And When It's Over"
"Jeanette"
"America"
"A Note That Read"
"Smile"

Tim Hardin, an hour-long set
"If I Were A Carpenter"
"Misty Roses"

Ravi Shankar, with a 5-song set, played through the rain
"Raga Puriya-Dhanashri/Gat In Sawarital"
"Tabla Solo In Jhaptal"
"Raga Manj Kmahaj"
"Iap Jor"
"Dhun In Kaharwa Tal"

Melanie
"Tuning My Guitar"
"Johnny Boy"
"Beautiful People"
Arlo Guthrie--order of set list unknown
"Coming Into Los Angeles"
"Walking Down the Line"
"Story about Moses and the Brownies"
"Amazing Grace"

Joan Baez- she was six months pregnant at the time
Story about how the Federal Marshals came to take David Harris into custody.
"Joe Hill"
"Sweet Sir Galahad"
"Drugstore Truck Driving Man"
"Sweet Sunny South"
"Warm and Tender Love"
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
"We Shall Overcome"

Saturday, August 16th
Quill, forty minute set of four songs
"They Live the Life"
"BBY"
"Waitin' For You"
Jam

Keef Hartley Band
"Spanish Fly"
"Believe In You"
"Rock Me Baby"
"Medley"
"Leavin' Trunk"
"Sinnin' For You "

Country Joe McDonald
"I Find Myself Missing You"
"Rockin All Around The World"
"Flyin' High All Over the World"
"Seen A Rocket Flyin'"
"The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag"

John Sebastian
"How Have You Been"
"Rainbows Over Your Blues"
"I Had a Dream"
"Darlin' Be Home Soon"
"Younger Generation"

Santana
"Waiting"
"You Just Don't Care"
"Savor"
"Jingo"
"Evil Ways"
"Persuasion"
"Soul Sacrifice"
"Fried Neckbones"

Canned Heat
"A Change Is Gonna Come/Leaving This Town"
"Going Up the Country"
"Let's Work Together"
"Woodstock Boogie"

Mountain, hour-long set including Jack Bruce's "Theme for an Imaginary Western."
"Blood of the Sun"
"Stormy Monday"
"Long Red"
"Beside The Sea"
"For Yasgur's Farm"
"You and Me"
"Theme for an Imaginary Western"
"Waiting To Take You Away"
"Dreams of Milk and Honey"
"Blind Man"
"Blue Suede Shoes"
"Southbound Train"

Grateful Dead
"St. Stephen"
"Mama Tried"
"Dark Star"/"High Time"
"Turn on Your Love Light"

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 Chooglin'"
"Suzie Q"

Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band
"Raise Your Hand"
"As Good As You've Been To This World"
"To Love Somebody"
"Summertime"
"Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)"
"Kozmic Blues"
"Can't Turn You Loose"
"Work Me Lord"
"Piece of My Heart"
"Ball 'n' Chain"

Sly & the Family Stone
"M'Lady"
"Sing a Simple Song"
"You Can Make It If You Try"
"Everyday People"
"Dance To The Music"
"I Want to Take You Higher"
"Love City"
"Stand!"

The Who began at 4 AM, kicking off a 25-song set including Tommy
"Heaven and Hell"
"I Can't Explain"
"It's a Boy"
"1921"
"Amazing Journey"
"Sparks"
"Eyesight to the Blind"
"Christmas"
"Tommy Can You Hear Me?"
"Acid Queen"
"Pinball Wizard"
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"
"Naked Eye"

Jefferson Airplane
"Other Side of This Life"
"Somebody To Love"
"Three-Fifths of a Mile In 10 Seconds"
"Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon"
"Eskimo Blue Day"
"Plastic Fantastic Lover"
"Wooden Ships"
"Uncle Sam's Blues"
"Volunteers"
"Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil"
"Come Back Baby"
"White Rabbit"
"House At Pooneil Corners"

Sunday, August 17 to Monday, August 18
Joe Cocker was the first act on the last officially booked day (Sunday); he opened up the day's events at 2 PM. His set was preceded by at least two instrumentals by The Grease Band.

Joe Cocker
"Dear Landlord"
"Something Comin' On"
"Do I Still Figure In Your Life"
"Feelin' Alright"
"Just Like A Woman"
"Let's Go Get Stoned"
"I Don't Need A Doctor"
"I Shall Be Released"
"With a Little Help from My Friends"

After Joe Cocker's set, a thunderstorm disrupted the events for several hours.

Country Joe and the Fish resumed the concert around 6 p.m.
"Rock and Soul Music"
"Love"
"Love Machine"
"The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag"

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"

The Band - Set list confirmed in Levon Helm's book "This Wheel's On Fire"
"Chest Fever"
"Tears of Rage"
"We Can Talk"
"Don't You Tell Henry"
"Don't Do It"
"Ain't No More Cane"
"Long Black Veil"
"This Wheel's On Fire"
"I Shall Be Released"
"The Weight"
"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever"

Blood, Sweat & Tears ushered in the midnight hour with five songs.
"More and More"
"I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"
"Spinning Wheel"
"I Stand Accused"
"Something Comin' On"

Johnny Winter featuring his brother, Edgar Winter, on two songs.
"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"

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young began around 3 a.m. with separate acoustic and electric sets.
Acoustic Set
"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"
"Blackbird"
"Helplessly Hoping"
"Guinnevere"
"Marrakesh Express"
"4 + 20"
"Mr. Soul"
"Wonderin'"
"You Don't Have To Cry"
Electric Set
"Pre-Road Downs"
"Long Time Gone"
"Bluebird"
"Sea of Madness"
"Wooden Ships"
"Find the Cost of Freedom"
"49 Bye-Byes"
Neil Young skipped most of the acoustic set (the exceptions being his compositions "Mr. Soul" and "Wonderin'") and joined Crosby, Stills & Nash, but refused to be filmed during the electric set; by his own report, Young felt the filming was distracting both performers and audience from the music. Young's "Sea of Madness," heard on the album, never occurred at the festival, it was recorded a month after the festival at Fillmore East.[citation needed]

Paul Butterfield Blues Band
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright"
"Driftin'"
"Born Under a Bad Sign"
"Morning Sunrise"
"Love March"

Sha-Na-Na
"Na Na Theme"
"Yakety Yak"
"Teen Angel"
"Jailhouse Rock"
"Wipe Out"
"A Teenager in Love"
"Book of Love"
"Duke of Earl"
"At the Hop"
"Na Na Theme"

Jimi Hendrix After being introduced as the "Jimi Hendrix Experience", Hendrix corrected the new group's name to "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows."
"Message to Love"
"Hear My Train A Comin'"
"Spanish Castle Magic"
"Red House" (Hendrix's high E-string broke while playing, but he played the rest of the song with five strings.)
"Mastermind" (written and sung by Larry Lee)
"Lover Man"
"Foxy Lady"
"Jam Back at the House"
"Izabella"
"Gypsy Woman"/"Aware of Love" (These two songs written by Curtis Mayfield were sung by Larry Lee as a medley)
"Fire"
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"/"Stepping Stone
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
"Purple Haze"
"Woodstock Improvisation"/"Villanova Junction"
"Hey Joe"

[RobMoney$]

I was watching a PBS special on Woodstock and saw a little bit of an interview with Carlos Santana saying he doesn't remember much of the performance because he was peaking on mescaline and thought the guitar neck was a live snake moving around.
He was just trying to hang on to it and keep going.

[yeahwho]

It cracks me up that the drugs were so good nobody is quite certain of the setlist officially.

That's beautiful, half a million strong and not one definitive setlist has ever came out of the festival.

It was even filmed as a theatrical release as a documentary. that is some fucking great acid!

They knew how to really party back in the day, we're internet information lightweights.

[Randetica]

this would be the perfect day to start another war (y)

[RobMoney$]

I guess I should probably take this opportunity to admit that I copied and pasted this setlist.
I wasn't actually at Woodstock, so I didn't make that setlist from memory.


Anyway, I'm always amazed by the people and the reasons they gave who turned down the opportunity to play at Woodstock:


The Doors (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/The_Doors) were considered as a potential performing band, but canceled at the last moment; the cancellation was most likely due to Jim Morrison (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Jim_Morrison)'s known and vocal distaste for performing in large outdoor venues. Doors drummer John Densmore (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/John_Densmore) attended, however, and in the film, he can be seen on the side of the stage during Joe Cocker's set.

Led Zeppelin (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Led_Zeppelin) was asked to perform, their manager Peter Grant (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Peter_Grant_(music_manager)) stating: "We were asked to do Woodstock and Atlantic (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Atlantic_Records) were very keen, and so was our US promoter, Frank Barsalona. I said no because at Woodstock we'd have just been another band on the bill". Instead the group went on with their hugely successful summer tour, playing that weekend south of the festival at the Asbury Park Convention Hall (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Asbury_Park_Convention_Hall) in New Jersey (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/New_Jersey). Their only time out taken was to attend Elvis Presley (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Elvis_Presley)'s show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, on August 12.

Jethro Tull (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Jethro_Tull_(band)) declined to perform. Ian Anderson (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Ian_Anderson_(musician)) is reported to have later said he "didn't want to spend [his] weekend in a field of unwashed hippies". Another theory proposes that the band felt the event would be "too big a deal" and might kill their career before it started. However, other artists from the time have expressed the view that, before the festival, there was little indication of the importance the event would eventually come to assume. Although Jethro Tull did not perform, their music was played over the public address system. In the film, during the interview with the promoters (where they are discussing how much money they will be losing on the venture), the songs "Beggar's Farm" and "Serenade to a Cuckoo", from the album This Was (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/This_Was), can be heard in the background. Jethro Tull did perform at the Isle of Wight Festival (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1970) in 1970.

The Byrds (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/The_Byrds) were invited, but chose not to participate, not figuring Woodstock to be any different from all the other music festivals that summer. In addition, there were concerns about money. As bassist John York remembers: "We were flying to a gig and Roger [McGuinn] came up to us and said that a guy was putting on a festival in upstate New York. But at that point they weren't paying all of the bands. He asked us if we wanted to do it and we said, 'No'. We had no idea what it was going to be. We were burned out and tired of the festival scene. [...] So all of us said, 'No, we want a rest' and missed the best festival of all.'"

Tommy James and the Shondells (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Tommy_James_and_the_Shondells) declined an invitation. Lead singer Tommy James (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Tommy_James) stated later: "We could have just kicked ourselves. We were in Hawaii, and my secretary called and said, 'Yeah, listen, there's this pig farmer in upstate New York (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Upstate_New_York) that wants you to play in his field.' That's how it was put to me. So we passed, and we realized what we'd missed a couple of days later."

Bob Dylan (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Bob_Dylan) was in negotiations to play, but pulled out when his son became ill. He also was unhappy about the number of hippies (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Hippies) piling up outside his house near the originally planned site.He would go on to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival) two weeks later.
Mind Garage (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Mind_Garage) declined because they thought it would not be a big deal and had a higher paying gig elsewhere.

The Moody Blues (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/The_Moody_Blues) were included on the original Wallkill poster as performers, but decided to back out after being booked in Paris the same weekend.

Spirit (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Spirit_(band)) also declined an invitation to play, as they already had shows planned and wanted to play those instead, not knowing how big Woodstock would be.

Joni Mitchell (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/Joni_Mitchell) was originally slated to perform, but canceled at the urging of her manager to avoid missing a scheduled appearance on The Dick Cavett Show (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/The_Dick_Cavett_Show).

It's A Beautiful Day (http://www.beastieboys.com/wiki/It%27s_A_Beautiful_Day) cancelled at the last minute.

[Kid Presentable]

To be honest, Woodstock has always seemed shit to me.

Hippies were really just co-opting and popularising a culture that the Haight-Ashbury scene started, they were 'tourists'; the hipster douchebags of their day, the nascent 'youth culture' movement. Not like there were any alternatives for the adventurous ones, I guess, but their antecedents wanted to help others and each other, hippies just wanted to take acid and fuck about.

Some of the music would have been ok, I guess. I watched Jimi Hendrix's set a little while ago on TV (a statement that shits on the grave of the 60s, I know). It was a great set; Jimi is pretty much one of the most amazing humans that ever lived, though. I don't really care beyond that. The overused footage of Joe Cocker doing 'With a little help from my friends', oh yeah. Maybe it's because I'm not American that this has no significance to me.

If you're interested, I will recommend a book called Ringolevio (http://www.amazon.com/Ringolevio-Played-Keeps-Citadel-Underground/dp/0806511680), which I think is a great read about the era. And I leave you to celebrate the wonderful anniversary boxsets and timely merchandising, smug in the knowledge that I have no credibility left.

[Documad]

Maybe it's because I'm not American that this has no significance to me.
Nah, I'm American and older than you and I've always hated hippie nostalgia. I used to see every documentary and try as I might I never made it through the woodstock one. My dislike of woodstock and hippie stuff put me off everything related to it for most of my adult life. It took me ages to realize that Joni Mitchell was actually quite good. (I don't know if it's true, but my favorite anecdote about the woodstock movie is that Neil Young refused to be in it. How cool is Neil Young?) You'ld think that the woodstock revivals and all the violence associated with them would have put a stake in this nostalgia but apparently not. The funny thing is that only a tiny portion of american youths were hippies. Most young people were still getting jobs and getting married and going to war or whatever.

It's a matter of personal taste but all the psychedelic music sounds so dated and awful now -- and the early Zeppelin and Sabbath stuff sounds so fresh. I'd like to think that if I had been buying records back then I'd have picked the harder edged stuff.

I'd watch Gimme Shelter again, if I hadn't just watched it last week. :p

[roosta]

Is it not a wee bit presumptive to assume these people were fakers or co-opting anything?

Can't an idea spread? Evolve? Can't some people see what others are doing and get on board?

[Kid Presentable]

Is it not a wee bit presumptive to assume these people were fakers or co-opting anything?

Can't an idea spread? Evolve? Can't some people see what others are doing and get on board?

Read the book.

[Documad]

By the way, the death of Eunice Schriver has had a bigger impact on me this week. I'm not emotional over her death or anything -- she was an old lady who had a lovely long life. It's the footage remembering all the changes we have made in dealing with disabilities. It's made me remember things in my personal life -- friends who have kids would would have been institutionalized if they had been born earlier, etc.

[YoungRemy]

don't take the brown acid

[roosta]

Read the book.

so, one person's autobiography will sucessfully prove your point? is it that wide-ranging a book?

(im not doubting you, just wondering)

[RobMoney$]

No generation of the past century has left such an indelible mark on society that clearly influenced every single succeeding generation more than the hippies of the 60's.
They are the standard which all other generations are judged against, all other generations are the ones who are tourists.
Any other generation could only dream of bringing about more change in the world.

[Documad]

So you didn't buy "The Greatest Generation"? :) Sadly, their legacy included raising a bunch of self-indulgent kids. Hippies are overrated.

But setting that aside, the people behind the civil rights movement had a huge impact. That led to the women's rights movement, the gay rights movement, etc. I'm super grateful to the civil rights movement.

[roosta]

Are we using the term 'hippy' here specifically to denote a faker, a wannabe? If so, are we then saying that the movement itself was ok, but that there was an element that were posers? If so, are you also saying that the poser movement was largely only present at Woodstock?

[Kid Presentable]

so, one person's autobiography will sucessfully prove your point? is it that wide-ranging a book?

(im not doubting you, just wondering)

It's just a different perspective. Emmet Grogan and the Diggers embraced freedom from property and helping their fellow man with free meals, free concerts and such. The hippies were born out of that, but they by and large just took drugs and shagged, and did nothing constructive.

There are two ways I could go. No opinion at all, or the stuff I gathered from Ringolevio. In fact, if Ringolevio is a scam, I'd still not care much for the hippies. You should read it, it's a great book.

[Kid Presentable]

No generation of the past century has left such an indelible mark on society that clearly influenced every single succeeding generation more than the hippies of the 60's.
They are the standard which all other generations are judged against, all other generations are the ones who are tourists.
Any other generation could only dream of bringing about more change in the world.

Yeah fucking in a paddock on mescaline really was the practical answer to Vietnam.

[RobMoney$]

If that's all you want to give them credit for.


I'm finding your disdain for hippies absolutely hilarous for some reason.
I had no idea they offended you so much.
I mean who could hate people for fucking and doing acid?

[Documad]

I think it's more of a reaction to your hyperbole about them having more impact than any other group of the 20th century.

I suspect that you and I have very different definitions of "hippie" and that you're giving them credit for things I don't think they had anything to do with, so that might explain it.

[Dorothy Wood]

To be honest, Woodstock has always seemed shit to me.

Hippies were really just co-opting and popularising a culture that the Haight-Ashbury scene started, they were 'tourists'; the hipster douchebags of their day, the nascent 'youth culture' movement. Not like there were any alternatives for the adventurous ones, I guess, but their antecedents wanted to help others and each other, hippies just wanted to take acid and fuck about.




I agree with this assessment. I love love love the music of the 60's and 70's though. I think I'd probably be annoyed by attending woodstock because of all those half naked people flailing about and mumbling.

I did go through my crush on hippie culture when I was a preteen, like most kids do (also, it was marketed to me, you couldn't walk through a mall in 1991 without tripping over a peace sign medallion). My mom indulged me but just kind of laughed it off and made sure to tell me what a bunch of crap she thought it was at the time (she graduated high school in 1973). oh, how I loved looking through her yearbooks.

as it turns out, I still love the 60's and 70's, but not because of the hippies...because of the rockers and rock fashion; and everyone else who wasn't a hippie.

they're trying to bring hippie fashion back AGAIN, and it makes me want to barf all over.


anyway, I like listening to the live recordings from woodstock. (y) and I'll always have a soft spot for Joe Cocker's performance of "a little help from my friends". years ago, my friends covered it in a basement show in Joe Cocker style...and it was a really great and awesome experience to be a part of. there's a youtube video of it actually. if anybody is interested, I'll pm it.

[Kid Presentable]

Robert, you may want to attach a Germanic barking to my posts. That's cool. I assure you that hippies will only ever evoke my characteristic drawl.