Four Days in The Mud: The story of Woodstock '69

More than twice the number of people expected showed up. Traffic issues caused performers to show up late – or to be thrown off the schedule entirely. Food, water and bathrooms were in short supply. It rained, turning the dairy farm-turned-rock festival venue into a muddy mess.

None of that stopped many of those who were at Woodstock in August 1969 — 55 years ago this week — from having the time of their lives.

Friday's Performance

Hopes were high for a music festival to be held at a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York, a good hour or so away from the town of Woodstock in August 1969.

Promoters sold about 186,000 advance tickets — at $18 a pop — but young people showed up days in advance: Sixty thousand were camping on the site two days before Woodstock was to begin.

By Friday, it was clear the festival would be swamped with people. The line to get onto the site stretched for eight miles.

When time came to start the show, many acts were stuck in traffic. Folk rocker Richie Havens was talked into taking the stage hours early. Stalling for time, he performed seven encores.

By that evening, it became clear thousands were pouring in — most without tickets. A festival official took the stage to announce attendance would be free.

Later estimates were that at least 400,000 music lovers showed up to the festival.

Friday's Performers:

5 p.m.: Richie Havens

6 p.m.: Swami Satchidananda (invocation)

6:15 p.m.: Sweetwater

7:15 p.m.: Bert Sommer

8:30 p.m.: Tim Hardin

Saturday, Aug. 16

The Friday night schedule stretched into the wee hours of Saturday, ending with folk singers Melanie, Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez. Baez, who was six months pregnant at the time — closed out the first night’s show around 4 a.m.

The first full day of music began just after noon Saturday. After Carlos Santana’s set, John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful was pulled out of the audience to perform for 25 minutes to give bands — which were still trickling into the area — time to set up.

The Grateful Dead took the stage around 10:30 p.m., but its set was cut short when the makeshift speaker system overloaded.

Saturday's Performers

Midnight: Ravi Shankar

1 a.m.: Melanie (unscheduled)

1:45 a.m.: Arlo Guthrie

3 a.m.: Joan Baez

12:15 p.m. Quill

1:20 p.m.: Country Joe McDonald (unscheduled)

2 p.m.: Santana

3:30 p.m.: John Sebastian

(unscheduled)

4:45 p.m.: Keef Hartley Band

6 p.m.: The Incredible String Band

7:30 p.m.: Canned Heat

9 p.m.: Mountain

10:30 p.m.: Grateful Dead

Sunday, Aug. 17

Saturday’s lineup also ran long. Creedence Clearwater Revival played after midnight, followed by an electrifying set by Janis Joplin. Joplin was followed by Sly and the Family Stone at 3:30 a.m. and then the Who at 5 a.m. Sunday.

During the Who’s set, yippie leader Abbie Hoffman leaped to the stage to protest poet John Sinclair’s 10-year sentence for possession of marijuana. Not appreciating the interruption, Pete Townshend of the Who yelled, “Get off my stage” and smacked Hoffman with his guitar. Attendees later noted this was the most violent incident seen at the entire festival.

The final “Saturday” act — Jefferson Airplane — ended its performance at 9:40 a.m. Sunday. What was supposed to be the final day of the festival kicked off with Joe Cocker at 2 p.m. Before the next act took the stage, however, a thunderstorm stopped the show for about three hours, pushing the schedule even further behind.

The Band — which, at the time, was based in nearby Saugerties, New York — played around 10 p.m., followed by Johnny Winter at midnight.

Sunday's Performers

12:30 a.m.: Creedence Revival

2 a.m.: Janis Joplin andthe Kozmic Blues Band

3:30 a.m.: Sly and the Family Stone

5 a.m.: The Who

8 a.m.: Jefferson Airplane

2 p.m.: Joe Cocker andthe Grease Band

(Thunderstorms beginaround 3:30 p.m.)

6:30 p.m.: Country Joeand the Fish

8:15 p.m.: Ten Years After

10 p.m.: The Band

Monday, Aug. 18

Blood, Sweat & Tears started its performance at 1:30 a.m. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — performing together in public for only the second time — went on at 3 a.m.

Fifties revival novelty group Sha Na Na played for a half-hour starting at 7:30 a.m. By this time, attendees — cold, wet and hungry — were leaving in large numbers.

The final act — Jimi Hendrix — took the stage at 9 a.m. Monday. His contract with the festival included a clause that no performer could play after him.

Hendrix performed in front of an audience of only 200,000, but his set defined the festival for those who stayed and those who watched the popular documentary of the event. Hendrix closed with a stunning electric guitar version of the national anthem.

An added degree of difficulty: Hendrix had broken a guitar string earlier in his set, so he was playing with only five strings.

Finally — mercifully, perhaps — Woodstock was over. More than 5,000 medical incidents had been treated. Eight hundred of those were drug related. The festival had cost $3 million to put on but generated only $1.8 million in revenue.

Monday's Performers

Midnight: Johnny Winter

1:30 a.m.: Blood, Sweat & Tears

3 a.m.: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

6 a.m.: Paul Butterfield Blues Band

7:30 a.m.: Sha Na Na

9 a.m.: Jimi Hendrix

Other Notable 1960s Music Festivals

Jan. 16-18,1967

MONTEREY INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL

Monterey, California

Attendance: 50,000

The first major show by Janis Joplin and the first major U.S. appearances of the Who and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Aug. 3-4, 1968

NEWPORT POP FESTIVAL

Costa Mesa, California

Attendance: 100,000

The festival ended with a cream pie fight between Jerry Garcia, David Crosby and bystanders.

Dec. 28-30, 1968

MIAMI POP FESTIVAL

Miami

Attendance: 99,000

So many great acts were invited that officials had two stages built and had shows going on simultaneously.

June 20-22, 1969

NEWPORT ’69

Northridge, California

Attendance: 150,000

The Costa Mesa City Council banned further music festivals, so the next year’s event moved to Devonshire Downs.

July 3-6,1969

NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Newport, Rhode Island

Attendance: 78,000

Fearing a riot, producers canceled an appearance by Led Zeppelin, which showed up anyway and closed the final day’s lineup.

July 4-5, 1969

ATLANTA POP

FESTIVAL

Atlanta

Attendance: 110,000

Grateful festival promoters thanked fans by staging a free show in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park featuring the Grateful Dead.

Aug. 1-3, 1969

ATLANTIC CITY POP FESTIVAL

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Attendance: 110,000

Joni Mitchell stopped after just one song, complaining she “just played the same verse twice and no one noticed.” Incensed, she left the stage.

Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 1969

TEXAS INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL

Lewisville, Texas

Attendance: 120,000

B.B. King performed all three days, telling the same jokes — apparently unaware it was the same audience.

Dec. 6, 1969

ALTAMONT

Livermore, California

Attendance: 300,000

A free festival turned violent: During the climactic Rolling Stones set, a Hells Angels security guard stabbed a pistol-waving audience member to death.