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The Woodstock Music and Arts festival is the best known and one of the most iconic festivals. But was Woodstock the first music festival?
Woodstock paved the way for many Rock musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Country Joe. The festival drew headlines following the chaotic traffic and outrageous drug-taking.
So, was Woodstock the first music festival? No, but it was the first to set the media alight with its countless controversies. Music festivals in general have taken place in various parts of the world for 1000 years. but the first music festival to be staged was the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Technically, the Monterey Pop Festival was the first commercial American festival which influenced the career paths of many iconic rock artists including Janis Joplin, Otis Redding and The Who – to name a few.
Who Masterminded the Woodstock Music Festival?
The idea for Woodstock was thought of by four men; Artie Kornfield, Michael Land, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman.
“It was rumored that John Roberts and Joel Rosenman put an ad in the New York Times that said two guys with unlimited capital looking for investments. Michael and I never saw that ad,” said Kornfeld.
The original idea for the Woodstock 1969 is shrouded in time lapse and numerous different counts of the story, but Woodstock Ventures was formed soon after the four young men met, and each person held 25% of the company. – Woodstock Story
Woodstock Story
Because they had jobs in the entertainment industry, they could see the potential. Holding different kinds of music festivals was a fresh idea that would surely draw the public’s attention.
Where was Woodstock held in 1969?
The Woodstock Music and Arts festival took place in Bethel, New York. However, the organisers first choice was, of course, the town of Woodstock. So, what happened?
Despite Woodstock Ventures choosing this town based on its musical culture, the community had reservations about the event taking place there due to the number of visitors the festival may attract.
Event organisers then set their sights on Saugerties, a town just 10 miles from Woodstock. However, problems arose based on the venue space. After the second knock-back, they set their sights on a place 35 miles away in Wallkill.
Having found the perfect venue with a whopping 300 acres of land to fill, the idea was soon scrapped when the local community were apprehensive about the number of people, which was thought to be around 50,000.
There were just a few weeks to go before Woodstock was supposed to happen. The organisers settled on the town of Bethel after striking a deal with a local dairy farmer. Legend has it that organisers rented out 600 acres of land from a farmer known as Max Yasgur, for a reported fee of $75,000.
The Mistakes of Woodstock
It’s near impossible for everything to run smoothly when there are 500,000 people milling about. However, there was a lot more to Woodstock, and there was a downside.
Having struggled to find a venue in the first place, organizers failed to build ticket booths and entry gates in time. This resulted in Woodstock becoming a free event, which was a terrible mishap for the organisers, but a bonus for festival goers. Imagine watching Janis Joplin perform for free!
The Traffic was Terrible
The people who travelled to Bethel by car caused huge traffic jams on the Atlanta freeway. It was so chaotic that it jammed the New York thruway for 10 miles.
Not only was this frustrating for people that had no desire to attend the festival, some of the performers were caught up in the jam and had to be flown by helicopter to the venue.
There was a Shortage of Toilets
Woodstock was a very unhygienic place, with just 1 toilet per 833 people. With around 500,000 people in attendance, just think how long the queues would have been! Not to mention there was probably a lack of toilet paper and hand wash!
And too many Drugs
While many people attended Woodstock to get high, a lot of people were there purely to watch their favourite band perform whether it be Creedence Clearwater Revival or Country Joe McDonald.
According to one article, a nurse stated that Kool-Aid drinks laced with drugs were being handed out for free. This, of course, may be ideal for anyone seeking to get high, but extremely dangerous for those who were unaware.
Food and Water Was Scarce
It was hard to get food and water at Woodstock if you didn’t bring your own. The organisers had no idea so many people would turn up, so they were unprepared and unable to cater.
The Audience
The audience was a diverse mixture of people. Many wanted to escape the politics of the time (including the Vietnam war and the Civil Rights movement). Woodstock gave people the chance to leave the world behind for a few days and enjoy nothing but music.
Woodstock took place in August, but the site was muddy and wet, because of heavy rain which fell most of Friday afternoon through to Saturday morning.
Coupled with the lack of food and water it became a real problem for some. However, it didn’t seem to bother too many, and the vibes were mostly positive.
How Many Bands Played at Woodstock Music Festival?
There were 32 bands in total that took to the stage over the weekend of August 15-18, 1969. Many performers had little experience performing to such a huge crowd. But it did wonders for their musical careers for many years after.
While some performers such as Country Joe, Janis Joplin, and Santana received an overwhelming response from the audience, others weren’t so fortunate.
The Grateful Dead, for example, had a torrid time during their set. At the time of their performance, the weather had taken a turn for the worst and the heavens truly opened. They were not prepared for such conditions, but the band bravely carried on with their set. Water and electronic equipment is a dangerous mix of elements, and it was fortunate there wasn’t a serious accident.
The band struggled through their performance, receiving sharp zaps from their equipment which didn’t go down too well with the crowd.
Other artists, such as Tim Hardin, were pretty out of it before he made it on stage which was all too obvious to see. However, this didn’t seem to bother the audience who were probably too high themselves to notice.
The Lineup
The following musicians performed at Woodstock Festival 1969.
First Day – August 15th 1969
- Richie Havens
- Country Joe Mcdonald
- John B. Sebastian
- Sweetwater
- Incredible String Band
- Bert Sommer
- Tim Hardin
- Ravi Shankar
- Melanie
- Arlo Guthrie
- Joan Baez
Second Day – August 16th 1969
- Quill
- Keef Hartley Band
- Santana
- Canned Heat
- Grateful Dead
- Mountain
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Sy & The Family Stone
- Janis Joplin
- The Who
Third Day – August 17th 1969
- Jefferson Airplane
- Joe Cocker
- Country Joe And The Fish
- Ten Years After
- The Band
Fourth Day – August 18th 1969
- Blood, Sweat And Tears
- Johnny Winter
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- Sha Na Na
- Jimi Hendrix
FAQs
Did Anybody Die at Woodstock?
Sadly there were three people who died at Woodstock ‘69. Two men died from drug overdoses out of 500,000 people – a huge majority of which were taking drugs.
The third death occured when a tractor clearing up the rubbish ran over a festival-goer who was asleep inside a sleeping bag.
Were any Babies Born at the Festival?
Some reports claim there were two babies born, others report there were four. Whatever the number, we know it was less than 10.
What Other Music Festivals Took Place Before Woodstock?
Music festivals have taken place for years throughout history. But staged festivals with large audiences are a modern phenomenon. The Miami Pop Festival took place a year before and was organised by Michael Lang himself.
Why Was the Festival Named Woodstock When it Took Place in Bethel?
After struggling for so long to find a venue, the organisers had to stick with the name Woodstock, as most acts were booked under this name. And the Bethel Festival hasn’t quite the same ring to it.
Final Thoughts
The – Woodstock Music and Arts Festival of 1969 (Part 1) – may go down in Rock history as the most legendary festival to ever take place. It wasn’t the first music festival to be staged, but it left an everlasting imprint on the Rock community. Now watch Part 2.
Many performers, who were relatively unknown at the time, went on to become some of the most famous Rock musicians in history.
And what was once known as Max Yasgur’s dairy farm is now the Bethel Woods Centre, a non-profit arts organisation.