The other day, I was listening to a sports talk radio interview with John Fogerty. Apparently, he has a book coming out that needs to be promoted. He spoke on a lot of interesting subjects, but my ears perked up with he was asked about Woodstock. In short, he did not have a good opinion of the event.
Fogerty said that Creedence Clearwater Revival went on three hours late for two reasons. The Grateful Dead would not stop playing, and the festival was run by people who had no concept of time. By the time Fogerty and the gang hit the stage, most of the crowd was passed out. Although, there was one guy in the distance who was holding up his lighter.
I looked up the Woodstock schedule and found the truth behind Fogerty’s words. He did not take the stage until well after midnight. However, I also found out something else. Performers who epitomized the era were not at the concert that epitomized the era.
Bob Dylan lived in the area but was not on the bill. In fact, he got upset at the number of people who had shown up.
The Doors turned down an invitation because they thought it was a knockoff of the Monterey Festival.
The Byrds did not play because it was one of many festivals taking place.
Joni Mitchell missed Woodstock to be on The Dick Cavett Show.
Woodstock is in the history books and is considered a watershed moment for the 1960s counterculture. However, it was a business venture. The organizers wanted to make money, and the performers wanted to make money. Many of the people who sang the soundtrack of the 1960s missed Woodstock because they would not get enough pay.
Woodstock was a huge event but was it bigger than Monterey? Was it a better concert than the Atlanta International Pop Festival?
Part of me thinks the fascination with Woodstock comes from the documentary released in 1970. It won an Academy Award; paid off the debts of the organizers; and preserved the festival for posterity. On film, Woodstock looks like fun, but I wonder if it was that fun in real life.
Did you attend Woodstock? Was it as important as history says it was? More importantly, how was the show?
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 