Woodstock 40 Years On

Classic Rock 101 Presents: Woodstock – 40 Years On. Reliving the world's greatest rock and roll festival.

3 Days of Peace and Music starts Friday at 3pm. PLUS, Catch 2 days of exclusive content - The Anatomy of Classic Rock Woodstock 40 Years On - Saturday 9am to1pm and Sunday 2pm to 6pm with Robin Larose.

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Woodstock Facts

Drug use was far from uncommon on the sloping fields of Yasgur’s Farm. But it wasn’t just the fans that we’re tripping on acid. Before Carlos Santana hit the stage on day 2 he decided to drop the big D.

Not every artist to hit the famous Woodstock stage enjoyed themselves… The Who began a 4AM Sunday morning set with a roaring 25 song triumph that included Tommy in its entirety. Despite appearing to enjoy himself during the performance Pete Townshend left with a less than favorable review on his Woodstock experience.

Whether and technical delays pushed headliner Jimi Hendrix’s performance into the early hours of Monday morning. A mere 180 thousand faithful remained to see the guitar great perform. They we’re treated with a 2 hour set, the longest of Jimi’s career, which included the famous rendition of The Star Spangled Banner into string shattering rendition of Purple Haze. He called the event a success.

The magnitude of the Woodstock crowd was never anticipated but it meant great things for Richie Havens. Originally 5th on the bill he was bumped to open as there was great difficulty getting bands and gear to the grounds. To accommodate all the encores, and fill time, he improvised a version of "Motherless Child," and added a verse with the word "freedom" repeated over and over; the song was featured in the Woodstock film, and became an international hit.

Artists declining the opportunity to play Woodstock included The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Byrds and Jethro Tull. Joni Mitchell who was touring with Crosby Stills Nash and Young also cancelled but the Boys from CSNY made the trip to Bethel.

Almost 200 thousand tickets were sold before the 3 day festival began at $6 per day. The idea was to sell tickets at the venue as well. But on day one with massive crowds, no ticket booths, and overall chaos organizers quickly changed their mind.

It took 10 years for organizers and backers of the festival like Joel Rosenman to break even. And they only did so through audio and recording rights. At the end of the 3 days it’s estimated that there was about 1.3 million dollars in debt, no surprise when you consider some of the decisions that were made just to get the show off the ground.

The festival had many themes one of which was anti-war. Ironic when you consider that without the assistance of the U.S. Army who airlifted in food, medical supplies and artists, things could have easily turned to tragedy.