Woodstock's 40th Anniversary: Day 3

Ending my series of Woodstock celebration post, here is a run down of the third and final days events. Information is from the book The Road to Woodstock by Michael Lang unless otherwise noted.

The lineup on the final day (August 17, 1969) included:

Joe Cocker and the Grease Band - after having the morning started by Wavy Gravy's offer of free breakfast, and a moment where Max Yasgur (the owner of the property where Woodstock was held) was able to speak to the crowd, Joe Cocker took the stage around 2 pm. His cover of the Beatles tune "With a Little Help from My Friends" instantly became his signature and another iconic song forever associated with Woodstock. AS his set wrapped up, the sky turned dark and the rain began to fall...(page 226-228)


Country Joe and the Fish - Due to the rain and the need to cut power to the stage, Ten Years After could not play their set as scheduled, after Joe Cocker. Country Joe and the Fish insisted they could play with no electricity, so they went on next. And Country Joe McDonald recalls "...the kids were bored....We chanted "No rain" and played cowbells, and the audience picked it up. Them we got the idea to pass out drinks to the audience. And everything was going really well until Barry Melton, who was the lead guitar player of the Fish, brought two cases of beer in aluminum cans and started throwing them into the audience and hitting people in the head. Then they started throwing things back at us." (pages 229-230)

Ten Years After - finally able to go one near 8 pm, the ban played a two hour set. The band was tired and ready to go one stage and although they had tuning problems, the audience was great to them. Guitarist Alvin Lee left the stage at the end of their set carrying a watermelon someone had passed along to him. (pages 231-232)

The Band - living in Woodstock, New York, at the time, took the stage around 10 pm. They played tracks from their recent album Music from Big Pink and several songs that would not be released for a few more years. Unfortunately the Band did not feel as if they connected with the crowd, and the tracks and film footage remain absent from the movie and various soundtracks. (page232-233)

Johnny Winter - Just past midnight Johnny Winters took the stage to play his mix of Texas blues, R & B and early rock and roll. His 65 minute set included the songs "Mean Town Blues," "I Can't Stand It," "Tobacco Road" and "Tell The Truth." The set was closed with a cover of the Chuck Berry tune "Johnny B. Goode."(page 233)

Blood, Sweat and Tears - this eight-piece jazz-rock band with a horn-section began their set around 1:30 am. They played hits such as "Spinning Wheel," "And When I Die," and "More and More" closing with "You've Made Me So Very Happy." (page 233)

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - One of the most anticipated bands of the festival, CSNY and just released their first album in May of 1969. They had only played with Neil Young live once, the night before they played Woodstock in Chicago. At 3:30 am they stepped on stage and opened with "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." David Crosby remembers "We were scared. Everyone we respected in the whole goddamn music business was standing in a circle behind us when we went on." After their set, Graham Nash thought they "did a lousy set." while Crosby thought "We were good, thank God." (page 235)

Paul Butterfield Blues Band - around 6 am, Paul Butterfield and his band began their set with the song "All in a Day." The ban had added a horn section and additional songs in their set included "Morning Sunrise," "Drifting Blues," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "No Amount of Loving," "Love March," and "Everything's Gonna Be Alright." (page 236)

Sha Na Na - this band, composed of twelve Columbia students, was a fifties-syle throw back, playing past hits such as "Teen Angle" and "Duke of Earl." Decked out in their gold lame suits, the band seemed to help energize the sleep deprived and was the next to last band to play. (page 236)

Jimi Hendrix - Closing the show, Hendrix had arrived on Sunday around noon and had been originally scheduled to end the show around midnight on the 17th. Since the show was running late he and his band did not take the stage until 8:30 am. Only aorund 40,000 people remained for the two hour set, one of the longest of Hendrix's career. In his white beaded and fringed leather shirt, he is probably most well known for his rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." As Michael Lang remembers "One minute he was chording the well-worn melody, the next he was reenacting "bombs bursting in air" with feedback and distortion. It was brilliant. A message of joy and love of country, while at the same time and understanding of all the conflict and turmoil that's torn America apart." A funny statement from Graham Nash was "Hendrix was okay. I had heard him better. But "The Star-Spangled Banner" was unreal. As creative a two minutes as you can probably find in rock and roll." He ended the set with an instrumental piece later named "Woodstock Improvisation," followed by "Villanova Junction" and "Hey Joe" around 10:30 am.


And that was it. Woodstock was over. The world has never been the same since.

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Image of Joe Cocker from editorsguild.com; Johnny Winter from yee.ch; Jimmy Hendrix from ubthenews.com