Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’re featuring the year 1969, the year of Woodstock! The 3-day music festival, held August 15-18, attracted more than 460,000 people, though organizers expected around 50,000. It was held on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY, and 32 acts performed, despite overcast weather and periodic rain. It was one of the largest music festivals in history and became a cultural touchstone for the late 1960s.
Woodstock was meant to be a profit-making venture. It only became a “free concert” when circumstances prevented fences and ticket booths from being installed before the festival started. Tickets were $18 in advance and $24 ($150 to $200 today) at the door and were only available at New York City-area record stores or by mail. Around 186,000 tickets were sold in advance.
The influx of people to the rural town of Bethel created a massive traffic jam. Traffic was so bad that the band Sweetwater, which was supposed to open the festival, didn’t make their scheduled start. Richie Havens went on instead. They had to be airlifted by helicopter to the concert so they could perform second. Many other performers also had to be airlifted in because of the traffic issues.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was the first act to sign a contract for the event in April 1969. Prior to CCR committing to play, organizers had trouble landing big-name groups. Jimi Hendrix closed out the festival, taking the stage at 8:30 Monday morning. He was also the highest paid act, making $18,000 (around $153,000 today).
Woodstock’s significance was cemented with an Oscar-winning 1970 documentary film, a soundtrack album, and a song written by Joni Mitchell that became a huge hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The concert location was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. Today it’s known as the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts, with a museum and 15,000-seat amphitheater.
Learn more here.