Legendary Performers at Woodstock

The festival was three days long with a total of 33 acts. The opening act was Richie Havens on Friday, August 15th, and the closing act was Jimi Hnedrix on Sunday, August 17th.

Day 1

One of the last acts on the first day was Arlo Guthrie. Arlo was only 22 years old when he performed at Woodstock. He is an American folk singer and like his late father, Woody Guthrie, he is known for singing songs revolving around protest against social injustice, which was a prominent theme amongst others at Woodstock. He is best known for his song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" which is a satirical blues song that is about 18 minutes in length.

His song "Massachusetts" was named the official folk song f the state in which he has lived most of his adult life. He was born in Coney Island, New York City, NY to Woody and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie. As a singer, songwriter and lifelong political activist, Guthrie carries on the legacy of his father. He was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award on September 26, 1992

Day 2

The second day of Woodstock consisted of performers that are well-known still to this day and have produced some of the greatest music of all time, specifically the Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead are their own wonder. This band has been influecned by Blues, Jazz, Country, Folk and Rock 'N' Roll. Their compositions would last for incredible lengths due to improvising solos and lyrics. Unfortunately, due to the rain, they were in threat to electrical shock on stage at Woodstock. Songs were delayed, but all in all, they ended with an everlasting "Turn On Your Lovelight".

Day 3

One of the most appreciated bands is The Band. The Band performed on Sunday, the 17th at 10:00 pm. They are known for their excellent Folk-Rock and are considered to be better than most US-based Folk bands. They succeeded their mentor and former employer, Bob Dylan. When they performed at Woodstock, they only had one album, Music From Big Pink, which was released in 1968. Despite this, they had been around for many years.

I Shall Be Released - The Band

In the photo to the left, that is The Band performing "I'm Going Home", an intense performance which was one of the highlights of Woodstock

Final Act

I found it worthy of mentioning that Jimi Hendrix was the last act at Woodstock. The band was scheduled to be the last performance of Sunday night; however, due to delays, they played on Monday morning at 9:00 am.

Towards the end of their act, Hendrix performed The Star Spangled Banner. You can view it here: Jimi Hendrix performing Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock, 1969