In the summer of 1969, an estimated crowd of 500,000 descended upon Max Yasgur's farm for "three days of peace and music." The Woodstock festival has been analyzed and mythologized ever since, so LiveXLive tasked Redbeard (of InTheStudio.net) to tell us the inside story.
"Woodstock Diaries” is a radio experience that features the voices and recollections (and music, of course) of those that were there, including Crosby, Stills , Nash & Young, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, the Jefferson Airplane and more. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the behind-the-scenes stories you will find:
--At the last minute, Jimi Hendrix asked his studio engineer, Eddie Kramer to fly in from Manhattan to record the event…leading to the seminal live album.
--The Band’s Robbie Roberston explains that the promoters choose the Woodstock location because they thought it would lure nearby resident Bob Dylan to perform. It didn’t work.
--Santana was not well-known out of San Francisco yet, so legendary promoter Bill Graham had to force them onto the bill. They were paid $500.
--Graham Nash’s chief memory was flying into Woodstock in a helicopter, where the crowd below looked liked “the encampment of the Macedonean army"