Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Friday 15 August 1969

A little more time would have been nice

Whether Woodstock Ventures was ready or not, the first day arrived. As I’ve indicated, there were thousands of people already on the field by Wednesday and the organizers realized that without booths that selling or collecting tickets was unlikely.

They would dance with who brung them.

Rolling Stone magazine had this to say afterwards: “Chicago was only the labor pains. With a joyous three-day shriek, the inheritors of the earth came to life in an alfalfa field outside the village of Bethel, New York. Slapping the spark of life into the newborn was American rock and roll music provided by the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.”

Day 1

The following is a listing of who played that first day, what they played, and how long they played. Keep in mind that while the organizers were well-organized (despite the myths), keeping track of times and players was not high on anyone’s list (insert joke here). The following seems to be accurate, but not definitive.

Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Richie Havens 

Richie Havens started at 5:07 pm; played for 45 minutes

Set list

  • From the Prison > Get Together > From the Prison
  • I’m a Stranger Here
  • High Flyin’ Bird
  • I Can’t Make It Anymore
  • With A Little Help from my Friends
  • Handsome Johnny
  • Strawberry Fields For Ever/Hey Jude
  • Motherless Child/Freedom
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Sri Swami Satchidananda

Swami Satchidananda addressed the audience and spoke about peace (6 PM).

Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Sweetwater

Sweetwater started at 6.30 pm;  they were on stage about an hour.

Nanci Nevins: guitar, vocals
Albert Moore: flute, vocals
August Burns: cello
Alex Del Zoppo: keyboards
Fred Herrera: bass
Elpidio Cobain: conga drums
Alan Malarowitz: drums
Set list
  • Motherless Child
  • Look Out
  • For Pete’s Sake
  • Day Song
  • What’s Wrong
  • My Crystal Spider
  • Two Worlds
  • Why Oh Why/Let the Sunshine In/Oh Happy Day
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Bert Sommer

Bert Sommer started at 7:30 pm; played for approx 40 minutes.

Set list:
  • Jennifer
  • The Road To Travel
  • I Wondered Where You’d Be
  • She’s Gone
  • Things Are Going My Way
  • And When It’s Over
  • Jeanette
  • America (Paul Simon)
  • A Note That Read
  • Smile
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Tim Hardin

Tim Hardin started at 9 pm; played for a bit over an hour.

Set list:
  • (How Can We) Hang on to a Dream?
  • Susan
  • If I Were a Carpenter
  • Reason to Believe
  • You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie
  • Speak Like a Child
  • Snow White Lady
  • Blue on My Ceiling
  • Simple Song of Freedom
  • Misty Roses
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

 Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar started at 10 pm; played for 40 minutes.

Ravi Shankar: sitar Maya Kulkarni: tamboura
Ustad Alla Rakha: tabla
Set list:
  • Raga Puriya-Dhanashri/Gat in Sawarital
  • Tabla Solo In Jhaptal
  • Raga Manj Kmahaj
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Melanie

Melanie played instead of Incredible String Band. She started at 11 pm; played for approx 20 minutes.

Melanie Safka: vocals, guitar

Set list:
  • Close to It All
  • Momma Momma
  • Beautiful People
  • Animal Crackers
  • Mr. Tambourine Man
  • Tuning My Guitar
  • Birthday of the Sun
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Arlo Guthrie

Arlo Guthrie started at 12 midnight; played for approx 40 minutes.

Set list:
  • Coming into Los Angeles
  • Wheel of Fortune
  • Walking Down the Line
  • Arlo Speech: Exodus
  • Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep
  • Every Hand in the Land
  • Amazing Grace
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

Joan Baez

Joan Baez started at 1 am; played for approx 60 minutes.

Joan Baez: vocals, guitar Richard Festinger: guitar
Jeffrey Shurtleff: vocals, guitar
Set list:
  • Oh Happy Day
  • The Last Thing On My Mind
  • I Shall Be Released
  • Story about how the Federal Marshalls came to take David Harris into custody  
  • Joe Hill
  • Sweet Sir Galahad
  • Hickory Wind
  • Drug Store Truck Driving Man
  • I Live One Day at a Time
  • Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South
  • Warm and Tender Love
  • Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
  • We Shall Overcome
Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair

 

next: Day 2…Woodstock Music and Art Fair

4 thoughts on “Day 1 Woodstock Music Art Fair”

  1. I was tripping my brains out all day . It was Owsly Purple Double Dome. I had a bad reaction to it. I was in and out all day. Some performers I remember quite well others not at all . Needless to say it was the last time I did acid for at least a week.

  2. Woodstock happened in my “back yard”. It was the week before my 8th birthday and I remember it well. I lived 1/4 mile from the site. In fact, we used to get milk delivered by Max Yasgur. We had cars parked in our fields(5800 of them)and people camping out on our property with my Grandmother feeding peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the hungry people.

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