These ’60s Legends Rocked Woodstock but Were Omitted From The Film’s Final Cut originally appeared on Parade.
The Woodstock documentary film captured the spirit of the most iconic music festival of the ’60s, but several legendary bands and singers who took to the stage in Bethel, New York, were nowhere to be found in its final cut.
A total of 32 acts and 163 musicians performed on the festival’s main stage during the weekend of August 15-18, 1969. The entire festival was filmed and later released in theaters in 1970.
Several legendary performers at the event were left out of the final footage altogether, casting doubt on their place in the historic event. Thankfully, countless photographs captured the star-studded lineup and their performances, which entertained nearly half a million festivalgoers.
In an interview with The Talks, Neil Young shared why he refused to be filmed at the event alongside Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. “That was a turning point when music was becoming media and music was turning into an industry instead of a direct communication between musicians and the audience. In my view, cameras had no place on stage. They could film from far away, and it wouldn’t bother me at all.”
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Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s John Fogerty was reportedly dissatisfied with the band’s performance, leading to his refusal to allow any footage of their set to be included in the movie. He claimed his band members were sluggish and the audience wasn’t responding , reportedly accusing The Grateful Dead of putting the audience to sleep.
Other acts that were either not included or had their performances cut from the original film included Janis Joplin, The Band, Sweetwater, Incredible String Band, Ravi Shankar, Melanie, Quill, Keef Hartley, Mountain, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Paul Butterfield, Bert Sommer, and Jefferson Airplane. Some acts were cut due to low-quality footage, manager demands, or the band’s own decisions about their performances.
Ironically, Jimi Hendrix was not in the film’s original cut, but later editions and documentaries included his set. He closed out the festival on Monday, August 18, at 8:30 am, and his performance included a powerful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was relocated from its original location in Woodstock, New York, to Bethel, New York, because the original site wouldn’t have accommodated the anticipated number of attendees. Additionally, residents in Woodstock opposed the event, and town officials passed ordinances that made it impossible to hold the festival there.
The site that was ultimately chosen was Max Yasgur’s Dairy Farm, which boasted 600 acres of land according to History. The event’s promoters, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield, and Michael Lang, initially conceived the festival as a fundraiser to build a recording studio and rock-and-roll haven near Woodstock, New York, an artists’ colony already home to Bob Dylan and other celebrated musicians.
The site of the original festival celebrated the event’s 56th anniversary with a Woodstock anniversary week. It concludes Aug. 15, 2025.
These ’60s Legends Rocked Woodstock but Were Omitted From The Film’s Final Cut first appeared on Parade on Aug 15, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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