The Road to Woodstock

On the afternoon of 15th August 1969, Richie Havens took the stage at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, welcoming a crowd of several hundred thousand to the green fields of Max Yasgur's farm. Havens was the first act – the legendary festival, years in the making, was finally beginning. Nothing would be the same after.

But the story of the legendary festival begins with Michael Lang, a kid from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, who liked to smoke a joint and listen to jazz. He eventually found his way to Florida, where he opened a head shop and produced his first festival – Miami Pop, featuring Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and others. In the late 60s, after settling in Woodstock, he began to envision a music and arts festival where folks could come and stay for a few days amidst the rural beauty of upstate New York. The idea crystallised when Lang discussed it with Artie Kornfeld, a songwriter and A&R man, and with two other young men they formed Woodstock Ventures.

They booked talent, from Janis Joplin and The Who to the virtually unknown Santana and Crosby, Stills and Nash; won over agents and promoters; brought in the Hog Farm commune to set up campgrounds; hired a peacekeeping force; took on fleets of volunteers; appeased the Yippies; and were run out of one town only to find another site just weeks before the festival.

On the ground with the talent, the townspeople, and his handpicked crew, Lang had a unique and panoramic perspective of the festival. Enhanced by interviews with others who were central to the making of the festival, The Road to Woodstock tells the story from inspiration to celebration, capturing all the magic, mayhem, and mud in between.