Quote:
Originally Posted by matchingmole
They wanted to book The Doors and The Rolling Stones...but that didn't happen. You Can't Always Get What You Want.
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let's look into that .. several acts opted not to perform. the story varies a bit depending on the source.
The Beatles promoters contacted John Lennon to discuss a Beatles performance at Woodstock. Lennon said that the Beatles would not play unless there was also a spot at the festival for Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band. He was turned down.
A more likely story came out when Artie Kornfeld met John Lennon. Lennon expressed that he wanted to play Woodstock, but was in Canada and having a hard time getting back in the country at the hands of Richard Nixon.
i'd say Lennon's legal troubles are the better reason. Not sure if the other Beatles would have agreed anyway. and Ono's band sucked and would have gotten booed off the stage.
Led Zeppelin was asked to perform, but manager Peter Grant decided that they would be just another band at the festival and launched a hugely successful summer tour. On the weekend of Woodstock, Zeppelin played the Asbury Park Convention Hall in New Jersey just south of the festival.
sounds like Grant. always looking at the big picture and the long game.
The Doors sat the Woodstock festival out with speculation pointing to Jim Morrison’s dislike of performing outdoors. Drummer John Densmore did appear at the festival, however. He can be seen on the side stage during Joe Cocker’s set.
So Jim didn't like fresh air and sunshine? well it rained so maybe he was right.
Bob Dylan was in the middle of negotiations for the upcoming festival but backed out when his son fell ill. He was also quite unimpressed with the increasing number of hippies accumulating outside of his house near the originally planned site of the festival. Dylan went on to perform at the Isle of Wright Festival two weeks later.
the only thing the overrated Dylan ever did was write folk bullshit that Jimi turned into great rock and roll.
Procol Harum were invited but declined because the festival was happening at the end of a long tour and the impending birth of band member Robin Trower’s child.
Robin Trower is overlooked as a musician.
The Moody Blues were included on the original Wallkill poster as performers, but decided to back out after being booked in Paris the same weekend.
Paris? Bah. bunch of commies!
Jethro Tull passed on the event after Ian Anderson was quoted as saying that he “didn’t want to spend [his] weekend in a field of unwashed hippies”. Another theory is the belief that the large festival may have killed their career before it began.
Mr "I wear codpieces for fun and kinks" doesn't like hippies. English Asshole.
Tommy James and the Shondells declined the invitation, Tommy James would later say “We could have just kicked ourselves. We were in Hawaii, and my secretary called and said, ‘Yeah, listen, there’s this pig farmer in upstate New York that wants you to play in his field.’ That’ s how it was put to me. So we passed.”.
Can't recall one thing they ever did. Not one.
Arthur Lee and Love declined the invitation, but Mojo Magazine later described inner turmoil within the band which caused their absence at the Woodstock festival.
never heard of 'em.
Spirit declined and instead launched a promotional tour.
tried to sue Zeppelin over the opening chords to "Stairway to Heaven". and lost.
Mind Garage declined because they thought the festival would be no huge deal and they had a higher paying gig elsewhere.
never heard of 'em.
The Jeff Beck Group were booked to perform at An Aquarian Exposition, but broke up a week before the festival.
Beck always was spotty as a performer. One night on fire, another drunk and terrible.
Joni Mitchell was recommended by her agent to appear on the Dick Cavett show rather than at the Woodstock festival. It is also believed that Mitchell was discouraged from performing at another festival after a particularly nasty crowd at the Atlantic City Pop Festival who actually made her cry.
Crybaby bitch. no talent either.
Iron Butterfly ended up stranded at the airport and were kindly told where to stick it when they demanded helicopters and other special arrangements to aid them in attending the concert.
another version says they wanted all this just to perform. and got told to shove it.
Lighthouse the Canadian band was booked to play, but backed out for fear that Woodstock would be a bad scene.
never heard of 'em.
http://www.woodstockstory.com/passin...mersbands.html
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