The Wrong Opening Act
Photo Credit: Ralph Ackerman/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Richie Havens was the first act to perform at Woodstock, appearing on stage at 5:07 PM. Knowing that the festival was on a weekend and during rush hour, heavy traffic prevented the opening acts from arriving on time to play. Thanks to that, Havens had to extend his act.
Havens performed numerous encores, playing “every song he knew” to kill the time. Searching for another song to sing, he began strumming, getting into a groove before the word “Freedom” came to mind. He sang his now-famous song “Freedom” on stage at Woodstock.
The real reason why Joni Mitchell missed Woodstock was because of her manager, and that story’s just around the corner.
