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12 Facts About Woodstock
At least one organizer wanted Roy Rogers to be the closing act.
1: One of the organizers, Michael Lang, actually wanted Roy Rogers to close the show.
The idea was that Roy would wrap things up with a rousing rendition of, “Happy Trails to You.” It turns out Roy didn’t go for it. I have a hard time picturing Roy riding in on Trigger to close Woodstock.
So, after getting turned down by Roy Rogers, the second choice was naturally Jimi Hendrix. That’s an interesting thought process. Does that work the other way? In other words, if a director was casting for a western would say, “Get me Roy Rogers. If you can’t get him, get me Jimi Hendrix.” I think not.
2: The Moody Blues were scheduled to play Woodstock but were double booked.
They actually played in Paris instead. I would think, generally speaking, a gig in Paris would take precedence over one at farm in New York, but Woodstock was probably the exception.
3: There was a twenty-mile traffic jam on the way to Woodstock.
To pass the time, stranded motorists would count the number of people using the bathroom alongside the road. Hold on, being told that’s not…
