Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/led-zeppelin-the-doors-and-other-acts-that-declined-to-play-woodstock-in-1969/
Woodstock is remembered as a lineup of legends, from Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin to The Who. Yet the poster that went up in the summer of 1969 could have looked very different. Several of the biggest names in rock were asked to play and said no, or never made it onto the bill.
Their reasons were mostly ordinary ones, such as scheduling, money, family obligations and plain doubt. The festival ran from August 15 to 18, 1969, on a farm in Bethel, New York. Nobody could have known beforehand that it would become the defining event of a generation.
Led Zeppelin and the Case for Headlining Alone
Led Zeppelin had barely been a band for a year, and they were already building a reputation in America through long, loud club and theater tours. Their manager, Peter Grant, reportedly had little interest in putting them on a multi act bill where they would be one name among dozens. His strategy was to make the band the main event wherever they played.
That approach made commercial sense in 1969. Zeppelin’s first album was climbing the American charts, and they were being paid well for their own shows. A festival slot in a farm field offered less control over the sound, the schedule and the money.
The Doors and a Decision They Came to Regret
The Doors were one of the most talked about American bands of the…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-10-07 05:36:00
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