Top 10 Best Woodstock '69 Performances

Woodstock rocks! But what is the best song?

We're talking about Woodstock '69, the first one, the original.

The Top Ten

  1. Soul Sacrifice - Santana

    Santana was incredibly energetic, both as individual musicians and as a band playing together. I'm sure most of them were tripping, but they managed to feed off each other's strengths and bring it all together. At first, the audience was surprised by the new sounds they were hearing, but with each note, they got more into the music. The crowd was electrified by their performance, hearing beautiful music played by musicians who knew and loved playing together for their audience.

    Did you all forget Alvin Lee? This guy performed unbelievably on the guitar, more crank on the guitar than anyone, period. "Going Home" was and is the stellar performance and truly emphasizes how a guitar should be played. Listen to that dude crank, and the perfect feedback of his guitar at the end of the jam!

  2. With a Little Help from My Friends - Joe Cocker

    Still the most individually compelling performance of the entire show. I would have loved to see The Band. Sha Na Na instead of The Band? Are you kidding me?

    Richie Havens opens Woodstock with Freedom, not shabby either. But with all the big names (The Who, Jimi, Janis, CSNY), Joe was the one who stood out. Kudos to Santana - Soul Sacrifice was tremendous. So was Sly, and where is he?

    Oh, how I wish I was at Woodstock. If I had a time machine, I would use it just to go to Woodstock! And I wouldn't sleep or leave until it was over!

  3. The Star-Spangled Banner - Jimi Hendrix

    I can't imagine how awesome this would have been live. Just think of the showmanship! The Grateful Dead bombed at this show, haha.

    Great performance by Jimi Hendrix, who protested against the Vietnam War by imitating the sound of bombs!

  4. Pinball Wizard - The Who

    Love the song, love The Who. Great performance.

  5. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

    One of the greatest performances by Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane of this classic.

    Super song. Thanks to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, where I discovered it.

  6. Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin

    Janis is hands down one of the best artists ever, in my opinion. She poured her heart and soul into every word she sang, and it's beautiful.

  7. We're Not Gonna Take It - The Who

    Just watch the video on YouTube. Trust me, it's among the best live performances by any rock band! The Who members themselves didn't enjoy it, and Roger Daltrey called it The Who's worst-ever performance, but in my opinion, this is just as good as Live At Leeds.

    The Who were really playing for their lives at Woodstock! This has to be the best live performance of We're Not Gonna Take It/See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You, but Sparks is also another breathtaking moment of The Who's performance at Woodstock!

  8. Suzy Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival

    This song still gets a crowd going whenever it's played, even 42 years later!

    John Fogerty and the rest of the band nailed it, creating what became the haunting call of Woodstock.

  9. I'm Going Home - Ten Years After

    Looking back 46 years after seeing the Woodstock movie at the Trans-Lux East movie theater in NYC, the three acts that stood out most for me were: 1. Ten Years After. 2. The Who. And 3. Sly and The Family Stone. As a then 15-year-old, I was blown away by Alvin Lee's guitar playing on "I'm Going Home." It's interesting to note that he got such a heavy sound not from a Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster, but rather a semi-hollow electric guitar, which he tended to favor throughout his career.

    Who's #1 is a matter of opinion, but I saw one top 10 list, and TYA wasn't even on it. Not sure how anyone could rate their performance as unworthy of being in the top 10. It was definitely a breakout performance for TYA.

  10. Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    My Generation - The Who

  12. ?

    Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon - Jefferson Airplane

    Wall of sound. Amazing harmonies, perfect connection between the musicians. Perfect song!

    13. The Contenders

  13. Going Up the Country - Canned Heat

    "I'm going where the water tastes like wine." Well, that says everything, doesn't it?

  14. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

  15. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

    Incredible track about love, forgiveness, timelessness, the spectrum of human emotion, and perfection through musical harmony.

  16. Fish Cheer / Fixin' to Die Rag - Country Joe McDonald

  17. Coming into Los Angeles - Arlo Guthrie

  18. Freedom - Richie Havens

    He played the longest set. This was my favorite - very passionate.

    Because - no explanation needed.

  19. See Me, Feel Me - The Who

    Don't forget these guys performed when most people were sleeping.

    I'm surprised this song is number 16. To me, this is one of the best performances, and I would have liked to see it in the top 10.

    Greatest band ever. Pete was electrifying.

    Kicking Abbie Hoffman offstage would have been a blast to see.

  20. Southbound Train - Mountain

  21. Feelin' Alright - Joe Cocker

  22. Evil Ways - Santana

  23. At the Hop - Sha Na Na

    You would think that at a hippie festival, 50s music would be laughed at, but the crowd loved it. Not to mention they did this song about 100 BPM faster than the original Danny and the Juniors classic. Hendrix, Sha Na Na, Richie Havens, and Santana rocked the festival.

  24. Turn On Your Lovelight - Grateful Dead

  25. Amazing Journey/Sparks - The Who

    Probably the most fiery performance of these two interconnected songs by The Who. It contains all the classic Who elements: psychedelic jamming, extensive guitar feedback from Townshend, Entwistle's thundering bass, Moon going crazy on the drums, and Roger with the tambourines.

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