Musicians Who Turned Down Playing At Woodstock
By BRIAN BOONE
History - MUSIC
LED ZEPPELIN
Led Zeppelin was too big at the time to appear at Woodstock. The musicians and their label, Atlantic Records, were interested, but band manager Peter Grant said no.
According to "Led Zeppelin: The Concert File," Grant passed up the invitation "because at Woodstock, we’d have just been another band on the bill."
THE DOORS
The Doors would’ve fit right in with the fans and bands at Woodstock, but since they already performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, they passed the opportunity.
During an online chat at the Doors’ website in 1996, band member Robby Krieger said they turned it down because "we thought it would be a second-class repeat of Monterey Pop."
BOB DYLAN
After a devastating motorcycle accident in 1966, Bob Dylan was ready to make his comeback by the summer of 1969, right around when Woodstock was.
In the end, Woodstock organizers couldn’t book him. Instead, Dylan returned to live performances two weeks later at the Isle of Wight Festival in the UK.
THE ROLLING STONES
By 1969, the Rolling Stones had established themselves as one of the most dominant bands of the era, and naturally, Woodstock organizers invited them to perform.
Lead singer Mick Jagger turned it down on the band's behalf as he was shooting a movie in Australia, and guitarist Keith Richards was busy with the birth of his first child.
JONI MITCHELL
Oddly enough, the person who wrote such an evocative and mood-capturing song as "Woodstock" did not perform at the festival.
Instead, Crosby, Stills & Nash covered the song for overcautious Joni Mitchell, who opted out to ensure she didn’t miss a taping of the Dick Cavett Show the following Monday.