An Interview with Michael Lang, promoter of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Three Days of Peace and Music (August 15, 17, 1969)
By Adam B. R., Grade 6

As a friend of the family, I've known Michael Lang for a long time. He's always been very nice, but I never had a chance to talk to him about the famous concert he created. So one day, I invited him over to our home, where we sat down and talked about this experience. The interview taught me that a lot of musicians were activists and how one man could put together a gigantic concert. I also learned that no matter how prepared you are, you always have to be able to improvise.

Adam: When did you come up with the idea for the Woodstock Concert?
Michael Lang: In the winter of 1968

Adam: How old were you?
ML: I was 23 or 24.

Adam: What was your inspiration?
ML: Monterey Pop and Miami Pop inspired me, but I was mostly inspired by the times, which were very political, and very sub cultured. We were all inspired by the youth culture, which we thought could make positive changes in society.

Adam: Who were the biggest stars at the concert?
ML: Jimmy Hendrix, The Who, Janice Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Mountain, Sly and the Family Stone, Credence Clearwater Revival

Adam: How did you get all these big stars?
ML: Woodstock sounded like an event nobody wanted to miss, and the name Woodstock in those days was known. It was the home of Bob Dylan, Janice Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, and other cultural icons. Initially, it was all about making everyone believe that these people were going to come, and that I could get everyone to come. I spent four months sitting with an agent friend of mine and learning how to book bands. I overpaid the first three acts, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Janis Joplin. That gave the right message to the industry on how real this was going to be. Soon, through word of mouth, bands were calling us.

Adam: What was the budget?
ML: Our initial estimate was $250,000. The second estimate was $1.2 million. In the end, it cost a little over two million.

Adam: Did you have any idea that many people would show up?
ML: In the beginning we planned on 200,000 but officially we were trying to get a permit for only 50,000. In the end we had somewhere between 500,000 and 600,000, but more than 1,000,000 who tried to come were turned away. They had to close the Thruway and the Canadian border.

Between 400,000 and 500,000 people came to the Woodstock concert in 1969. Police reported no serious disturbances despite the large crowd. Photo Credit: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Adam: Why did you choose Woodstock and why did you decide to keep the name Woodstock even after you ended up holding it sixty miles away?
ML: We had to move to Bethel because we could not find a large enough place in Woodstock. A lot of people tried to convince me to change the name to Bethel, but I felt the name reflected the spirit of what we were trying to do, which was to create an atmosphere of artistic community. Woodstock always stood for that.

Adam: What was so unique about the concert and why are people still talking about it today?
ML: What made Woodstock unique was how many people came and how well they treated each other. The world was shocked to discover that a crowd of more than 500,000 could live together for three days in a field and treat each other with love and respect. This was set against a backdrop of the war in Vietnam that nobody wanted, a battle for civil rights and women's rights, and a yearning for peace in the world, and the people who came to Woodstock accomplished all of these things, at least for that period of time, so it gave people hope for their future. It was exported to all over the world. People were talking about it in Poland and behind the Iron Curtain.

Adam: What did you get out of it personally?
ML: A great deal of satisfaction having been partially responsible for it.

Read more about Michael Lang and Woodstock here.