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Creedence Clearwater Revival: A Sleepless Night That Became Classic
In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of America’s hottest bands. That year alone, they released three albums — Bayou Country, Green River, and Willy and the Poor Boys. Their sharp, swampy riffs were everywhere, with hits like Proud Mary and Bad Moon Rising dominating the airwaves.
When they hit the Woodstock stage, it was already past 2 a.m. The crowd was drained — many asleep in the mud, others huddled together for warmth. John Fogerty, frustrated, later quipped that he was playing “for a bunch of bodies lying in the mud.” Still, Creedence’s sound ripped through the night like thunder.
Highlights included a blistering Born on the Bayou that jolted the diehards awake, and a gritty jam on Keep on Chooglin’ that showed just how ferocious the band was live. Despite the miserable hour, Creedence proved themselves a rock-and-roll machine — one that could electrify even an exhausted, half-asleep audience.
The Defining Moment
Born on the Bayou, pounding through the dead of night, with Fogerty spitting out every line like he was staring down the darkness itself. Those who stayed awake never forgot the weight of that performance.
Canned Heat: The Anthem of the Counterculture
If one song already sounded like Woodstock before Woodstock ever happened, it was Going Up the Country by Canned Heat. Released in 1968, it had become the counterculture’s de facto anthem, sung around campfires from coast to coast.
When the band launched into it onstage, the crowd instantly recognized the opening riff and sang along as if it were their own rallying cry. Frontman Bob “The Bear” Hite led the charge with his towering presence, while Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson mesmerized with his fragile, high-pitched voice.
Beyond their anthem, songs like On the Road Again displayed the band’s unique chemistry — rural blues fused with psychedelia and loose jams. Canned Heat embodied the unpolished, carefree side of Woodstock: messy, joyous, and totally free.
The Defining Moment
When the entire field sang Going Up the Country in unison, it was clear: this wasn’t just a hit. It was the collective voice of a generation trying to escape the weight of the “straight” world.
Ten Years After: The Fastest Guitar in the Mud
If Creedence brought swampy American grit and Canned Heat the hippie singalong, Ten Years After detonated the stage with sheer velocity. The British band, fronted by guitarist Alvin Lee, had a rising reputation back home, but it was Woodstock that turned them into an international force.
Their set climaxed with I’m Going Home — a ten-minute jam where Alvin Lee’s guitar became a machine gun. Lightning-fast riffs, manic solos, and a kinetic stage presence kept the weary crowd on edge, wide awake in the mud-soaked night.
For many, it was one of the festival’s great surprises. Alvin Lee left Woodstock hailed as one of the fastest, fiercest guitarists of his generation.
The Defining Moment
The ferocious I’m Going Home. No lights, no spectacle, no gimmicks — just Alvin Lee’s fingers moving at warp speed. It was the performance that cemented Ten Years After as a rock powerhouse.
Between Mud and Midnight
The night of Creedence, Canned Heat, and Ten Years After showed Woodstock at its rawest. The audience was cold, wet, and bone-tired, but the guitars didn’t let up. Between American muscle and British fury, the muddy field turned into another chapter of rock lore.
Burning Questions
Why wasn’t Creedence’s set in the original Woodstock film?
The band thought the sound wasn’t good enough. Fogerty vetoed the footage — but years later, the recordings surfaced and are now considered essential.
Was Canned Heat a big band in 1969?
Not huge like Hendrix or The Who, but they were cult heroes among the hippies. Going Up the Country was already the counterculture’s anthem.
Was Alvin Lee really Woodstock’s fastest guitarist?
Most likely, yes. His blazing I’m Going Home became a benchmark and launched him into guitar-hero status.
— Lena Blaze, Rock Vaults