The 5 best Woodstock performances, according to the Musicians Hall of Fame

The Musicians Hall of Fame has compiled a list of the 5 best performances from Woodstock 1969 , taking into account those that have remained in the public's memory even after all these years.

Woodstock was an arts and music festival that took place in August 1969 and left its mark on history.

It was three days of music featuring 32 of the best-known or up-and-coming artists of the time, on a rather rainy weekend in New York, which caused a series of unforeseen problems. Their performances are remembered to this day, and the event became known as a major landmark of the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Check out the list of most memorable performances reproduced below:

5. “My Generation” – The Who

The Who was already a well-known band at the time of their performance at Woodstock in 1969. Up to that point, they had released four studio albums and were known as one of the best musical acts in the world.

At the festival, the band performed a 7-minute version of "My Generation," which featured some of the most recognizable vocals, guitar solos, and drum riffs from Woodstock, ending the performance with Pete Townsend shredding on his guitar.

4. “Freedom” – Richie Havens

Folk singer Richie Havens was the first act scheduled for Woodstock in 1969. Originally, Havens was only supposed to play for an hour, but he ended up on stage for almost three hours. The artists scheduled to perform afterward arrived late due to traffic, and Havens filled the remaining slots.

3. “With A Little Help From My Friends” – Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker delivered one of the best performances at Woodstock with a moving cover of The Beatles ." The passion with which Cocker sang the Beatles classic made his performance one of the most memorable of the 1969 festival.

2. “The Star-Spangled Banner” – Jimmy Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix 's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was one of the highlights and most memorable moments of Woodstock. Besides being an iconic performance, some saw Hendrix's decision to play this song as a form of protest against the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, not everyone who wanted to could see the guitarist live. His performance was scheduled for Sunday night, but due to scheduling conflicts, delays caused by rain, and other performances that lasted longer than expected, Jimi Hendrix ended up performing only on Monday morning, when part of the audience had already left.

1. “Soul Sacrifice” – Santana

Organizations like Billboard Magazine and the Musicians Hall of Fame agree that the best performance of the entire Woodstock festival was Santana ." This is because at the time the band wasn't very well-known, and nobody expected their participation in the festival to be as surprising as it was. One of the highlights was Michael Shrieve ; at the time, he was only 20 years old and the youngest artist to perform at Woodstock. (Relive it here:)