Billy Joel Reflects on Woodstock Experience: ‘It Wasn’t Fun — No Bathrooms, and Everyone Was Wasted’
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The iconic singer-songwriter, who was present at the historic 1969 festival, is now featured in a new HBO documentary titled Billy Joel: And So It Goes.
Back in 1969, Billy Joel ventured to Woodstock with hopes of seeing some of his favorite bands perform live. What he found instead was a festival mired in mud and packed with fans under the influence.
Joel was one of nearly 400,000 people who traveled to a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, that August for the now-iconic three-day music event. However, his memories of the weekend are far from nostalgic.
“Honestly, I didn’t enjoy it,” Joel, now 76, shared with PEOPLE in a recent interview. “I wanted to see Jimi Hendrix and The Who, but I missed them. I was only there on the first day. It was pouring rain, muddy everywhere, no proper bathrooms, and most people were completely out of it on drugs. I wasn’t using drugs at the time, so I wasn’t into that scene.”
Woodstock’s opening day mainly featured folk artists like Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie. It wasn’t until the second day that rock acts such as The Who, Grateful Dead, and Creedence Clearwater Revival took the stage. Hendrix didn’t perform until early Monday morning, closing out the festival after a long delay—meaning Joel would have needed to stay the entire weekend to see him.
Despite his unpleasant experience, Joel—whose life and career are chronicled in the new HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes—acknowledges there was something special about the event.
“There was this sense of community that I could appreciate,” he reflected. “It reminded me of what I loved about the Beatles. As I got older, I realized it wasn’t just about the Beatles themselves—it was about all of us. We all connected through their music. I shared that with so many others in my generation, and that feeling of unity meant a lot.”
At the time of Woodstock, Joel was a member of the rock band The Hassles. He released his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971, and his breakthrough came with Piano Man in 1973, launching a legendary career.
Earlier this year, Joel had to cancel his performances in May after being diagnosed with a treatable brain condition. Still, he says that same sense of togetherness continues to fuel his passion for playing live.
“When the audience is really into it, singing along, feeling the music with you—it’s like a modern-day Woodstock moment,” he said. “I’m deeply thankful for the support I’ve had from fans. It amazes me, and I don’t always understand it, but I see it as a gift.”
Joel wasn’t the only future music icon in the Woodstock crowd. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith has also shared that he attended the festival—though his memories of it differ from Joel’s.