THE FIRST ACT TO TAKE THE
stage was Richie Havens—and
his set lasted longer than he
had expected. The organizers
backstage, he said, “told
me to kill time.” He killed all
right. For his finale, a grand
one, he pounded out the song
“Freedom,” thoroughly binding
the crowd in communal spirit.
Said Havens later, “It was the
beginning of the world, as far
as I was concerned.” Opposite:
Signposts at Woodstock for the
flower power generation.