Formidable as the Woodstock Festival lineup looks in retrospect, many of the bands were relatively new to the scene in 1969.  Santana was a few weeks shy of releasing its debut album, and Crosby, Stills & Nash had only one gig with Neil Young under their belts before hitting the stage in front of 400,000 at the festival.  Many of the better established acts turned down offers.  The Doors looked at a map and convinced themselves hardly anyone would show-up at such a remote location.  Robert Plant explained why Led Zeppelin declined the offer to appear at the festival during his appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Monday (9/13).  The former front man said Led Zeppelin management had decided that appearing at the event would 'typecast' the group, apparently concluding that the band's prospects for development could somehow be hampered by being associated with the festival. Catch a portion of Fallon's session with Plant here.


MORE ROBERT PLANT INSIGHTS   ALL CURRENT STORIES