This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories.

While the Coachella Music Festival brings in as many people over its few days of

runtime, and Lollapalooza does too, Woodstock is, still to this day, the most important

music festival in American history. Here to tell the story of what happened at Woodstock

and how it happened is Harlan Lebo,

author of 100 Days, How Four Events in 1969, Shaped American History.

Woodstock has absolutely nothing to do with Woodstock, New York, at least the concert didn't.

That was the original intention.

Woodstock is about two hours north of New York City.

The original intention was to have a concert of probably 25,000 to 50,000 people there.

The city turned it down.

Two other communities then turned it down.

And then in Bethel, New York, which is about 90 minutes from New York City,

it's in the Catskills.

The promoters found this beautiful pasture land

that was essentially a giant bowl,

you know, a hillside leading down to this bowl at the bottom.

It was the perfect setting for a concert.

Max Yazger released his land to the promoters, and that's where the

concert was held.

Asger is a dairy farmer, a Republican, raised in New York City, so he's anything but the rural

...