Woodstock: Alan Stewart

Alan Stewart 59, Merrick, a musician

I was playing drums that summer in a band at a hotel very close to the Woodstock site. I recall leaving for Woodstock early Friday morning and we saw Richie Havens, Ravi Shankar, John Sebastian and Melanie. We had brought blankets and food from the kitchen as we had figured we wouldn't be able to get back to the hotel.

On Saturday, it rained and we had to find some shelter, but we got to see Santana, Creedence and the great Janis Joplin. We had little food left, but the music made us forget our appetites. We woke late on that night to see Sly & the Family Stone, the Who and then Sunday morning we saw Jefferson Airplane.

On Sunday afternoon, we saw Joe Cocker and then the heavens opened up and the rains kept coming and coming and that's when we decided to head back to the hotel.

It was all slop and mud, but man, everybody was having a blast and the time of their lives!