The Surprisingly Personal Reason Why The Jeff Beck Group Didn’t Play Woodstock, Despite Being Invited

While the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was an indisputably significant moment in musical history, not every band associated with the 1969 rock scene made it to Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York. The late-summer weekend fell during peak touring season, so there were countless bands with prior engagements. Others didn’t even receive an invitation.

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Some musicians, like Joni Mitchell, stayed away from Woodstock for other career opportunities on the advice of her manager, David Geffen. But for The Jeff Beck Group, the reason they never got to perform on the Woodstock stage was far more personal.

And in hindsight, not necessarily a bad thing.

Why the Jeff Beck Group Didn’t Make It to Woodstock

In terms of star power alone, The Jeff Beck Group fit right in with the rest of the Woodstock lineup. Featuring former Yardbirds member and eponymous guitarist Jeff Beck, the band also included Rod Stewart on vocals and future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood on rhythm guitar. As integral members of the rock ‘n’ roll scene, The Jeff Beck Group received an invitation to perform at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.

Although no one knew the cultural impact Woodstock would have at the time, event organizers unsurprisingly touted it as a major event that people shouldn’t miss. Doing so is in the job description. The members of The Jeff Beck Group were excited for a chance to play an open-air show in the summer and have a nice time.

But according to Stewart, the band had to cancel their set. As the Faces singer explained during a 2015 appearance on the Howard Stern Show, Beck heard through the grapevine that his wife was having an affair with their gardener. Beck opted to go straight home, forcing the group to back out of the festival.

In Hindsight, Maybe It Wasn’t Such a Bad Thing

Willingly giving away the opportunity to perform at Woodstock seems ludicrous now. But in the summer of 1969, all Jeff Beck knew was that his partner was maybe cheating on him, and there was a potential gig standing in the way of him making it back home. There was no way of knowing how pivotal a moment Woodstock would become. However, it’s this exact grandiosity that left the members of The Jeff Beck Group indifferent to not being there.

“Would we have been more famous if we’d played Woodstock?” Ronnie Wood mused to Classic Rock years later. “We’d have certainly carved our notch in history as being part of Woodstock. But I think, as fate had it, it was meant to be. We were very disappointed, because we knew Woodstock was looming. But at the time, it was just a rumor that it was going to be that big. Festivals were still quite a new thing.”

Rod Stewart expressed similar sentiments to Howard Stern, saying, “I don’t know whether it would have been good or whether we’d have been labeled a Woodstock act for the rest of our lives.”

Frankly, the sheer fact that both Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood were contemplating whether missing Woodstock hurt their careers in major publications and podcasts in their 70s is proof that no, it didn’t. Even without Woodstock under their belts, they enjoyed decades-long careers and remain iconic figures in rock ‘n’ roll history today.

Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns