Why Joni Mitchell Never Made It to Woodstock
Joni Mitchell never made it to Woodstock, but she created the festival’s anthem, Woodstock, anyway. And the reason she didn’t show up was because of Geffen, who was more concerned about her appearance on The Dick Cavett Show the following day and urged her to stay in New York. Geffen recalled picking up The New York Times at the airport:
Joni Mitchell and David Geffen. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
“It said ‘400,000 People Sitting In Mud’.” So, he said to Mitchell, “Let’s not go!” But it was pretty much for nothing, considering that CSNY flew out of Woodstock in a helicopter and appeared themselves on the Cavett show. Then, Mitchell and Young started having discussions of their own…