The famed Woodstock music festival kicked off in Bethel, New York at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 15, 1969. Richie Havens was the first act to perform at the event and arrived one hour late and rushed onto the stage. Five inches of rain fell on the first evening of the festival, soaking fans and causing a number of problems with the sound system. Event organizers predicted between 100,000 and 200,000 attendees for the event, and by the end of the weekend nearly 500,000 people had shown. The onslaught of fans caused a ten-mile traffic jam pushing all the way back to the nearest highway. The event became a who’s who of classic rock’s biggest bands including the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Band, the Who, Jimi Hendrix and Crosby Stills and Nash.