You might think every artist who witnessed Woodstock would call it life-changing — but not Billy Joel. The legendary Piano Man has come clean about his less-than-groovy experience at the iconic 1969 music festival… and let’s just say, it wasn’t peace, love, and rock ’n’ roll for him.
“I didn’t enjoy it, to tell you the truth,” the 76-year-old singer told People. “I wanted to see [Jimi] Hendrix. I wanted to see The Who, and I missed them. I just saw the first day. And it was so muddy and rainy and messy and no place to use the bathroom, and everybody was drugged out. I wasn’t doing drugs or anything back then.”
While many remember Woodstock as a magical moment of music and unity, Joel admits the experience fell flat for him — wet, chaotic, and uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean he missed the deeper meaning.
“I got that,” he said, reflecting on the festival’s legacy. “Same thing with what I loved about the Beatles. I loved the Beatles, but I recognised, as I grew, it wasn’t just about the Beatles. It was about us. I had a lot in common with my fellow boomers who were listening to the Beatles. ‘This is great. Everybody’s on the same page. We’re all growing up and listening to this stuff.’”
Joel is currently the subject of the new HBO docuseries Billy Joel: And So It Goes, and while fans are eager to dive into his story, the hitmaker admits he was hesitant to revisit his past.
“I’ve resisted this kind of thing for so long. I’m sick of talking about myself,” he confessed. “Some of the stupid stuff I did, that’s painful to talk about. But they asked me for some thematic guidance. I said, ‘Just tell the truth.’”
Truth, apparently, includes being honest about awkward memories — and Joel didn’t hold back. The Uptown Girl singer shared that he found interviews and personal retrospectives uncomfortable.
“My goal was to get it over with,” he said. “When you do interviews, people just ask you about yourself and you get a little self-conscious about it eventually. It’s almost embarrassing.”
He added, “When you’re talking about your personal life detached from the material… I suppose there’s a little bit of wariness involved.”
From muddy fields to musical milestones, Billy Joel has lived through the highs and lows of a rockstar’s journey — and now, he’s sharing it all, no sugarcoating necessary.
