Country Joe & The Fish
at Woodstock 1969
Country Joe returned with his full band on Day 3, reprising the "Fish Cheer" and anti-war themes that had defined their Day 2 solo appearance.
Country Joe & The Fish — Woodstock 1969
Country Joe McDonald returned to the Woodstock stage on Day 3 with his full band, Country Joe & the Fish, for a second appearance at the festival. Having already galvanized the crowd with his solo performance on Day 2, the band set brought fuller musical arrangements to the anti-war message.
The Fish were one of the definitive San Francisco psychedelic bands, formed in Berkeley in 1965. Their acid-rock compositions and political content made them central figures in the counterculture movement. Songs like "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" were psychedelic rock at its most adventurous.
Their Day 3 set again featured the infamous Fish Cheer and "Fixin' to Die Rag," which had become the defining anti-Vietnam War song of the era. With the war ongoing and Nixon in the White House, the song's sardonic lyrics resonated deeply with the Woodstock crowd.
Country Joe & the Fish released their final studio album "C.J. Fish" in 1970 before disbanding. McDonald pursued a solo career focused on themes including antiwar activism and veterans' rights, becoming one of the era's most consistent political voices in music.