# In 1969, Pete Townshend attacked a protester at Woodstock. He turned the incident into The Who’s most powerful anthem

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1969-pete-townshend-attacked-a-protester-at-woodstock-he-turned-the-incident-into-the-whos-most-powerful-anthem/
- Published: 2026-11-06T18:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T18:26:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1969-pete-townshend-attacked-a-protester-at-woodstock/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Hoffman interrupted The Who at Woodstock.
- Townshend turned his frustration into “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.
- The song questions whether revolutions change who holds power.

## Summary

At Woodstock in 1969, Pete Townshend’s already low opinion of the festival worsened after Abbie Hoffman interrupted The Who’s set and took the microphone. Townshend removed Hoffman from the stage, and the article says the experience helped inspire “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, a song expressing scepticism about revolutionary movements and the leaders who replace those in power.

Townshend recalled being left in mud for hours with his six-month-old child and claimed that LSD had been put in his coffee and was present in muddy water. The band began playing at about 5 am, when Hoffman came onstage. The song’s closing line, “Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss”, distils its view that a change of rulers may leave the same problems in place.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.