Creedence Clearwater Revival agreed to be paid $10,000 to perform at Woodstock. The band signed its contract in April 1969, becoming the first act booked for the event under a formal agreement.
That commitment mattered to the promoters because Creedence was already a major rock act. Drummer Doug Clifford later said that once Creedence signed, other prominent performers began joining the lineup. The band eventually played after midnight, around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 16, following the Grateful Dead.
Creedence's Woodstock experience is often remembered less positively than its landmark status suggests. John Fogerty reportedly insisted that the group's performance be left out of the original documentary film, partly because of the late hour and the band's dissatisfaction with the set. The $10,000 figure refers to the agreed performance fee, not the festival's total production costs or the band's later earnings.