Festival goers, those who exist for peace, love, and music, anyone who was hoping they could pretend they were alive in the late 60s: the long, painful watch is finally over. The plug on Woodstock 50 has finally been pulled.
What a journey we have been on…
The original Woodstock is an iconic festival that occurred 50 years ago, back in 1969, in Bethel, New York. The festival went down in history as one of the biggest rock festivals of all time and a cultural touchstone for the late 1960s. It had the likes of Santana, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young on the original line up. It was an iconic weekend that has been coveted after ever since. So, when creator Michael Lang said he was bringing back Woodstock for its 50th anniversary, everyone was excited. Upon the lineup announcement that included Jay-Z, Run the Jewels, Santana, Chance the Rapper, Miley Cyrus, people weren’t as excited as you thought they would be, and I don’t blame them. The lineup received a TON of negative reviews causing Woodstock to push back their ticket on sale to a later date, which actually never went on sale.
What many people don’t realize is that the original Woodstock was a mess that became romanticized. Traffic jams were massive, rains caused insane mud, there was poor sanitation, not enough food, and the number of people that showed was too much for the site to handle, leading to facilities not being equipped to provide sanitation or first aid for the number of people attending. The county in which the festival was being held in declared a state of emergency.
Since then, anniversary Woodstock celebrations have been attempted at being put together without much success. But we thought maybe the 50th would be different. Everyone followed as the slow decline began. First, it was supposed to be a festival with Live Nation and INVNT at the original Bethel Woods site. Then, the team split, and the festival was going to occur at Watkins Glen.
In April, Dentsu Aegis Network, their investor, pulled out and announced the cancellation of the festival. Lang insisted that it would carry on. Another financer stepped in, but state permits were not acquired. Acts began pulling out, and it was released that the festival would be moved to Baltimore and be a one day event.
Finally, the end came. Sources told Variety that vendors and stakeholders were notified on the morning of July 31st that the festival was not happening. An official statement has not been made or comments given, but is expected in the near future.
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