Junk Explained: What The Hell Is Going On With Woodstock 50?
Less than a month out, none of the announced line-up has been confirmed -- and tickets still aren't on sale.
Update: Woodstock 50 has been cancelled, with organisers putting out the following statement: “We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on a festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating.”
The event was scheduled to go ahead in two weeks.
Despite being a decade-defining event, the historic Woodstock Festival in 1969 was a logistical shit-show. And it seems like anniversary festival Woodstock 50 is primarily paying homage to its messier side — that’s if it even goes ahead at all.
— Warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault. —
Scheduled for August 16-18, Woodstock 50 has more or less been in shambles since it was first announced. With artist disputes and drop-outs, venue and licensing issues, sponsor fights, lawsuits, and tickets still not on sale, the festival’s dramas are seemingly never-ending.
Apparently peace and love will prevail, with ’69 Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang repeatedly saying the festival will go ahead — even with two venue changes, a now completely unconfirmed line-up, and a move to offer all tickets for free.
Comparisons to Fyre Festival are aplenty, and it seems like the festival simply can’t go ahead. Here’s everything you need to know about what the hell is going on with Woodstock 50, and why, at this point, it’s a borderline joke.
What Is Woodstock 50? Who Is Supposed To Be Playing?
Announced this January by Woodstock 1969 co-founder Michael Lang, Woodstock 50 was supposed to be held across August 16-18 in upstate New York in Watkins Glen, roughly three hours drive from the original location in Bethel.
A mix of legacy acts and contemporary heavy-hitters were promised, as well as ‘glamping’ options, suitable amenities and none of the problems that plagued the ’69 event and the ’94 and ’99 renditions — namely, god-awful planning.
In 1969, the festival ballooned to twice the expected size with 400,000 punters. There were serious logistical issues, including hours-long traffic jams, and a lack of access to water, food and amenities. A deluge of rain left the entire festival grounds covered in mud, and delayed acts to the point that the festival closed a day later than expected.
Aerial shot of Woodstock in 1969 pic.twitter.com/32iTc5HfWa
— Life in Moments (@historyinmoment) July 28, 2019
There were also at least two deaths and two births; the National Guard was almost sent in; and the festival’s founders were sent massively in debt by many, many lawsuits, mostly by Bethel farmers.
Woodstock 1994 was also a mess, thanks to the weather and 300,000 more people than expected, but ’99 was an absolute disaster. Not only were there exuberant costs inside for food and water, but the event space, a former air strip, was far from suitable. There was little shade and long, searing walks between stages, which pushed many bodies to exertion.
Disgruntled crowds soon became aggressive and violent, lighting dangerous bonfires, looting and rioting. Several incidents of sexual assault occurred too, with allegations of multiple gang-rapes of women during performances by Korn and Limp Bizkit.
All-in-all, Woodstock has a mixed legacy: one which Lang, in his announcement interview with Rolling Stone, was evidently keen to get back on track. In the interview, he distanced himself from Woodstock ’99, calling it an “MTV event”.
“Woodstock ’99 was just a musical experience with no social significance,” he said. “It was just a big party. With this one, we’re going back to our roots and our original intent. And this time around, we’ll have control of everything.”
He promised a less ‘cookie-cutter’ festival than an event like Coachella, as well as a live-stream online and a focus on NGOs to talk to the crowds about global warming, in order to bring back the ‘social change and activist’ focus on ’69.
By March, Woodstock 50’s impressive, cross-genre and -generation line-up had dropped, featuring Jay-Z, The Killers and Dead & Company as headliners. The full line-up can be seen on the below poster.
Tickets were set to go on sale April 22, which didn’t happen. Earlier, in January, Lang also promised a discounted pre-sale for college students by month’s end. That didn’t eventuate, and it wasn’t mentioned again.
A separate commemorative three-night event was announced at Woodstock’s original site in Bethel, featuring Ringo Starr, Santana, and John Fogerty play concerts across the August 16-18 weekend. Santana and Forgerty were also booked to play Woodstock 50, albeit on non-conflicting days.
When Did It Begin To Go Wrong?
Rumours of financial problems began in March, but it was April when things began to go awry.
The Black Keys left the line-up April 5 “due to a scheduling conflict”, and on April 15, less than 10 days before tickets go on sale, Billboard reported that Woodstock 50 has just applied for a mass gathering permit.
Sure enough, ticket sales were postponed three days before they were supposed to go on sale, and on April 25, the festival addressed the delay to say they are “refining logistical plans”.
An administrator of Schuyler County, which covers the Woodstock 50 site, told press that tickets couldn’t go on sale until the permit was granted, and that the festival had readjusted its numbers to expect an audience of 75,000 — significantly less than the earlier number of 100,000.
At the end of the month, an investor in Woodstock 50, Dentsu Aegis Network, announced the festival was cancelled — a statement Woodstock 50 denied.
“The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and it’s going to be a blast,” they wrote in a statement to Pitchfork. Shortly after, event company Superfly also stepped back from the festival.
It’s also reported around this time that Woodstock 50 reached out to Live Nation and AEG for US $20 million, which they do not offer.
…And Then There Was A Lawsuit
Woodstock 50 asked for a court order against Dentsu, claiming they had “illegally” taken US $17.8 million from the festival’s funds. Woodstock also claimed Dentsu was telling artists to leave the festival and saying they could help book them for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which they were involved in.
Dentsu counter-sued, and in the end, by mid-May, a New York state court determines that Dentsu can keep the money, but that Woodstock 50 can go ahead. The festival appealed to get the money back — which, until it’s all sorted out, they have for now.
Meanwhile, Billboard reported that the festival’s name, Woodstock 50, might not even be legal, as the name has been leased out. On the plus side, the festival found a new financial backer, investment bank Oppenheimer & Co..
…And Then The Venue Changed… Twice…
In June — two months before the festival — Watkins Glen announced it wasn’t going to hold Woodstock 50. Producers CID Entertainment also pulled out, and the Department Of Health didn’t grant a permit. It’s later reported Woodstock lost the site because they couldn’t pay a US $150,000 downpayment by mid-May.
Woodstock then applied for a space at the Vernon Downs racetrack, which would be around 50,000 capacity — a third of the original 150,000 punter goal. The town of Vernon, also in upstate New York, sensibly held a meeting, where it became very clear that the residents didn’t want the festival.
One official called it a “recipe for disaster”, and said it was impossible to ensure a safe festival on the planned dates — in 39 days. The permit was denied.
On July 25, Woodstock 50 announced it would now be held at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland across the same dates. The change came less than a month out from the event, with still no tickets sold.
There were a few issues. First, the Pavilion had a show with Noel Gallagher and The Smashing Pumpkins scheduled for 17 August, and when The New York Times ask for comment, neither the venue or festival said anything about the clash.
…And No Artists Are Locked In To Perform
The other tiny thing is that none of the original line-up has been confirmed.
As of late July, Woodstock 50 formally released all artists from their contracts, which were likely breached in the move from New York to Maryland. Many have also already been paid in full already, and would not be obliged to either perform or pay the festival back.
As of July 29, Jay-Z, Dead & Company and John Fogerty have all pulled out of the festival.
There is nothing more psychedelic than a gigantic festival with no bands https://t.co/xXZQzrY7TM
— Weyes Blood (@WeyesBlood) July 28, 2019
…And Tickets, When They’re On Sale, Will Now Be Free
According to Seth Hurwitz, the operator of new venue Merriweather Post Pavilion, the festival will be free, confirming to Pitchfork a report by TMZ.
“We’re still waiting to hear who is playing, but that’s not our job,” he said. “They do still have a venue if they have a show.”
TMZ also reported the event will now be a benefit concert, though there is not one charity in mind — instead, attendees will be asked to donate to charity. VIP tickets will be available to buy as well, assumedly benefiting Woodstock 50. It is incredibly unclear how the festival will make money.
Apparently tickets will go on sale in the coming days, which…sure.
Jared Richards is a staff writer at Junkee, and co-host of Sleepless In Sydney on FBi Radio. Follow him on Twitter.