Woodstock 50 Concert Will Happen, says Festival Organizer

While Woodstock 50’s primary investors have backed away from the event, festival organizer Michael Lang insists that the show will go on. In a statement released via Woodstock Ventures, Lang said:

“We are committed to ensuring that the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture. “Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will, of course, be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners. We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support.”

“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,” Lang added.

The festival, which is scheduled for August 16-18th, is intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the seminal Woodstock Music & Art Fair, which was held in 1969. The 2019 iteration of the festival features a lineup that includes contemporary artists such as The Killers, Jay-Z, The Lumineers, and Miley Cyrus, as well as a selection of artists from the original festival’s lineup, including Santana, Hot Tuna and Canned Heat.

The festival has been plagued by bad news since it was announced. Earlier this year, Woodstock 50 was rumored to be slow on making deposits to artists, though organizers later said headliners had been paid in full.

In an equally ominous sign for the festival’s fortunes, last week, organizers put the fest’s ticket sales on hold over what was reported to be permitting issues with Schuyler County.

As well, Billboard reported that over the weekend, festival organizers approached both AEG and Live Nation about making a $20 million investment in the event, but both companies declined, Billboard said.