Woodstock 50 Canceled By Its Investors

[BeyondGeography]

Source: NPR

Woodstock 50, a wide-ranging festival that had hoped to bring the spirit of 1969 to a new generation this August, has been canceled. Tim O'Hearn, the administrator for Schuyler County, New York, where the event was to take place, confirmed the cancellation to NPR; he said he had been contacted by Dentsu Aegis Network, which had been bankrolling the planned festival.

The festival, which was supposed to run Aug. 16-18 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. — a different location than its namesake event — boasted an impressive lineup that was meant to bridge multiple generations and musical genres, from Santana, David Crosby and John Fogerty to Jay-Z, Chance The Rapper and Miley Cyrus. One of the primary organizers of Woodstock 50, promoter Michael Lang, was also a co-founder of the original Woodstock event in 1969.

On Monday morning, Billboard published a statement from Amplifi Live, a Dentsu Aegis division, that read in part: "Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don't believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees. As a result and after careful consideration, Dentsu Aegis Network's Amplifi Live, a partner of Woodstock 50, has decided to cancel the festival. As difficult as it is, we believe this is the most prudent decision for all parties involved."

Since the 50th anniversary event was announced in January, there have been multiple signs that the festival's organizers did not have matters in order. Originally, organizers announced that tickets would initially go on sale in late January, and that the artist roster would be released in February. The festival missed both of those dates, as well as a plan to release tickets for sale on April 22. Tickets were still not on sale as of Monday afternoon.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/04/29/718321891/woodstock-50-canceled-by-its-investors

[htuttle]

1. "an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name"

What, no access to mud and bad acid?

[Dave Starsky]

4. That's exactly what I was thinking.

There was no "branding" for the original event. It was something that was cobbled together and held on the property of some very nice farmer who graciously agreed to allow access to his property for a few days, for a few thousand people..

Flyers went out. College radio stations talked about it and spread the word. Other media got the news and talked about it. It evolved into a huge event.

But there was no "Woodstock" brand. Social media didn't exist at the time. They didn't care how many "likes", "upvotes", page referrals they got, because those concepts didn't exist. But now they do. And now somebody desperately needs to make money off of the "Woodstock" name.

[SunSeeker]

7. Indeed. The thought of "branding" Woodstock makes me want to vomit. So Trumpian. nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. The Woodstock "brands" that come to mind ...

Last edited Tue Apr 30, 2019, 06:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Boone's Farm
Ripple

[SunSeeker]

19. And ditch weed. LOL

[leftofcool]

26. You left out Annie Green Springs

[happybird]

2. Weren't there 2 competing festivals?

Read something about it a few months back. One being put on by the original Woodstock organizers and another by a big company, maybe LiveNation? The article was mostly about lining up performers and which festival they would pick.

[brewens]

3. The Woodstock movie came to my town about two years after the event. I'm in Idaho.

A older buddy of mine that had been down to check out the S.F. hippie scene loves to tell about the Autoview party. The first night, all the wannabe hippie kids showed up with their Boones Farm wine and weed. Then even more came the next night, many to see it again, and there was a huge bust! It's funny thinking about it. Yeah, really rockin' out with that little speaker you got to put on the window!

Back then, we ran two years behind anything cool. Even by '71, most of the kids still looked like their mom's dressed them. By the time I graduated in '79, you still saw kids from the sticks sporting Beatles haircuts.

[C Moon]

12. :D

[SunSeeker]

5. It was a fool's errand. You can't recreate Woodstock.

Woodstock was a moment in time. The circumstances that made it so special can't be recreated.

[FakeNoose]

14. Exactly! We were all 50 years younger too ;-)

It was our youth that made Woodstock magical.

I think these show-runners finally figured out they weren't going to make a killing on it, and they bailed. All those big name bands that worked for peanuts in 1969, you can bet they want top-dollar now. While most of us "boomer-elders" have more money than we did in 1969, we're not likely to to spend it for something like this.

[happynewyear]

25. So true

Do not see how they can begin to recreate this event ever again.

Completely different world we are in today.

Oh well!

[CentralMass]

6. :-(

[C_U_L8R]

8. Enough sequels.

Make your own damn Woodstock.

[yaesu]

9. the 25th event, woodstock 2, didn't go too well if memory serves me. nt

[BigmanPigman]

21. Your memory is correct.

[SansACause]

10. Fyre 2.0

At least they cancelled it ahead of time, so people weren't stuck on an island somewhere.

[Bengus81]

13. As they say....you can never go home

Glad their doing this instead of a huge embarrassment later on when hardly anyone shows up.

[sarcasmo]

15. Brokestock

[splat]

16. Once upon a time

Woodstock was a safe place for a lot of freaks who had no idea there were so many of us.
This is not that. Glad it's not happening.

[Mendocino]

17. There were going to have Miley Cyrus

perform...good gawd!

[crazytown]

24. Don't diss Miley

[Recursion]

29. She's a powerful performer

[raccoon]

18. Good. The chances of some whack job going postal on the concert are too great. Nt

[EarthFirst]

20. Michael Lang is a hack promoter who really could care less about "recreating the spirit"

He already said he has plans to make this a global event; hosting the event annually in an international scale and location.

This was before he was even able to pull this one off; and he’s already having grand plans of another in London; Shanghai; Melbourne; etc.

After the debacle in ‘99 which culminated in fights; fires; assaults and vendors chasing down payments months afterwards; artists for this years’ event began demanding their payments 100% in full before signing; a rare circumstance in festival concert promoting scenarios.

Add this to a major headliner canceling due to “scheduling conflicts” a delay in ticket sales and the $450 price tag; camping and parking additional; with no single day ticket sales; the perfect storm for a cancellation was in the works for weeks.

Lang has been working with locals in the area to rent property for additional parking with shuttle services as well. It seems that there were logistical concerns with adequate parking and facilities; which Lang took to local radio in an effort to dispel concerns that locals were having.

It’s absolutely for the best that this event was cancelled.


There was no way that he was going to pull this off...

Thankfully someone had the foresight to pull the plug on him before we witnessed Fyre 2.0.

[Mendocino]

22. Michael Lang

also was part of Altamont, we all know how well that turned out.

[Crowman2009]

23. It was probably going to turn into a Coachella-like shit show.

With nothing but rich pricks from the too cool for school crowd.

[DinahMoeHum]

27. or a Fyre Festival.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1036584/is-woodstock-50-the-next-fyre-festival-all-the-clues-that-have-music-fans-talking

[heckles65]

28. One of the hard lessons I've learned in my life is that idylls are ephemeral-

they're here and they're gone, and all the wishing and money in the world may not be sufficient them back. If you find yourself in one, enjoy it because it won't last.

I wasn't there for Woodstock '69, but that seems to be one such case. On the other hand, look at Burning Man. Never wanted to go there, 'cause I know I'd hear repeatedly, "Oh man it's not what it was ten/twenty/thirty years ago."

[java108]

30. Hot Take: the original festival was overrated.

Yes, I know it was a "you had to be there" event, but I think the thing that made Woodstock '69 exceptional was that half a million people endured bad weather, food shortages, traffic, and lack of toilets, and managed to do so without killing each other. Apart from a few acts, the festival itself was kind of meh and a hot mess in terms of organization.

[captain jack]

31. "The spirit of 1969." n/t