COLUMBIA, MD — The Woodstock 50 festival, originally planned to take place Aug. 16-18 at the Watkins Glen International race track in upstate New York, has taken potential audiences on a wild ride of twists and turns as the much-anticipated event speeds toward the finish line.
By July 25, a few weeks before the festival was due to open, and after plans for a second hoped-for site, Vernon Downs in Vernon, NY came up short, reports emerged that a site had been secured — Merriweather Post Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater in Columbia, MD which, according to reports, could accommodate a crowd of 32,000 people.
Announced in January, Woodstock 50 organizers pumped up expectations for six-figure crowds converging on Watkins Glen to see 70 acts perform on three stages, and in March, the lineup was announced. Original Woodstock alums like Santana, John Fogerty and David Crosby would be performing along with top rock, rap and pop artists of today, including Jay-Z, The Killers, Dead & Co., Chance the Rapper and Imagine Dragons.
Things started to look shaky, however, in April. The Black Keys backed out early in the month, citing unspecified scheduling conflicts. And later in April, when ticket sales were expected to start, organizers announced that the start date would be postponed beyond the target of April 22 (Earth Day).
Then the major tremors hit on April 29, when financial backer Dentsu Aegis Network withdrew a reported $17 million that they had provided for the festival, while also issuing a public statement that the event would be canceled. Days later – May 1 – production company Superfly also announced that it was backing out.
By mid-May, Woodstock organizer Michael Lang, co-creator of the original Woodstock, was squaring off with his former financial backer, Dentsu, in court. A New York State judge ruled that while Dentsu could not cancel the festival, Lang and others pushing for the event could not get Dentsu’s money back.
By early June, however, management at Watkins Glen International Speedway, citing late payments on agreed-upon fees, terminated their agreement with Woodstock 50’s organizers, and a second potential production partner, CID Entertainment, which some had expected to step up and fill the void left by Superfly, made clear that they would not be participating in the event, either.
As of July 25, hopes for a scaled-down event, tentatively titled “Woodstock 50 Washington,” according to Rolling Stone, emerged. A spokesman for the Merriweather Post Pavilion told the magazine that organizers were in discussions with artists. “If the bands come, we’ll produce the show,” said amphitheater operator Seth Hurwitz.
