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Festivalgoers are questioning the future of one of the most iconic music festivals in history after a primary investor announced its withdrawal from the Woodstock 50 festival.
Dentsu Aegis Network, the main investor behind the upcoming celebration of Woodstock's 50th anniversary, has pulled all financial support from the festival following concerns that the August affair wouldn't be "executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name."
"It's a dream for agencies to work with iconic brands and to be associated with meaningful movements. We have a strong history of producing experiences that bring people together around common interests and causes which is why we chose to be a part of the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival. But 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," Dentsu said in a statement to Billboard, who first reported the news on Monday.
The investor went on to say because of their decision, the festival had been canceled.
"As difficult as it is, we believe this is the most prudent decision for all parties involved," the statement said.
The festival, initially scheduled for August 16-18, was to be held at Watkins Glen International Raceway in Watkins Glen, New York. The event was meant to mark the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, which over 400,000 people attended from August 15-18, 1969.
Tickets for the three-day festival were set to be priced at $540 with music acts like Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Chance the Rapper, Halsey, Janelle Monae and Dead & Company. Woodstock 50 organizer Michael Lang announced the ticket prices in an interview with Bloomberg News last week.
Lang, now 74-years-old, was among the original investors for the 1969 festival, which he told Bloomberg netted a $1.3 million loss.
"Money wasn't my motivator then. I was just so thrilled with what had gone down. 'Cause it was kind of like what we envisioned. Only on steroids. And acid," Lang said.
Despite assertions from Dentsu that the event has been canceled, Lang told New York Times reporter Ben Sisario that isn't the case.
Is Woodstock 50 canceled? Dentsu, the primary investor, just said that it is: "We don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock brand."But Michael Lang, the promoter (and original Woodstock dude) said it is not. Story TK.
— Ben Sisario (@sisario) April 29, 2019
On Monday evening, Woodstock 50 organizers issued a statement to say that the festival would still happen.
"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," the statement said. "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."
According to the Times, all music acts have been paid and Lang believes that with another financial investor that the festival can go ahead as planned.
"We want this to be more than just coming to a concert, and hopefully a lot of the bands will become part of this effort to get people to stand up and make themselves heard, to get and out vote. And if they don't have a candidate that represents their feelings, to find one — or to run themselves," Lang said when the concert was announced in January.
However, the festival has been faced with other problems. While tickets were announced to go on sale April 22, the date came and went with no opportunity for fans to purchase them and no further information as to a new sale date. Media reports pointed to Woodstock 50 not yet being granted a Mass Gathering permit from the New York State Department of Health, a requirement before tickets can be sold.
The intended capacity of the festival has also been reduced, the Times reported, to 75,000 people.
However, while some expressed uncertainty that Woodstock 50 could be successful amid other big outdoor concerts like Coachella, Burning Man and SXSW, Schuyler County Administrator Tim O'Hearn expressed disappointed at learning the festival might not go ahead as scheduled.
"It's a surprise, no question about that, and we're certainly disappointed and have to respect their decision, but this is a huge economic loss for the county," O'Hearn told the Poughkeepsie Journal. "We hope we can salvage something from it as we move forward."
"There has been substantial planning from both the state and county, as well as the town (of Dix) and Village of Watkins Glen for months now. The state, in particular, has deployed tremendous resources to assist with planning efforts, geared toward a safe and responsible event," O'Hearn added.
