Woodstock 50

Submission 13,107

Overview

Woodstock 50 refers to a music festival that will take place August 16-18, 2019 in Watkins Glen, New York to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the first iconic Woodstock concert. After the lineup was announced on Twitter, many expressed disappointment at the performers, which included divisive acts like Greta Van Fleet, Miley Cyrus, and Imagine Dragons.

Background

On March 19th, 2019, the Twitter account @woodstockfest announced the lineup for Woodstock 50, a three-day festival taking place in Watkins Glen, NY.^[1]

Developments

After the lineup was announced, many of the artists involved expressed their excitement,^[2] but Twitter users expressed their disappointment in the lineup. Twitter user @notclaymerritt wrote, "10 years ago, upon seeing the Woodstock documentary from 1969, I told myself that I would make it a personal mission to go to Woodstock 50. After seeing this lineup I am immensely let down and don’t think I will go anymore" (shown below, left). Buzzfeed reporter @RMac18 joked "Imagine telling your kids you saw Imagine Dragons at Woodstock and your kids immediately punching you in the face," gaining over 850 retweets and 4,400 likes (shown below, right).

Others were particularly upset about how the lineup was vastly different in substance to the original Woodstock lineup, which featured artists like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who. User @AliahXTine said the festival should change the name (shown below, left). User @gendietzel said the new lineup didn't pay homage to the original Woodstock's influence in music and politics (shown below, right).

Additionally, while there has been no official announcement of the price of the festival, rumors that the prices were between $1,000 and $20,000 circulated through Twitter, further angering users. User @alyssashitfield stated seat prices were $1,000 (shown below, left), while user @JimMurray tweeted that a three day pass with camping would start at $20,000 (shown below, right).

Disputed Cancellation

On April 29th, 2019, Billboard^[3] reported that Woodstock 50 had been cancelled. Officials with Dentsu Aegis Network, who was funding the festival, told Billboard:

“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… 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.”

The festival was rumored to have been in trouble after an Earth-day ticket sale was postponed.^[4] Billboard reported that the cancellation was due to concerns with about the capacity of the festival, site readiness and permitting issues. Organizers were reportedly also worried that the Watkins Glen International speedway would not be able accommodate the 100,000-person festival.

However, in a statement given to Pitchfork^[6], festival organizers state that the concert will still take place, saying:

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.

Some compared Woodstock 50 to a potential Fyre Festival retread. Gothamist wrote it would "probably" be the next Fyre Festival.^[5] User @ChrisBakr joked it could be called "Upstate Fyre Fest" (shown below, left). User @Trevenclaw joked that organizers cancelled the event after watching the documentaries on Fyre Festival (shown below, right).

Cancellation

Woodstock 50 was officially cancelled on July 31st.^[8] Organizers had attempted to move the festival to Maryland's Merriweather Post Pavilion days prior,^[7] but plans fell through for a number of technical reasons. Many artists, who were paid up front, were released from their contracts once the venue was moved, and thus were free to drop the festival.^[9] Vulture published a timeline of the events from the event's announcement to its cancellation.^[10] Twitter user @Philip_Cosores joked, "Every generation gets the Woodstock it deserves. Ours is appropriately canceled," gaining over 1,800 retweets and 9,700 likes (shown below).