The news comes the same day as John Fogerty, who conducted the original 1969 with Creedence Clearwater Revival, withdrew from the anniversary event.
Representatives of Woodstock 50 and co-founder Michael Lang said they had no comment on Jay-Z and Fogerty’s resolve to withdraw from theArray
WOODSTOCK 50 IN DOUBT, ORGANIZERS SAY THEY’RE STILL IN TALKS FOR NEW LOCATIONS
Woodstock 50 has faced a number of setbacks in recent months, adding the denial of licenses and the loss of a monetary spouse and a production company. No place has been publicly announced and tickets have yet to be put up for sale.
With Fogerty and rapper and actor Common at his side, Lang announced in March that Jay-Z, Dead and Company, The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons and Chance the Rapper would perform at Woodstock 50. The festivities were meant to take up position. Everywhere. 3 main stages at Watkins Glen International Racecourse in Watkins Glen, New York, about 185 kilometers northwest of the original Array, but has retired.
Bloomberg announced Thursday that the occasion will now take place at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, a 19,000-seat amphitheatre in Columbia, Maryland, about 270 miles south of the New York City site. A representative of Woodstock 50 told AP that he might not verify the report and said the organizers had no additional comments.
WOODSTOCK 50 PERMISSION DENIED IN NEW YORK
Bill Werde, former Billboard editorial director, said that due to the place’s replacement, artists can simply stop performing.
“Most booking contracts are site-specific, so with moving to Maryland, I think in all likelihood those artists have simple exits. And given the debacle this festival was, I’d be surprised if many of those artists, if not all of them didn’t start exercising strangers,” said Werde, who is also the bandier program director for the recording and entertainment industries at the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
The events planned for Woodstock 50 include Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, David Crosby, Janelle Monae, Brandi Carlile, Country Joe McDonald, Halsey, the Lumineers and India.Arie. Werde said some of them may simply wait for the festival to be cancelled before going public. “From management’s point of view, if you see this opportunity implod, it’s much more diplomatic to wait for (the organizers) to nevertheless cancel it than to force the challenge and announce your retirement,” he said.
Although he will no longer perform at Woodstock 50, Fogerty will perform at Woodstock’s original in Bethel, New York, on a minor birthday occasion unrelated to Woodstock 50. The 74-year-old will rise to the level at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which hosts his event over the same three-day weekend. Fogerty will close the birthday party on August 18, while Ringo Starr will close on August 16 and Santana – also reserved for the ultimate life anniversary occasion – will do it on August 17.
WOODSTOCK 50 MOVES TO MARYLAND AFTER NEW YORK PROBLEM
The Black Keys, scheduled to take place at Woodstock 50, announced in April that they would cancel their transfer due to a scheduling conflict.
The original Woodstock, a festival that drives the message of peace, love and music, a historic and innovative occasion in 1969 that included performances through Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, The Who and other iconic acts.
“If you’re a music fan and you enjoy Woodstock’s story as a cultural moment, a pinnacle, even as a brand, it’s hard not to be unhappy about this probably endless torrent of false steps and false hopes,” Werde said.
“For the sake of the legacy of Woodstock, I kind of wish they would stop. It’s like watching a boxer who just won’t stay down when he really should.”