The legendary Woodstock festival was set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next month, but has officially been cancelled. According to Billboard, co-founder Michael Lang came to the realization that the event was too much work in the amount of time left.
“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” Lang said. “When we lost the Glen and then Vernon Downs we looked for a way to do some good rather than just cancel.”
Lang also stated that the festival had “released all the talent,” making any involvement voluntary, which led to many artists not wanting to participate.
“Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons,” he continued. “I would like to encourage artists and agents, who all have been fully paid, to donate 10 percent of their fees to HeadCount or causes of their choice in the spirit of peace.
“Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount’s critical mission to get out the vote before the next election. We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock.”
Rumors of the show being cancelled started when Woodstock’s main investors reportedly pulled out. The location was later changed and everything seemed to conclude when Jay-Z pulled out last week.
