The cancellation has been a long time coming for the event, which was originally supposed to take place in Watkins Glen, New York from August 16th to the 18th (the same weekend as the original). The fest had paid many of its performers in advance, and through it all, they were waiting to see what would come of it, as it was cancelled once, reinstated, moved to another venue, and then shut down once again. The headliners included a mix of Woodstock legacy acts and younger artists, including the Killers, Miley Cyrus, Santana, Dead and Company, Chance the Rapper, Jay-Z, and Imagine Dragons. Through it all, none of the acts rebooked themselves until just days ago.
The fest’s trouble began when its original investor, Dentsu Aegis, canceled the festival on April 29th, a week after tickets were originally supposed to go on sale. The company wrote in a statement at the time, “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.”
The company, it was later revealed, had invoked the “control option” in its contract with Woodstock 50, ostensibly saying that Lang & Co. had not kept up their end of the bargain, therefore allowing Dentsu to take over. At the time, the festival, which was originally projected to sell around 150,000 tickets, was attempting to get a mass gathering permit for half that number — effectively halving the amount of money the fest could get from ticket sales. It never got the permit.
Lang protested Dentsu’s decision, claiming that the investment firm didn’t have the right to unilaterally shut it down........... more *yada yada* at link
