Woodstock 50 is set to take place just a few weeks away on August 16th through the 18th. But with just a few weeks before opening day of the festival, coordinators have been running into seemingly endless hurdles. Woodstock recently moved to a new location and had several artists pulled out of playing as complications grew. Reports even circulated that the festival still has no officially booked artists, with contracted artists reportedly freed from their deals. Despite the rumors, it seems as though the festival still may be happening. And according to yet another report, Woodstock 50 will be offering free admission, similar to the inaugural festival in the summer of 1969.
Festival promoters will be offering tickets free of charge in the upcoming days, according to TMZ. There will reportedly be a limited number of seats available for the festival since it relocated to Maryland. The whole festival is now being re-introduced as a benefit concert as well, meaning attendees can attend for free but are encouraged to donate to a charity.
Though the festival is now reportedly free, organizers have faced a lot of headaches finding funding. Shortly after Woodstock 50 was announced, a major investor released a statement announcing the festival was cancelled because they felt it couldn’t be “executed an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees.” But the very next day, the festival’s co-founder Michael Lang posted a message to his personal Facebook page refuting the investor’s claim and stating they had illegally withdrew $17 million from Woodstock’s bank account.
Lang eventually found new investors, however, and the festival continued in the planning stage. But another hiccup came this week when Lang reportedly emailed the booked talent and said he wouldn’t enforce their performance contract. Essentially, this meant there was no officially booked talent for the three-day festival. Jay Z has already officially pulled out of a performance John Fogerty did the same.
Time will tell which artists will end up performing at the festival, if any at all. Woodstock, which was named after the town in New York State where the first festival happened, will reportedly be selling VIP tickets to the now-Maryland festival in order to cover some costs. The difficulty promoters have faced while organizing the festival could be a deterrence for some interested in attending. But offering free general admission will surely peak the interest of music fans across the country who wish to take part in what’s still billed as a celebration of the historic event.
