The organizer of the troubled Woodstock 50 festival announced Wednesday he is finally pulling the plug.
“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great lineup we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” co-founder Michael Lang said, in a statement.
“We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons.”
Originally scheduled for Aug. 16 to 18 in Watkins Glen, NY with headliners like The Killers, Jay-Z, and Miley Cyrus, the festival appeared to be facing problems when tickets didn’t go on sale as scheduled on April 22.
Then, Woodstock 50 partner Amplifi Live announced the festival was being scrapped because “we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock brand name.”
Promoter Michael Lang vowed to find a new location but, last month, was unable to secure a permit to stage the festival in Vernon, NY.
Lang eventually booked the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland and promised the festival would be a free benefit concert.
The 50th anniversary of Woodstock will be marked in Bethel, NY with a smaller event featuring Ringo Starr, Santana and John Fogerty.