WOODSTOCK: MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS (UPDATE)
The town of Vernon unanimously rejected Team Woodstock's renewed request for a permit for 35k-cap Vernon Downs on 7/16, according to reports. Is this the last straw for the beleaguered 50th anniversary festival? What other options remain for a venue? Many observers say to stick a fork in it, but Michael Lang and company have not thus far shown a propensity to give up.
Agents and managers are buzzing over the latest development in the Woodstock saga, as Michael Lang is said to have a whale (that’s pronounced “кит”) on the hook to provide some $20m in financing.
That said, the venue is only conditionally approved, with some 30 days before the advertised date. This latest chatter follows the festival’s rejection by the city of Vernon in upstate New York due to safety concerns. The $20m would build a stage and address these issues; Woodstock has appealed the rejection.
Even if all of that goes smoothly, though, it’s believed several headliners will decline—partially due to the stink now on the event (and the potential PR nightmare of being associated with it) and partially due to radius-clause conflicts. The agencies, as we noted previously, are holding their acts’ guarantees in escrow accounts. Said one prominent manager, “We thought this thing was already dead in the water.”
Meanwhile, a show originally billed as Woodstock Experience in North Carolina will take place in August as WE2019 after Lang threatened legal action against the promoter.
The New York Post reported that Woodstock tribute promoter Kenn Moutenot, who has the current edition of Canned Heat, John Sebastian, Jefferson Starship, Melanie and others booked for 8/9-11 and 8/16-18 in West Jefferson, NC, was told by Lang’s legal team that his show would “dilute the strength of the Woodstock name and mark.”
Back in New York, one wonders how, even if they can clear the venue/safety hurdle and get at least some artists on board, will Lang and team sell enough tickets in time not to take a bath? Will this thing be the Fyre Festival with a side of brown acid? Stay tuned.
