'I remember reading a while ago that they didn’t have some of the permits. That just blew my mind ... You got the sense there was some shakiness to this whole thing” - John Fogerty on Woodstock 50
and investing in the Woodstock brand would have given the firm an entree into the festival universe, which, Lang tellsWoodstock 50’s contract with Dentsu Aegis said that the financier would contribute up to $49,141,000 to the festival, based on the assumption that a maximum of 150,000 tickets could be sold and an additional $22 million would come from corporate sponsorships.
Lang, who projected an air of both openness and mystery, said he envisioned “these neighborhoods, which [would] have curated food and music and entertainment experiences.” There would be “street actors, clowns, and jugglers, and the like” along with a “kind of drive-in-movie situation, or a walk-in-movie situation.” There was talk of a livestream and a concert movie. Lang even said they had tracked down odor-free toilets.Meanwhile, the logistics of such an undertaking were becoming overwhelming.
“I was excited to be there because I represent the Vietnam War; the war no one wants to talk about and pretends never happened,” adds McDonald, who was planning to revive his caustic anti-war “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” from the original festival. “So I was very happy to bring that back just by doing that song.
“We are partners here,” Peck wrote in a January 8th email to Dentsu. “We are working our butts off. Susan and I … are transforming our lives to make this work. Michael has given his career and is giving it his all now to make this work. It will work. I guarantee it. BUT I CAN’T GUARANTEE A SUCCESSFUL FESTIVAL THAT YOU CANCEL. … and we are getting the capacity for 150,000 people.”
Although he got some laughs and answered questions, not everyone was pleased with what they heard. “In the town hall, he was just making stuff up to satisfy people,” a source close to Schuyler County, the home of Watkins Glen International, says. “He probably spent … $300,000 with his mouth, from offering every home private security, fencing, to ‘Yeah, we have kids’ tickets. We’ll have free parking too.’ He was releasing data that the financier had no idea about.
An April 22nd on-sale date for tickets came and went, with a rep for Danny Wimmer Presents messaging agents, “We are waiting on an official press statement from Woodstock 50 regarding updated announce, ticket pricing, and overall festival information. We will get this information to you as soon as we receive it.”
Once Superfly had gained a better understanding of the terrain, the company decided that Watkins Glen could only host 61,000 people — 4,000than it had originally projected. In a letter to Woodstock 50 and Dentsu, Superfly said it “will not go forward” with any planning that did not align with that new number. Things never went that far.
Dentsu’s Martin fired back with a firm rebuttal the next day. Among other grievances, he wrote that the festival would have to cut most of the camping options and restructure the pricing accordingly. The budget was inching dangerously close to the $49 million the company had originally promised to spend on Woodstock 50, and it would not spend more. “It is anticipated that another $20 million-plus of funding will be required to fully fund the production of the festival,” he wrote.
Lang claims he had no heads-up about Dentsu’s announcement and said it was “mind-boggling” that he didn’t know the news was coming. “I never envisioned anybody just walking away from so much money and breaching and taking the position that we’re just so big that we know there’ll be collateral damage and we’ll just weather the storm,” says the source connected to Woodstock 50 LLC. “It was not a risk we anticipated … They breached.
Woodstock 50 artists heard about Dentsu’s attempt to cancel the festival through the media. “I remember reading a while ago that they didn’t have some of the permits,” Fogerty toldthing you’d do and not the last thing. You got the sense there was some shakiness to this whole thing.” If Fogerty appeared puzzled, McDonald was incensed. “I kept searching the internet because I had no fucking communication with Lang,” says McDonald. “It’s really unprofessional. I’m, actually.
In court papers, Dentsu cited “Woodstock 50 LLC’s and Michael Lang’s misrepresentations, incompetence, and contractual breaches,” which “have made it impossible to produce a high-quality event that is safe and secure for concertgoers, artists, and staff … There is no prospect for sufficient financing.”
Throughout the process, many who worked with Lang say he projected an air of confidence, justified or not; he was clearly on a crusade, and the fate of Woodstock 50 was now tied in with his legacy. “I was just talking to Michael yesterday,” Paul Green, Lang’s friend and founder of music education program School of Rock, toldin May, “and he seems happier than he usually is. I guess he likes the challenge.
Woodstock 50 would also be dealt multiple lethal blows around this time. CID, a company that had been brought on to provide “enhanced camping, travel packages, and transportation” for events, backed out. Meanwhile, the New York State Department of Health rescinded the festival’s permit application. Moreover, Jody Thieme, a codes-enforcement officer for the town, said the application was missing an array of vital details, from traffic plans to stage design. At a crowded July 8th town board meeting, about 100 Vernon residents aired worries over traffic tie-ups and property damage. “No matter how good the plan looks on paper, to implement this plan in 39 days is impossible to ensure the safety of the public,” Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol chimed in.
Woodstock 50 was becoming the Sisyphus of the industry, with Vernon rejecting its permit application four times in a row. On July 26th, about three weeks before Woodstock 50 was scheduled to open its doorsthe Department of Health officially denied a permit for the show in Vernon. “The applicant has not met the conditions of a Part 18 Public Gathering permit,” department spokeswoman Erin Silk said.
Also, just who would play was now up for debate. “We didn’t make it public, but we had already pulled [out of the lineup],” Crosby tells. “I would have honored the contract on the first two or three iterations, because I try to do that. I don’t want to do shitty business. I could have walked right from the start legally. [After] the first three iterations of it, it got really silly.”
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Woodstock 50 Years Later: My Dad Recalls His Trip to the 'Surreal' Festival50 years ago, my dad hopped in his friend's red convertible Karmann Ghia and drove to some festival in New York, known today as the iconic Woodstock Music & Art Fair.
Leer más »
As Woodstock Turns 50, the Fest’s 10 Most Sacred Music Moments (Watch)Cars were left abandoned along the New York Interstate. Electrical and speaker systems fuzzed and popped. Amps blew then went silent. The rain was endless as the mud sank deep and rank. Young child…
Leer más »
How Easy Is It to Get a Gun Versus an Abortion in All 50 States?A state-by-state comparison.
Leer más »
50 Photos That Prove the '70s Was the Decade With the Best StyleNo matter your personal style, there's a '70s look that speaks to you. Click through for inspiring, vintage photos from the trendiest decade, ahead.
Leer más »
Fans can't handle Jennifer Lopez's latest swimsuit photo: 'This is 50?!?'The star shows off her famous curves in a new swimsuit shot that has fans praising her 'serious body goals.'
Leer más »
50 Workwear Pieces So Good, You'll Want to Wear Them Everywhere Else, Too — All Under $50If I had a dollar for every time I stood in front of my closet wondering what the heck to wear to the office, I might be a millionaire by now. For me, I like
Leer más »