While organizers of the original Woodstock have no plans to
celebrate the landmark festival's 45th anniversary this August, the
festival's promoter Michael Lang has revealed plans for a possible 50th
anniversary concert in 2019.
"I think we’re certainly done until the 50th," Lang tells Rolling Stone.
"We’re starting to think about it now." While details are
understandably scarce — a band forming tomorrow could conceivably be big
enough to headline the 2019 festival by that point — Lang says he is
exploring various locations.
The
original incarnation of Woodstock occurred August 15th through 18th,
1969 in Bethel, NY and featured more than 30 acts performing for more
than 400,000 people. The festival spawned two official "sequels."
Woodstock 1994, billed as "Two More
Days of Peace and Music," featured Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili
Peppers and Candlebox alongside alumni of the original gathering. Five
years later, Woodstock 1999 echoed Altamont more than its more peaceful
predecessor, as the festival was marred with riots, arson and four
alleged instances of rape.
Other
events, including Woodstock '79, a rock concert that took place at
Madison Square Garden, and the so-called forgotten Woodstock in 1989,
which featured Wavy Gravy, Jimi Hendrix's father Al and local Woodstock
performers, were also staged, but not organized by Lang.
In 2009, Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding
Company, Canned Heat and Ten Years After embarked on the Heroes of
Woodstock tour to celebrate the festival's 40th anniversary. The Lovin'
Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, Edgar Winter, Quicksilver Messenger
Service and Country Joe Mcdonald also appeared on various stops of the
tour.