GOING BACK TO WOODSTOCK ONE MORE TIME
THE ORIGINAL WOODSTOCK was a defining event for a generation. It was also a logistical disaster, with historic performances taking place amid overflowing toilets, waterlogged tents and a massive traffic jam. If Michael Lang has his way, the 50th-anniversary version will be none of those things. Lang, who co-organized the original fest, is bringing his latest Woodstock to Watkins Glen, New
York, on August 16th, 17th and 18th. His vision: a wider range of artists, including some big-name headliners he can’t announce just yet, with many more comfortable luxury accommodations for fans. “I want it to be multigenerational,” he says. “It’ll be an eclectic bill: hip-hop, rock, pop and some of the legacy bands from the original festival.” He’s equally determined to not repeat the mistakes of Woodstock ‘99, which culminated in fires and riots. “I shouldn’t have left
the booking to others,” he says, noting that he’s personally booked many of the more than 40 acts signed on this time. “With this one, we’re going back to our roots and our original intent. And this time around, we’ll have control of everything.” They aren’t, however, going back to the site of the first Woodstock, in Bethel, New York, which was converted into a 15,000seat concert venue in 2006. (“They’re good stewards of the original site and they built a beautiful performing-arts pavilion,” says Lang. “But it’s a 15,000seat shed. That’s not a Woodstock.”) So they’re heading instead to Watkins Glen, where a reported crowd of 600,000 people flocked for a one-day event with the Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead and the Band in 1973. “When I looked, I knew it was the perfect facility,” Lang says. “It was reminiscent to me of finding Max [Yasgur]’s field.” ANDY GREENE