On Wednesday, Manhattan judge Barry Ostrager of the New York Supreme Court stated, Woodstock’s former financial partner, Dentsu Aegis Network, has no right to cancel Woodstock 50th anniversary. But the withdrawal money that Dentsu had pulled from the festival does not have to return, Consequence of Sound reports.
The ruling is a celebration for Woodstock organizers; however, the financial funding and festival preparation are imminent as the festival is pressing. Since the festival was scheduled on August 16-18, organizers only have three months to put all together.
As stated, the festival’s former chief backer, Amplifi Live, couldn’t unilaterally call off the August show but also does not have to return the $17.8 million back to the festival before its cancelation.
Lang envisioned a capacity of 125,000 attendees, while production partner Superfly replied with 65,000 realistic capacity, based on safety concerns. The reduced capacity changed Woodstock’s funding plan and put the festival in a financially inviable position.
The finance issue was the biggest challenge for festival organizers. But more importantly, under compressed timeframe, safety and health concerns as well as messy preparation, Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang and his team need to put more efforts into earning funders’ trust.
Festival organizer Gregory Peck believed, “Woodstock 50 is on. We can’t wait to bring this important event to the public this summer. We have one of the greatest lineups of talent of any music festival, and we are grateful to all of the talents for their loyalty and support.”
Lang promised to hold the 50th anniversary of Woodstock in Watkins Glen, New York, from Aug 16-18, with Jay-Z, Dead & Company, The Killers, Carlos Santana and many more headlining. There are more than 80 performances including artists who are booked, paid and locked in to perform.
One of the talent agencies previously cleared on Billboard, “We’re not even going to have a discussion with Lang until we see that every permit needed for this event has been secured. I’d also like to hear how he plans to convince fans to buy tickets for an event that’s been already canceled.”
“We have always relied on the truth and have never lost faith that the festival would take place,” said Michael Lang. Festival tickets, meanwhile, have been delayed. An on-sale date could be announced in the next 10 days and tickets could go on sale in two weeks, he added.
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