On Tuesday, the festival's original producer Michael Lang announced a new festival taking place this August in upstate New York
Half a century after Woodstock defined a generation, music fans of all ages are gearing up for three more days of peace, love and music!
On Tuesday, the festival’s original producer Michael Lang announced a new festival taking place this August in upstate New York. Headliners include Miley Cyrus, JAY-Z, the Killers, the Black Keys and Chance the Rapper, as well as Woodstock ’69 veterans Santana and Grateful Dead offshoot Dead & Company featuring John Mayer.
“We’ve lined up artists who won’t just entertain but will remind the world that music has the power to bring people together, to heal, to move us to action and to tell the stories of a generation,” Lang said in a statement. “Our hope is that today, just as in 1969, music will be the constant that can inspire positive change.”
Cyrus, 26, shared the news of her performance at the festivities in an Instagram post on Tuesday night.
“It’s Woodstock’s 50th and I’ll be there! Come party ! I perform on Friday! ❤️❤️❤️ which means I got the whole rest of the weekend to RAGE!” Cyrus captioned the post. The “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” singer also posted a shot, which shows her seated on a giant rooster — this time dressed in a t-shirt and slides.
“Woodstock here I come! When I’m not riding a wrecking ball, you can find me on a giant cock 🐔 🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓,” Cyrus wrote in reference to the music video of her song “Wrecking Ball.
Here’s everything to know about the upcoming Woodstock 50th anniversary festival.
When and Where Is This Taking Place?
The three-day festivities will run from Friday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Aug. 18 at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York — just a couple hours away from Bethel, New York where the original festival took place on what was Max Yasgur’s dairy farm (now it’s known as the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts).
Watkins Glen has its own claim to rock and roll history. In 1973 the racetrack played host to Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, which attracted approximately 600,000 music fans — more than the 400,000 estimated at Woodstock four years earlier. In fact, it was enough to earn entry into the Guinness Book of World Records at the time for the “largest audience at a pop festival.”
Who’s Going to Be Performing?
The Killers, Akon, Princess Nokia, The Lumineers, The Raconteurs, Maggie Rogers and more are also listed on the Aug. 16 lineup.
For the second day, Dead & Company, Chance the Rapper, The Black Keys, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Rival Sons and Emily King will take the stage.
On Sunday, Aug. 18, JAY-Z, Imagine Dragons, Halsey, Earl Sweatshirt, Janelle Monaé, Victory and a plethora of others will command the crowd.
See the poster below for the complete lineup of all the acts that have been announced to date.
How Many Original Woodstock Acts Are Performing?
Headlining act Santana was a breakout star of the original festival, which took place when the guitarist was just 22 years old. Canned Heat and Melanie also appeared in 1969, as did the Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian — who famously gave an impromptu acoustic set to stall for time while some of the scheduled acts were getting prepared.
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John Fogerty performed with his band Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Crosby performed with newly minted supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (it was just their second show!), Country Joe McDonald performed with the iconoclastic Country Joe and the Fish, and Hot Tuna consists of members of original Woodstock vets Jefferson Airplane. Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart took the stage with the Grateful Dead in 1969 and will be headlining in 2019 with the band offshoot Dead & Co.
Where Can You Get Tickets?
Tickets for the Woodstock 50 will go on sale on Earth Day, which falls on April 22. In the meantime, you can visit the Woodstock website and subscribe for more information.
Will There Be Mud?
Hopefully, man.