A few months ago, I wrote a post about the "new" Woodstock Festival that was supposed to take place in mid-August of this year at Watkins Glen, New York, in honor of the half-century mark since the original - some might say the "real" - Woodstock festival back in 1969. They were going to call it Woodstock 50, even though it felt, to me, like it bore such little resemblance to the spirit and significance of that Woodstock Festival, that it hardly felt worthy of the name, truth be told.
When I wrote that piece, it seemed like there was going to be a cancellation of the whole thing, although the organizer cried foul and said, "Not so fast!"
So, it was still on.
And now, it at least appears to be in serious jeopardy once again.
First Dentsu, a major promoter, pulled out. Then, the town of Watkins Glen was lost, because the organizers failed to put up $150,000.
Now, the town of Vernon, where the festival was going to take place instead, has denied an application that had been filed late to begin with. And while they will appeal the decision, it is beginning to look like a serious possibility that this concert will not even take place. It is not yet completely dead, but it sure seems close to it.
As a result, Woodstock 50, the concert that was supposed to both commemorate the original Woodstock, as well as be the new Woodstock Festival for the present generation, may very well be on it's last legs. It really looks like this might very well be it for the concert, which is supposed to take place just weeks from now.
This one was originally supposed to take place in Watkins Glen, New York, on August 16th-18th. It was supposed to more or less be an answer to the nonsense that is dominating headlines today, much like the original Woodstock turned out to be the showcase of the counterculture movement of the sixties, with the backdrops of headlines being dominated by the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, seemingly worldwide revolutions, political assassinations, massive protests, and increased experimentation in music and art.
These days, of course, the headlines seem even weirder. Who could have imagined just how weird everything would be in 2019?
But there will be no Woodstock to try and help define these strange times.
Truth be told, though, I am not sure that they should really try to duplicate Woodstock, anyway. It would not be the first time that they attempted to do it, after all. In 1994, they attempted it for the 25th anniversary, there were criticisms that it was all about money, as only tokens would serve as currency, with people locked into the grounds and forced to pay exorbitant prices for concessions and such. Then, they tried it yet again for the 30th anniversary, with this one being held at the former Griffiss Air Force Base. This, too, was transparently about money, and it was overshadowed by violence.
Neither of those so-called "Woodstock" festivals could really hold a candle to the original, either in terms of creative genius, nor in terms of representing a positive spirit and a glowing example of an alternative to the grim realities of the world. In fact, both in their own way, those "Woodstock" festivals were closer to being a reminded of some of the darker and more depressing realities of the modern world.
Hate to say it, because the original Woodstock took place well before I was born. Frankly, I would have loved to have been present during this concert, and initially, I was excited enough at the prospect of another Woodstock in 1994 that I entertained the idea of attending it.
Yet, my suspicions at the time, confirmed by the actual event, was that this would not at all be comparable nor as memorable as the first, and the "real," Woodstock.
Frankly, Woodstock was a one-time thing. They tried it before, in 1994 and in 1999, and both fell well short of everything that the real Woodstock was and has continued to represent, even decades later.
Now, they tried yet again, and once again, predictably, this one fell short. Perhaps if the spirit of the thing transcended these mediocre times that we are living in, it might have had a chance to be memorable, although probably not quite on the level of the original one. Yet, this one fell so short of the mark as to not even get off the ground, and was canceled months before it even actually happened.
Probably time to admit that the first one was just incredibly special, and will not likely be replicated. It was not really repeated on a memorable level either in 1994 or 1999, and it will not be repeated in the official 50th anniversary now in 2019.
There really was only one Woodstock, after all:
Woodstock Organizers Cancel 50th Anniversary Festival
Woodstock 50 Canceled By Its Investors by Anastasia Tsioulcas, April 29, 2019:
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/29/718321891/woodstock-50-canceled-by-its-investors
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