John Fogerty discussed the reportedly cancelled Woodstock 50 music festival in a new interview with Rolling Stone. Fogerty, who performed with Creedence Clearwater Revival at the original Woodstock in 1969, told the publication he “got the sense there was some shakiness to this whole thing” in regards to the festival.
“I wouldn’t want to speculate,” Fogerty said. “I’m just a guy who plays guitar and is ready to show up. It’s not my job to know about the selection of artists or permits. But it’s a shame.” He went on to reference some of the events that played out in recent days. “They postponed announcing the tickets, and I remember reading a while ago that they didn’t have some of the permits,” Fogerty added. “That just blew my mind. You’d think it would be the first thing you’d do and not the last thing. You got the sense there was some shakiness to this whole thing. But the first Woodstock happened more by people wishing for it to happen than any effort of great organization.”
Yesterday, Woodstock 50 financial backers Dentsu Aegis Network released a statement declaring the festival cancelled. Then, organizers denied the event is off with co-organizer Michael Lang issuing a note saying that they intend to bring on new partners. Woodstock 50 was/is slated for Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, New York August 16 – 18.
John Fogerty has already been paid by Woodstock 50 organizers, though he did add, “as far as I know.” The legendary performer told Rolling Stone he will donate his fee to military veterans if indeed the festival is cancelled. Fogerty planned to utilize the same setlist CCR did at the original Woodstock for his performance at the 2019 event. While John had previously mentioned his disappointment that the Grateful Dead’s Woodstock set delayed the Creedence set, he had kind words about fellow Woodstock 50 act Dead & Company. “I was actually looking forward to seeing those guys,” the 73-year-old musician said of the Grateful Dead offshoot. This morning, Dead & Company took the Woodstock 50 appearance off of their website.
Today, Billboard reported Woodstock 50 organizers recently asked AEG and Live Nation to make a $20 million investment in the event and both companies passed. Lang and the other organizers also were hoping to hire CID Entertainment’s Dan Berkowitz to replace Superfly’s Rick Farman in helping to put the three-day festival together. There was no word in the article if Berkowitz accepted the offer and a rep for CID declined comment to JamBase. Head to Pitchfork for a comprehensive timeline of the events surrounding Woodstock 50.
