In the summer of 1969, friends, lovers, dancers, jokers, smokers and midnight tokers trekked from near and far for what was destined to be a legendary weekend of peace, love and music. Woodstock has since become a cornerstone experience for festivalgoers, tree-huggers and peace lovers and now, exactly 50 years later, you can be a part of the movement this August 16th-18th for Woodstock 50 in Watkins Glen, NY!
Woodstock 50 feels like a blast from the past, yet oh so applicable today…
The lineup is stacked with familiar names from every genre on your playlists, featuring The Killers, Dead & Company, Imagine Dragons, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Black Keys, The Head and The Heart, Chance the Rapper, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Common, Cage the Elephant, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Leon Bridges, Santana, Run The Jewels, Gary Clark Jr., Earl Sweatshirt, Janelle Monaé, Soccer Mommy, Michael Franti & Spearhead… just to skim the surface.
Music and art may be the focal material, but the celebration goes so much further than that in its call to action. Woodstock 50 is supporting causes that represent current and recurring issues by working with organizations like Conservation International, Happy Hippies, Head Count, Hiring America, The Felix Organization, March for our Lives, Reform, Social Works and The Dolphin Project.
“The original Woodstock Music & Arts Fair brought people together during a time of great social turmoil. Our three-day celebration of peace, love and music proved that it is possible to live together in harmony and with compassion. Live with only our best selves represented. It gave people around the world hope,” says co-founder Michael Lang. “Woodstock gave people around the world hope, which is why I think it remains relevant today.”
Woodstock 50 feels like a blast from the past, yet oh so applicable today due to social and political similarities at this nation's forefront. Organizers, performers and dreamers alike can hope that the same waves of conciousness are streamed throughout event grounds and Woodstock 50 holds as much potency in promoting change as its predecessors.
“It’s kind of spooky how similar things are,” Lang continued. “How some of the things that we thought we’d gone past in the last 50 years — the racial divides, care for the environment and women’s rights… Now we have Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement and climate deniers and another (expletive) in the White House.”
“To be able to be connected to Woodstock in any shape, form or fashion for me is one of the greatest honors…” — Common
John Fogerty and members of The Grateful Dead provide a certain je ne sais quoi to the overall atmosphere of Woodstock and its mission. The world still has work to do, but getting the right groups of humans together for the right reasons gives us hope that the music will never stop and that it is possible to grow out of oppression into a more inclusive and loving way of life. Rap star Common says he is happy to represent hip hop music at Woodstock 50 and be a part of a festival that not only focuses on music, but has a strong social and political presence.
“To be able to be connected to Woodstock in any shape, form or fashion for me is one of the greatest honors I’ve had as an artist, as human being (and) as a musician,” Common states. “There is so much going on right now… I think one of the best ways we can combat the ignorance, the divisiveness, the hatred, is to go out there and push love, express love and practive love — and it definitely comes through in Woodstock.”
In the spirit of wholesomeness and love, tickets go on sale Earth Day, April 22nd, so go ahead and plant the seed of music in your head, love in your heart and a tree in your backyard next month. See you all there in August and, in the meantime, follow the links below for further information, tickets and hype. “Stand with us. Make a difference. Help heal the planet and the people living on it. That’s what Woodstock is all about.”
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