’69 Vets Highlight Confirmed Woodstock 50 Lineup
As rumored two weeks ago, the Black Keys and Robert Plant will be among the big rock acts that will be playing this summer's Woodstock 50 festival. But Michael Lang, who co-produced the original gathering, has also made good on his promise to bring in some of the artists who performed on that historic weekend. Today (March 19), the preliminary lineup was announced, and it includes such names as Santana, John Fogerty, David Crosby and Dead & Company, the group consisting of three original members of the Grateful Dead.
You can see the full lineup below, and it features John Sebastian, Melanie, Country Joe McDonald, Canned Heat, all of whom were at Woodstock. Amy Helm, whose father Levon Helm played the festival as a member of the Band and has released two solo albums, is also on the schedule.
Back in January, Lang said that Woodstock 50 would be an "eclectic bill" consisting of "hip-hop and rock and some pop and some of the legacy bands from the original festival.” He's delivered on that, with Jay-Z, the Killers, Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons and Chance the Rapper among the biggest names listed. It's unknown as yet if, as he suggested, tributes to some of the musicians who are now deceased, like Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker will take place, but more acts are expected to be announced in the future.
The festival will take place Aug. 16-18 at the racetrack in Watkins Glen, N.Y., approximately 150 miles from the original site at Bethel Woods, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which now sits on what used to be Max Yasgur's farm, are putting on their own event, with Ringo Starr and Santana among those who will be performing.
According to Rolling Stone, tickets for Woodstock 50 go on sale on April 22, and you can get full details and sign up for updates at Woodstock's website.