Woodstock Moving to Maryland?
In a last-ditch effort to save the 50th-anniversary celebration of Woodstock, organizers are moving the concert to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that the outdoor amphitheater will host “Woodstock 50 Washington” on the originally planned dates of Aug. 16-18. The venue is said to hold 32,000 people, a number far lower than the 150,000 promoters originally planned to host at the Watkins Glen site.
After having their permit pulled by Watkins Glen officials in early June, Woodstock organizers sought to move the concert some 150 miles northeast of the Glen to the Central New York town of Vernon.
After being rejected by Vernon four separate times, Michael Lang, and Greg Peck have landed in Columbia, MD, according to Bloomberg. Howard County executive, Calvin Ball is welcoming the festival with open arms:
“When we heard that there was an opportunity to save this festival and bring a piece of American history to our community this summer, we jumped at the chance. Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia is a jewel of Howard County and one of the top music venues in the nation. It felt like such a natural fit to host a historic festival on our storied stage.”
The new venue brings with it a new mission. It is now being pitched as a benefit for climate change and the voter registration organization HeadCount. Portions of the proposed $129-$595 one-day passes would go towards these non-profits.
The wrench in the works is whether the acts originally slated to appear will be on board with the venue change. Variety reports that artists, who have already been paid in full, are simply waiting for the event to be canceled altogether.
The clock is ticking to get this thing off the ground. With three weeks until the event is scheduled to take place, ticket sales still need to be announced. Stay tuned.
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