For a music festival whose history is rooted in peace and harmony, Woodstock 50 upset a lot of people after announcing the complete lineup via Twitter late Tuesday. The original Woodstock was dubbed “3 Days of Peace and Music”—and this one offers Imagine Dragons.
It’s time #Woodstock50☮️♥️🎵 pic.twitter.com/gvyCXegh6F
— WOODSTOCK (@woodstockfest) March 19, 2019
Jay-Z, the Killers, Miley Cyrus, Chance the Rapper, the Black Keys, and Halsey are among the headliners of the three-day festival that will take place Aug. 16-18, the same time the original Woodstock Music and Arts Fair was held 50 years ago.
The lineup also includes a number of veteran artists who took part in the 1969 festival, like members of Dead and Company, Santana, John Fogerty, John Sebastian, David Crosby, Country Joe McDonald, Hot Tuna, and Canned Heat.
Woodstock 50 will be held in Watkins Glen, New York, “150 miles west of the original festival site,” Rolling Stone notes. The magazine, which once listed it as “number 19 of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll,” adds that “the unaffiliated Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival, with Ringo Starr and Santana, will take place at the site of the Woodstock ’69 on the same dates.”
According to Variety, “The acts will perform on three stages, dubbed the Peace Stage, Love Stage and Music Stage, the three keywords used in key art for the original fest.” Original Woodstock producer Michael Lang returns to produce Woodstock 50.
Some of the performers, led by Miley Cyrus, also took to Twitter to celebrate being part of Woodstock this summer:
Fuck yeah @woodstockfest 🐓 See ya in Aug! Performing on Friday , so I have all weekend to party!
— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 19, 2019
Woodstock here I come ! When I’m not riding a wrecking ball , you can find me on a giant cock 🐔 🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓 pic.twitter.com/eAknlqds24
— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 19, 2019
https://twitter.com/halsey/status/1108151803290386432
I’m honored to join @BobWeir, @mickeyhart and @BKreutzmann with @deadandcompany as they return to Woodstock 50 years after performing there as part of @GratefulDead.⚡️💀🌹 pic.twitter.com/7AhJqFhPJf
— John Mayer (@JohnMayer) March 20, 2019
Come join me on my 50 Year Trip at Woodstock 50! I was there 50 years ago in 1969 and I’m back to celebrate 3 days of Peace, Love, & Music. https://t.co/xUEpAv9oBk pic.twitter.com/XccHns7bca
— John Fogerty (@John_Fogerty) March 19, 2019
Woodstock, one of the most important events in music history, will be celebrating it’s 50th birthday this summer, and we can’t believe we will be a part of the celebration. We are honored to announce that we’ll be playing Woodstock 50 8/16-18. Info here: https://t.co/QchW1Io6f3 pic.twitter.com/N290eJDYv1
— The Lumineers (@thelumineers) March 19, 2019
https://twitter.com/theblackkeys/status/1108150718559485952
However, Twitter users were not as happy with the lineup. Most reactions veered toward disappointment, with user @notclaymerritt saying, “10 years ago, upon seeing the Woodstock documentary from 1969, I told myself that I would make it a personal mission to go to Woodstock 50. After seeing this lineup I am immensely let down and don’t think I will go anymore.” Many are posting memes to express their disappointment.
https://twitter.com/notclaymerritt/status/1108148132687290369
this is not what i would expect the lineup for Woodstock to look like…..give me hippie shit or gtfo https://t.co/L5kRhGMmYa
— miley’s tits stan account (@mikaylerrrrr) March 19, 2019
the Woodstock 50 lineup looks like it was curated by someone who’s only exposure to music has been through the Grammy’s “Best Rock Performance” category between 2010-2013
— bianca davino (@biancccadavino) March 20, 2019
Whoever booked #Woodstock stopped listening to music 5 years ago. pic.twitter.com/I7jfjBFDeS
— koly. (@KolyKolgate) March 20, 2019
Imagine telling your kids you saw Imagine Dragons at Woodstock and your kids immediately punching you in the face pic.twitter.com/ONoEsfoMHQ
— Ryan Mac 🙃 (@RMac18) March 20, 2019
Woodstock 50 shoulda had rock bands like Pearl Jam, Green Day, the Foos, Chili’s, and classics like Aerosmith, The Who, Stones, etc. Not the trash they came up with
— Justin Weigand (@JustinMWeigand) March 20, 2019
Some, like user @AliahXtine, consider the 2019 lineup to be an “insult” to the original festival lineup, which included Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Who.
Original ‘69 Woodstock headliners: Joni Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Grateful Dead, The Who
— Aliah (@AliahXtine) March 20, 2019
2019 Woodstock 50 headliners: Halsey, Miley Cyrus, Jay Z, Imagine Dragons
EITHER RENAME IT OR CANCEL IT. It’s an insult to the original Woodstock lineup.
❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/ubgwZwOE7G
https://twitter.com/KelenKeller38/status/1108216968941715457
https://twitter.com/gendietzel/status/1108191923469193219
Even musician Kaskade thinks it’s boring, tweeting, “Just looking at this Woodstock 50 line up… sorry, dozed off there reading through it… so much for trying to capture the original spirit of the festival…”
Just looking at this Woodstock 50 line up… 😴😴😴… sorry, dozed off there reading through it… so much for trying to capture the original spirit of the festival….
— Kaskade (@kaskade) March 20, 2019
Others, like @blossomcreature, think it’s “just another music festival, like Coachella 2.0.”
https://twitter.com/blossomcreature/status/1108167653984751621
Stop saying people can’t be mad about the Woodstock lineup. There’s 58492738 other music festivals where rap, r&b & pop artists can perform. The whole point of Woodstock was to keep it in folk & rock roots.
— bri ✰ (@daphnexmoon) March 20, 2019
this might be a festival but this definitely ain’t woodstock lmfao https://t.co/Xkq7LgDXNs
— riv (@depechhe) March 19, 2019
This is more like a TMZ expo, than a genuine rerun of Woodstock.
— 🌎 Richard Alexander (@Aus_RichAlex) March 20, 2019
I reckon a real Woodstock II would headline people like Bob Dylan, Cher, Adele, Sia, and the like. More genuine soul and less pop flair. https://t.co/tCYaCSTTjq
A lot of people are looking for Lana del Rey, who wrote a song “Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind,” among other artists they’d rather see on the lineup. Ultimately that may be the problem: There are no surprises on the lineup which is full of festival standbys music fans have seen in the U.S. at places like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza for years.
https://twitter.com/lustflorlife/status/1108169388639739904
https://twitter.com/lickthispaynis/status/1108157382448824320
https://twitter.com/asmadasarabbit/status/1108170391950786560
https://twitter.com/lustforstyles__/status/1108154731862601728
Tickets reportedly go on sale on April 22, although the festival website does not reveal much. We signed up for ticket news via email, and we’ll update this story once we get confirmed prices. However, some Twitter users are posting alleged ticket prices, ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 that most of them consider outrageous.
https://twitter.com/alyssashitfield/status/1108083553986850816
Nothing evokes the spirit of the original Woodstock like $20K to see it.
— Bill Duncliffe (@BDuncliffe) March 20, 2019
Woodstock 50 is HOOOOOW MUCH!!!???? pic.twitter.com/AwCfRGApHw
— ?st (@questlove) March 20, 2019
Idk how I feel about a Woodstock anniversary festival you have to pay hundreds of dollars to get into. It feels very anti the whole fucking point of Woodstock and I hope it flops :)))))
— coot! (@Courtneyalexiss) March 19, 2019
Unless tickets do prove unreasonably high, we’re pretty sure fans of these artists will still flock to upstate New York this summer to be part of it all. Like it or not, Woodstock 50 marks a major music milestone.
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