Woodstock is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, and as expected, there WILL be an anniversary ‘Woodstock 50‘ this August.

Yesterday, Woodstock co-creator Michael Lang confirmed that a three-day anniversary festival is coming to Watkins Glen, New York on August 16th, 17th and 18th.  The original concert happened on the weekend of August 15th in 1969.

Supposedly they have more than 40 acts booked, but no performers will be announced until tickets go on sale next month.  Lang says, quote, “It’ll be an eclectic bill.  It’ll be hip-hop and rock and some pop and some of the legacy bands from the original festival.”

He wants to bring Woodstock back to its roots with the ACTIVISM that was a big part of the original.  That didn’t really happen at Woodstock ’99 20 years ago.

Lang says, quote, “We want this to be more than just coming to a concert . . . Woodstock ’99 was more like an MTV event than a Woodstock event, really . . . it was also kind of an angry time in music.

“’99 was just a musical experience with no social significance . . . it was just a big party.  With this one, we’re going back to our roots and our original intent.  And this time around, we’ll have control of everything.”

They expect to sell 100,000 three-day passes.

Watkins Glen, New York is less than 150 miles from Bethel, where the original festival was held.  And that site is ALSO holding an anniversary concert that same weekend.

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Live Nation, and Invnt recently announced their own fest . . . although they can’t use the Woodstock name.

Lang claims they didn’t want the original site for Woodstock 50, because it’s not big enough.

That Bethel site has been transformed into a concert venue with a capacity of 15,000 seats.  Lang says, quote, “It’s a 15,000-seat shed.  That’s not a Woodstock.”