Woodstock's Michael Lang Seeking Sponsors For 2009 Festival In New York City

Billboard ^ | March 21, 2009 | Gary Graff, Austin, TX

[a fool in paradise]

Michael Lang said plans for a 40th anniversary Woodstock concert are "all speculative ideas" for now, but he hopes to bring them to reality this summer.

The Woodstock co-founder told Billboard.com that his vision is "a free event...a very green project," possibly in New York City. "We want to have as small a carbon imprint as we can and use as many green techniques as we can," said Lang, who was in Austin as part of a South By Southwest panel discussion about Woodstock. The holdup? "It's got to be sponsor-driven," he explained.

"It's free, but it costs a lot of money. That's kind of what we're in the middle of right now. Depending on how successful we are in raising that sponsorship (money) will determine when and how we do this event – or if we do this event, frankly."

He added that reports of a concurrent Woodstock festival in Berlin, possibly at Tempelhof airport, were "premature" but "still is kind of a thought."

Lang said that musically a 2009 Woodstock would go "back to its roots...There would be a lot of legacy bands – the Who, Santana, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joe Cocker maybe. And it would be people like Steve Earle and Ben Harper. There's certainly room for the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews...That would be the shape of the music."

The Chili Peppers, of course, closed the ill-fated 30th anniversary concert in 1999, which was marred by complaints about the facilities, food and water prices and ended with a fiery riot. But Lang said he was confident that the Woodstock brand was not permanently damaged.

"I think it always hearkens back to the '69 event, somehow," he said. "When people think [of Woodstock] they don't think '99 or '94. They think [of] the '69 event. I think [1999] has its ramifications, but I don't think it did any real damage in that sense."

With or without concerts, Woodstock’s 40th will be celebrated with an array of projects this year. Lang has written a book, “The Road to Woodstock,” in collaboration with Holly George-Warren that will be published in July. He’s also working on a VH1/History Channel documentary with Barbara Koppel.

On June 9, meanwhile, Warner Home Video will release a four-hour director’s cut of the “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music” film featuring 18 new performances – including some from five groups (Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter, Mountain and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band) that did not appear in the original film. Rhino Recods will roll out a six-CD box set of Woodstock performances.

Director Ang Lee has made “Taking Woodstock,” a feature film about the real estate agent who helped the 1969 festival move to Bethel, N.Y., after losing permission to hold it in nearby Walkill.

At the South By Southwest panel, Lang joined several Woodstock staffers and artists in telling war stories about the original festival. Santana drummer Michael Shrieve noted that Woodstock "changed the course of my life. To this day not a day goes by when someone doesn’t bring it up," either in person or online. He and bandmate Greg Rolie also discussed whether guitarist Carlo Santana had taken acid or mescaline before the group went on – earlier, they noted, than expected.

Sha Na Na drummer Jocko Marcellino, meanwhile, noted that his group – the last to be booked for the festival – was paid a mere $350 and another $1 for movie rights. He also slept in the field, telling the other artists "I didn’t know you had those (backstage amenities)."

Recording engineer Eddie Kramer revealed that the Woodstock film crew ran out of stock and had to fly additional film from Chicago to Albany and then helicopter it to the festival site in Bethel.

Lang, meanwhile, concluded that "the stars of Woodstock were the people, this audience that came together and made something special."

[a fool in paradise]

I’ve got bad news and terrible news.

Unfortunately, Jimi Hendrix is not available for this concert. Even worse, Sha Na Na IS.

Maybe they can get Yoko Ono too.

[Paleo Conservative]

Maybe they could invite the same crowd that came to the Obama inauguration?

[dforest]

How impressive. Maybe they can jam on what was once Wall Street.

[a fool in paradise]

The 4 hour video is still far from a complete account of the film. They did 2 or three production screenings of all of the film that was shot (with multiple projectors showing the different camera angles). I think there was 18 hours of footage even with multiple projection.

It took awhile for the full Hendrix performance to be released separately.

And 15 years or so ago there was a 3 video documentary with the real founders of the event (the ones who put up the money and had the notion to do something like this) and some complete song performances that had not be released (including more Sha Na Na footage showing stoned hippies pulling themselves off the ground at sunrise).

They love to bring up the 1999 riot but there was rioting, looting, arson... at the 1969 original as well. And Michael Lang was also behind the cluster**** of the Altamont raceway Stones concert captured in Gimme Shelter.

[a fool in paradise]

Maybe they could invite the same crowd that came to the Obama inauguration?

Obama will appear onstage and pretend that the public is there to see him and not the bands, just like he did during his scampaign.

[cups]

I can’t wait to pay $10 for a bottle of water....SAWEET!

Here’s to price gouging, woo hoo!

[Dixiekraut]

I taped Woodstock ‘94 off pay cable...filled something like six or seven VHS tapes.

It was pretty amusing seeing how “Corporate” the whole thing was compared to the original..but it appeared quite well run.

Joe Cocker and his back-up band were phenomenal..there were a few “returning” acts( Santana,CSN, ) plus new acts ( Nine Inch Nails, Primus, Cranberries,Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greenday )..but overall there was no real magic involved....

I still get a kick out of some of the original footage from 1969...
the Latin-tinged rock of Santana and the funk of Sly and The Family Stone were real treats way back then...

19 yr old drummer Michael Shrieve of Santana...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnamP4-M9ko

[massgopguy]

I wonder if Hanley Sound will sell the original 8 Track recordings this time because no one would make a movie out of it?

[napscoordinator]

Woodstock and I are turning 40??? I can’t believe that I am turning 40 in about six weeks...sheesh what has life become...lol.

[a fool in paradise]

It wasn't until Woodstock that the music became “corporate”.

And the whole notion of “not paying” the promoter for the gigs really got off the ground here (and continued at The Isle of Wight show and Festival Express in Canada).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1970
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_Express

Funniest moment in Festival Express is when the promoter tells of how he punched a Canadian mayor in the jaw for “demanding” that the show be opened to the public (the mayor was trying to appeal to the youth crowd and was inciting a riot against the event and the police that were hired by the promoter).

Even the Grateful Dead and others told the crowd to ease off and pay for tickets. The Dead ended up playing a free concert in the park for the bums who think that everything in life should be free even if there are signed contracts stipulating payment.

I just got back from SXSW. Thousands of bands playing hundreds of genres of music. And I paid to go to 3 of the concerts but that wasn't even necessary to see the bands I saw. And there was sponsorship (on an individual basis, not top-down strictly through the official organization).

There are ways to do these things without incidents. Woodstock is an old model. Like thinking that Shea Stadium is still a top ranked concert hall because the Beatles played there.

Here's an incomplete list of the freebies at SXSW last week:
http://showlistaustin.com/sxsw/2009/wedday.shtml
http://showlistaustin.com/sxsw/2009/thuday.shtml
http://showlistaustin.com/sxsw/2009/friday.shtml
http://showlistaustin.com/sxsw/2009/satday.shtml
http://showlistaustin.com/sxsw/2009/sunday.shtml

And here are the pay shows (cover was typically $5-20 a venue for the night)
http://sxsw.com/music/shows/schedule

And this IS where Michael Lang was when he was promoting another overrated Woodstock.

[a fool in paradise]

I still get a kick out of some of the original footage from 1969... the Latin-tinged rock of Santana and the funk of Sly and The Family Stone were real treats way back then...

Maybe this Brazilian band (Garotas Suecas) will appeal to you...

http://audio.sxsw.com/2009/mp3/Garotas_Suecas-Ghostwriter.mp3

http://sxsw.com/music/shows/schedule/?a=show&s=84853

They consider Sly Stone an influence.

Give it a spin, they cut into some guitar work about mid-way.

[SJSAMPLE]

Why is it the “green” events always wind up littered with trash and human excrement, while the organizers fly away in private jets?

[a fool in paradise]

He wants this event to be “free” but I’ll bet that he gets 6figures+ for his efforts.

[Revolting cat!]

CSN&Y headlining?

[SupplySider]

On June 9, meanwhile, Warner Home Video will release a four-hour director’s cut of the “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music” film featuring 18 new performances – including some from five groups (Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter, Mountain and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band) that did not appear in the original film.

The Dead were unhappy with their set, and I can verify personally, it was boring.

Mountain was great. I'd like to see that again. Another forgotten act, Incredible String band, had a good performance. I could do without Melanie and her roller skate song again.