Woodstock Korea hits another roadblock
The Korean edition of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair has been postponed, following a raft of issues.
The event was due to take place later this month at the Multipurpose Square in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, and would’ve been the legendary festival’s first incarnation outside of the US.
“The Woodstock festival has been postponed to 7-9 October to ensure a safe event operation and to work on the event’s completion. The festival is being postponed, not cancelled,” reads a statement from organisers.
Currently, the lineup is mainly rock and pop acts from Asia, including Japanese hard rock veterans Loudness and a number of seasoned Korean artists.
In early July, the organisers also announced that several overseas artists, including Akon and New Hope Club, would be performing, but these artists did not update the new Woodstock festival changes on their respective home page schedules, prompting doubts about their participation in October.
“The Woodstock festival has been postponed to ensure a safe event operation and to work on the event’s completion”
The festival has already gone through multiple challenges since it was announced in January, including criticism over the choice of venue, a constantly shifting lineup and high ticket prices.
Following criticisms regarding the latter, organisers slashed the three-day ticket price from 400,000 won ($310) to 150,000 ($117).
The original Woodstock festival was held in 1969, with anniversary events taking place in 1994, 1999 and 2009. A 50th-anniversary event was slated for 2019 but was ultimately cancelled due to financial problems.
In 2010, there was an attempt to host a Woodstock festival in Korea, but it never took place because of “copyright and artist lineup issues,” according to the Korea Herald.
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Playing the field: Ten new festivals for 2023
Fresh from 2022’s massive bounceback for the live business, it’s no surprise that this year is seeing a wealth of new arrivals on the international festival scene. Here, IQ previews ten of those inaugural events to learn what unique traits each has to lure consumers to buy tickets, and why their creators have decided that now is the right time to open the gates in what many consider to be an already over-saturated marketplace.
PROJECT 6
Where: Brockwell Park, London, UK
When: 26 May 2023
Headliners: Ghetts, Shy Fx: Specials, and Fabio & Grooverider and The Outlook Orchestra
“Project 6 Festival combines everything we love, from our experience of running festivals to our love of London’s incredible clubbing scene, offering something outside the box from the traditional daytime festival model, with the addition of ten night-time sessions across some of the city’s best-loved dancefloors,” explains James Rice, one of the principals at event promoters Outlook.
“At the tail end of 2022, we were invited to become part of south London’s Brockwell Live series and jumped at the chance to bring what we do across Outlook, Undivide, Free From Sleep, and our other events and projects to our hometown and the city and scenes that we cherish.”
In addition to the headliners, attendees can expect live performances from the likes of Mala and Joe Armon-Jones and their new full live band, as well as Ojerime, FLOHIO, Lex Amor, Dréya Mac, and many more, alongside some of the scene’s biggest and brightest DJs and MCs.
PRIMAVERA SOUND MADRID
Where: Ciudad de Rock, Arganda del Rey, Madrid, Spain
When: 5-11 June 2023
Headliners: Pet Shop Boys, Blur, Halsey, New Order, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Rosalía, and Calvin Harris
Organised as a mirror event to Primavera Sound in Barcelona, which takes place the previous week, the inaugural Madrid edition will take place just outside the Spanish capital on a site that was purpose-built to host Rock in Rio Madrid back in 2008. The complex can cater for up to 96,000 visitors.
In parallel with its sister events in Barcelona (29 May-4 June) and Por- to (7-10 June), the new festival allows organisers to offer artists and their agents multiple dates, rather than just one, helping bookers attract world-class acts. And as with those festivals, Primavera Sound Madrid will operate a gender-balanced policy for its line-up.
“It’s different from Barcelona because we have lots of local people living not only in Madrid but also from southern and eastern Spain that are coming, as well as lots of international people,” says festival director Almudena Heredero. “We are working together with a number of institutions and authorities in Madrid to make this a success, as everyone is determined that the city should have a festival like Primavera Sound here for the long term. Through Madrid’s venue association, we have organised concerts in the lead-up to the festival, as we do in Barcelona, and we have a year-round programme to imprint the Primavera brand on the cultural life of Madrid and not just for the days of the festival,” she adds.
SPEX
Where: Bernexpo, Bern, Switzerland
When: 21-22 July 2023
Headliners: RIN and Alligatoah
German and Swiss rap music will have a brand-new platform this summer at the inaugural Spex Festival taking place in the Swiss capital. Joining the headliners are Ufo361, Yung Hurn, Kool Savas, SSIO, Stereo Luchs, Nura, and many more hip-hop acts with organisers Gadget abc Entertainment pricing tickets low to attract a younger audience and maybe even first-time festivalgoers.
In addition to 26 acts across two stages, Gadget is programming various activities in the areas of sports, lifestyle, and fashion, with the hope that around 10,000 people per day will attend, although the flexibility of the Bernexpo site could allow that number to increase.
“We have been planning Spex for about 18 months, as hip-hop is a growing market in Switzerland,” says promoter Christof Huber. “Other festivals target international acts, but German language acts are becoming more popular here, so we wanted to support them while delivering something that younger fans can relate to and enjoy.”
AFRO NATION
Where: Bedrock Douglass, Detroit, USA
When: 19–20 August 2023
Headliners: TBC
The successful Afro Nation brand has already made headlines in Ghana, Portugal, and Puerto Rico, and makes its US debut in Florida in late May, but the expansion into Detroit will truly be a historic move. “When considering which US cities would be right for our Afro Nation festival, Detroit was a clear choice,” says Natasha Manley, CEO of promoters Event Horizon.
“The musical legacy, culture, people and community of Detroit connects to why we started Afro Nation: to celebrate Black music and culture. Our diverse global audience will undoubtedly enjoy the unique Detroit show and appreciate the immense influence of Detroit on the evolution of music.”
The brand is bringing the likes of Burna Boy and Wizkid to Miami’s LoanDepot, while the line-up for Detroit – on the site of the city’s Bedrock Douglass Projects which Motown legends like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson once called home – is still to be announced.
WOODSTOCK MUSIC AND ART FAIR
Where: Hantangang River Geopark, Pocheon, South Korea
When: 28-30 July 2023
Headliners: Loudness, Dynamic Duo, Boohwal, No Brain, 6band, Kim Do-kyun, Insooni, Kim Kyung-ho, and Kim Wan-sun
Having received permission to organise the first-ever incarnation of Woodstock to be held outside of the United States, Korean music business giant SGC Entertainment has, so far, announced an eclectic mix of hip-hop, rock, and pop stars for this new summer gathering.
The event’s main headliner, Japanese metal outfit Loudness, were the first Asian heavy rock band to enter the Billboard 200 charts, and enjoy a very strong following in Korea. With the themes of “freedom, peace, and love,” the festival has been created to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which was signed on 27 July 1953, bringing about an end to the Korean War. Organisers says more acts will be announced closer to the festival date.
RUBIX FESTIVAL
Where: Porto Montenegro, Tivat, Montenegro
When: 28-30 July 2023
Headliners: DJ Damian Lazarus, Morcheeba, John Malkovich, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Taking place in the Bay of Kotor in the Adriatic Riviera, Rubix Festival aims to immerse around 8,000 festivalgoers in a creative world of fulfilment and self-expression, with music, art, cinema, and technology all forming part of the performances, masterclasses, workshops, and exhibitions on offer.
Set against the stunning waterfront backdrop of the vibrant nautical village and state-of-the-art superyacht marina, Porto Montenegro, the event will see attendees participate in everything from wine tasting to chefs’ tables, 3D printing masterclasses to body painting, and street art exhibitions to sculpture.
“Rubix is the ultimate fusion of entertainment, immersing festival goers in a unique creative world, and we’re thrilled to bring an event of this scope to the region for the first time,” says Danilo Kalezic, senior manager at Porto Montenegro. “Immerse yourself in electric drama, captivating art exhibitions, engaging workshops, and a cinema corner that will transport you to another world. Get ready to discover your true self, express your creativity, and indulge in unforgettable feasts and magical moments.”
ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS
Where: Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield, UK
When: 1-3 September 2023
Headliners: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Happy Mondays, Self Esteem, and Confidence Man
Utilising local star Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem, to curate this new festival in her native Yorkshire, AGN Events is looking forward to welcoming around 7,500 fans per day to this three-day event.
“Sheffield has such a strong tradition for live music, so we are really excited to be hosting our touring concept there,” says AGN Events director Ali O’Reilly. “There is nothing like it in the market – watching your favourite artists alongside incredible fire performers, aerialists, contortionists, and much more – the show is bringing a new dimension to the concert experience.”
Self Esteem’s appearance at the festival will reportedly mark the end of her I Tour This All The Time run of dates, which began in February this year to celebrate her smash-hit second album, Prioritise Pleasure. “Sheffield. I just had to come back one more time before I fully commit to writing again,” Taylor said of the new festival. “I’ve also curated my actual dream line-up to join me. I am genuinely deeply excited.”
POWER TRIP
Where: Empire Polo Club, Indio, California, USA
When: 6-8 October 2023
Headliners: Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, and Tool
Seen as something of a follow-up to 2018’s record-breaking Desert Trip, Power Trip gathers some of hard rock’s most legendary acts for a weekend of headbanging on the same site as festival darling Coachella and country music stalwart Stagecoach.
The new festival comes two years after promoter Goldenvoice signed a long-term agreement with the Empire Polo Club to use the location for additional festivals. While Power Trip has yet to provoke the same scramble for tickets that saw Desert Trip’s line-up of Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Who, and Roger Waters programming a repeat weekend, hotel packages and VIP passes are reportedly selling well, despite general admission passes being set at $599 + fees. Pit VIP packages, meanwhile, are priced at $3,448 including fees.
When it took place in 2016, each Desert Trip weekend accommodated over 70,000 fans.
THE TOWN
Where: Interlagos Racetrack, São Paulo, Brazil
When: 2, 3, 7, 9, 10 September 2023
Headliners: Post Malone, Maroon 5, Foo Fighters, and Bruno Mars (for two dates)
From the creators of Rock in Rio, The Town will debut in Brazil’s biggest city, where an estimated audience of 500,000 will attend five days of shows in an area of the city’s Interlagos Racetrack that is being completely renovated for the occasion. Construction teams are creating a sewage system to negate the need for chemical toilets, while synthetic grass is being installed to prevent mud in the case of rain. The reforms will also integrate under- ground pipes so the festival can run electricity cables.
The new festival is being touted as São Paulo’s answer to Rock in Rio, with organisers programming more than 235 hours of performances in the City of Music, which will host six stages. According to a survey by the Getulio Vargas Foundation, an economic impact of more than $260m is expected, in addition to generating more than 19,000 direct jobs.
“I love Brazil intensely,” says promoter Roberto Medina. “And, just like Rock in Rio, The Town was born from this passion for our land, from the amplification of looking at new opportunities, and from the desire that the pandemic brought me in these months of confinement to bring something new. It will be surprising. The entire concept was conceived based on an inspiring and cosmopolitan São Paulo, in addition to being ready to host an event of this magnitude.”
COUNTRY BAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Miami Marine Stadium, Florida, USA
When: 11-12 November 2023
Headliners: Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Chris Young, Lee Brice, and Lainey Wilson
“South Florida is a [high in demand] entertainment destination, which currently doesn’t have any country music festivals,” states promoter Nelson Albareda, CEO of Loud And Live. “If you couple that with the fact that country music has a big and loyal following amongst Hispanics, we saw it as a big opportunity in the market, both within the music genre and geographically, to produce Miami’s first two-day country music festival.”
Noting that Miami has become a global entertainment destination hosting major music events like Rolling Loud and Ultra Music Festival to global sporting events like Formula 1 and the next football World Cup, Albareda adds, “Our goal is to create a memorable experience for music fans and our partner sponsors alike and ultimately establish Miami as a destination for country music enthusiasts from around the world.”
Miami Marine Stadium has a rich country music history, including iconic shows by the likes of Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Rogers, giving Loud And Live the confidence to set a daily capacity of 25,000 for its inaugural Country Bay Music Festival. “With the incredible line-up of top country music artists and a picturesque waterfront venue, this music festival will be like no other,” Albareda enthuses.
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Woodstock to launch in the metaverse
Woodstock Ventures, the founders and producers of the legendary Woodstock Festival, are partnering with premium metaverse builder Sequin AR to develop 3D virtual environment, Woodstock World.
Sequin AR, which has previously worked on projects featuring Madonna, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, is building exclusive behind-the-scenes content, interactive archives and the chance to revisit history-making performances from the 1969 original Woodstock.
The platform will utilise archival 2D content alongside motion capture recreations, enabling fans to interact with historical tracks and artists in real-time., as well as discover new music from breakthrough artists.
“Woodstock was and still is all about people, from all aspects of life coming together for an experience that makes them one,” says Sequin AR CEO Robert DeFranco. “The metaverse provides a way for people all over the world, of all ages, to meet other people who love the same thing they do – and you don’t need an expensive plane ticket or a time machine, just the device you use every day.”
In 1969, Woodstock changed music history and defined a generation… Woodstock World allows everyone everywhere to have an even more magical experience”
Using Unreal Engine 5 and Sequin AR’s proprietary metaverse platform, Woodstock World “will integrate avatars, blockchain, streaming video, analytics and hosting to deliver a fully consolidated experience”.
“In 1969, Woodstock changed music history and defined a generation, combining the power of shared experience with culture’s greatest musical talent,” adds Joel Rosenman, co-producer of the original Woodstock and spokesperson for Woodstock Ventures. “Woodstock World allows everyone everywhere to have an even more magical experience liberated from the boundaries of time and space.”
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Woodstock is coming to South Korea in 2023, marking the first time the legendary festival will take place outside the US.
SGC Entertainment says it has signed an official copyright agreement with the Woodstock Music and Art Fair to host a three-day festival under its name with the theme of “freedom, peace and love.” The festival is slated for 28-30 July at the Hantangang River Geopark complex, in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
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Woodstock festival is coming to South Korea
Woodstock is coming to South Korea in 2023, marking the first time the legendary festival will take place outside the US.
SGC Entertainment says it has signed an official copyright agreement with the Woodstock Music and Art Fair to host a three-day festival under its name with the theme of “freedom, peace and love.”
The festival is slated for 28 to 30 July at the Hantangang River Geopark complex, in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province in memory of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement.
SGC Entertainment says it has signed an official copyright agreement with the Woodstock Music and Art Fair
The original Woodstock festival was held in 1969, with anniversary events taking place in 1994, 1999 and 2009. A 50th-anniversary event was slated for 2019 but was ultimately cancelled due to financial problems.
In 2010, there was an attempt to host a Woodstock festival in Korea, but it never took place because of “copyright and artist lineup issues,” according to the Korea Herald.
SGC has not yet revealed a lineup for the festival but said that it would include at least 30 performances.
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Woodstock promoter Michael Lang passes, aged 77
Michael Lang, the promoter behind the iconic 1969 Woodstock music festival, has passed away.
The 77-year-old had non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer and died on Saturday (8 January) in New York City, according to a spokesperson for Lang’s family.
Brooklyn-born Lang launched his career as a promoter in the 1960s following a move to Miami. In 1968, Lang (along with Marshall Brevetz) produced the Miami Pop Festival which featured Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker, Arthur Brown, and Blue Cheer.
The following year, 24-year-old Lang, alongside businessmen John Roberts and Joel Rosenman and music industry promoter Artie Kornfeld, created Woodstock Music and Art Fair.
We are deeply saddened by the death of our partner Michael Lang. He was a producer, father, environmentalist, friend, husband and most of all, one-of-a-kind dreamer whose mark on the world is undeniable. He will be missed pic.twitter.com/ZvNJkEOzxl
— WOODSTOCK (@woodstockfest) January 9, 2022
The festival drew more than 400,000 attendees to Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, for performances from Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, The Who, Sly and the Family Stone, Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Billed as “three days of peace and music,” Woodstock arrived at a time of great social upheaval in the United States, which was still engulfed in an unpopular war in Vietnam. The festival is said to have been a ‘haven’ for the hippie movement.
“[Woodstock ’69] was probably the most peaceful event of its kind in history”
“Woodstock offered an environment for people to express their better selves, if you will,” Lang told Pollstar in 2019. “It was probably the most peaceful event of its kind in history. That was because of expectations and what people wanted to create there.”
Lang also produced Woodstock ’94 (which featured the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Woodstock ’99 (with Limp Bizkit, Metallica and Rage Against The Machine). In contrast to the previous Woodstock festivals Lang organised, Woodstock ’99 proved to be chaotic and violent.
Lang was also involved in the planning of Woodstock 50, which was set to take place in August 2019 and feature performances from the likes of Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Killers and Halsey.
Michael Lang was one of the nicest people. All my encounters with him were always upbeat and positive, he was great.
📸 Henry Diltz pic.twitter.com/DqKfPkxB5L— Cʜʀɪs Sᴛᴇɪɴ (@chrissteinplays) January 9, 2022
However, after losing its primary financier, two production partners, two venues and its entire line-up, the organisers pulled the plug on the troubled anniversary festival before a single ticket went on sale.
During his music industry career, Lang also managed artists like Rickie Lee Jones and Joe Cocker, created Just Sunshine Records and in 2015, opened a music school for college-aged students in the town of Woodstock.
Lang is survived by his wife Tamara, two sons, Harry, and Laszlo and three daughters, Shala, Molly and LariAnn.
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Woodstock festivities kick off at Bethel Woods
Despite the well-publicised difficulties and eventual cancellation of the official Woodstock 50 anniversary event, the 1969 festival will receive its half-century commemoration this weekend, in the form of a four-day series of events at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (BWCA).
The events, set on the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival at Bethel Woods, kicked off yesterday (15 August), with Arlo Guthrie taking once again to the Woodstock stage for a free concert.
Originally announcing a full-scale anniversary festival – to have been produced by Live Nation and creative agency Invnt – BWCA later scaled back plans to create the multi-day music and arts programme.
The Bethel Woods site is not the only remnant from the 1969 festival. Woodstock veterans Carlos Santana and John Fogerty are performing over the four days, along with Ringo Starr.
The “pan-generational cultural event” will also feature TED-style talks and “special exhibits”.
“On this day in 1969, a 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains became the site of one of the most defining music events in rock and roll history”
“On this day in 1969, a 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains became the site of one of the most defining music events in rock and roll history,” reads a post on the Bethel Woods Twitter page.
It is expected that up to 100,000 visitors will access the area over the four days. Only ticketholders will be permitted on site and all attendees must present a travel pass on entry to avoid overcrowding.
“We’re trying to encourage people that are not interested in the concert-side of things, and just want to come and sort of breathe the air and feel the vibes… to come on other weekends,” Bethel Woods chief executive Darlene Fedun told the Associated Press.
Michael Lang, the organiser of the original ‘three days of peace and music’, had deemed the Bethel Wood site’s capacity too small for his eventually ill-fated anniversary event. Lang pulled the plug on his Woodstock 50 event with just two weeks to go, after the festival lost its primary financier, two production partners, two venues and its whole line-up.
Around 400,000 people attended the 1969 festival. A recent report revealed that almost 50% of festivalgoers from the so-called ‘Woodstock Generation’ now suffer from hearing loss, with 70% saying they long to experience music as they did in the past.
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Hearing loss rife among Woodstock gen music lovers
Almost 50% of festivalgoers belonging to the original Woodstock 1969 generation now suffer from hearing loss, a new survey reveals.
The survey, conducted by the Harris Poll and commissioned by Danish hearing aid specialist Oticon, questioned over 1,000 US adults between the age of 65 to 80 who had reported listening to “loud or very loud music in their youth”.
Fifty years on from Woodstock, 36% of a self-proclaimed music-loving crowd – 71% of respondees reported music was a major part of their lives when they were young – now state that hearing difficulties negatively impacts their ability to listen to music to some extent.
Among those with hearing loss, 47% say they no longer enjoy music as much as they used to and 70% wish they could experience music as they did in the past.
The results suggest that, even if Michael Lang’s Woodstock 50 anniversary event had gone ahead as planned, it is unlikely that the original fans would have enjoyed themselves as much the second time around.
“We [now] know the long-term effects of noise on hearing health and the importance of protecting hearing to maintain the ability to enjoy music”
“The survey results demonstrate the far-reaching consequences of loud music listening on hearing health,” says Oticon president Gary Rosenblum.
“That’s an important message for young people today. We [now] know the long-term effects of noise on hearing health and the importance of protecting hearing to maintain the ability to enjoy music and conversation.”
Rosenblum urges those of the “Woodstock Generation” to address their hearing loss. 70% of those surveyed had never seen a health care professional about their hearing, and only 12% had ever used a hearing aid.
Exposure to loud noise also produces negative effects on music industry professionals, damaging their ability to sleep and sometimes provoking mental health risks.
Help Musicians UK is one charity safeguarding the hearing of those working in live, providing moulded hearing protection for 10,000 music professionals through the Hearing Health Scheme.
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Woodstock 50 joins 2019’s festival graveyard
To the surprise of very few, Woodstock 50 is officially no more (for real this time, unlike that fake cancellation in April). With 16 days to go – and after losing its primary financier, two production partners, two venues and its entire line-up – organisers yesterday (31 July) finally pulled the plug on the troubled anniversary festival, which had yet to put a single ticket on sale.
“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” Michael Lang, co-founder of the original 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair and lead producer of Woodstock 50.
Urging artists and agents, all of whom “have been fully paid”, to donate 10% of their fees to HeadCount, a nonprofit which works with musicians to promote voter registration and participation, Lang says his thoughts now “turn to Bethel” – where a rival event is being held at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (BWCA), on the original Woodstock site, on the same dates – “and its celebration of our 50th anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock.”
But Woodstock 50 is far from the first festival doomed to fail, and it won’t be the last; as the round-up below illustrates, it’s in good company alongside numerous other high-profile cancellations in 2019…
“A series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined”
Doctor Music Festival (12–14 July)
A planned comeback for Spain’s iconic Doctor Music Festival (DMF), three years in the making and following a 19-year hiatus, was abandoned as a result of last-minute venue change forced on organisers by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA).
Originally scheduled to take place in a mountain valley amid the Catalan Pyrenees, DMF was relocated to the Catalunya-Barcelona racing circuit in April after ACA warned warned that the event’s original site was at risk of flooding. After promoter Doctor Music offered ticketholders refunds, a “huge number” of fans took them up on the offer, leaving organisers unable “to offer the experience we were striving for” and forced to cancel.
Writing in IQ shortly after the cancellation, Doctor Music CEO Neo Sala described the axing of DMF as a victory for “grey” bureaucrats and their “eco-opportunist” allies over common sense. “The circumstances that brought about the cancellation of the event are surreal to say the least, and would appear more befitting of a Kafkaesque state than a Spanish administration that claims to be concerned with popular culture and the development of rural areas,” said Sala.
DMF organisers were unable “to offer the experience we were striving for”
Arcadia London (4–5 May)
Initially envisioned as a one-off event for Glastonbury Festival’s 2018 fallow year, Arcadia – creator of Glastonbury’s iconic fire-breathing Spider installation – announced plans to bring back its Arcadia London festival (formerly Arcadia Spectacular) for 2019, with a line-up that included DJs Helix, Jamie Jones, DJ EZ and Sub Focus.
Promoter LWE Events called time on the event in February, with Arcadia saying it would be unable to honour its commitments to Glastonbury alongside a standalone festival.
“After planning for last year’s Arcadia tenth-anniversary event to be a one-off celebration, we received such strong feedback that we hoped to creatively evolve the event for a second year with a host of innovative new performance elements,” read a statement.
“As we stand, we aren’t confident of hitting the targets that would allow us to develop that new experience and the pressures of a difficult market would risk serious knock on effects to Arcadia’s other commitments, especially Glastonbury. Taking these factors into consideration, it is with great regret that Arcadia London will not be going ahead in 2019.”
“The environment that forces us to depend on foreign content to cast artists leads to excessive competition”
Jisan Rock (26–28 July)
Jisan Rock festival, one of South Korea’s biggest, was called off with three days to go, with promoter D2 Global Company cryptically blaming its lack of perspective “reading the trend[s] of today” and failure to “communicate enough with the fans”.
According to the Korea Herald, D2 also said on 23 July it was “not possible to hold the concerts”, sparking “anger and confusion from fans”. The abrupt cancellation reportedly came as a shock to the industry, with one of the acts slating to perform quoted as saying: “I never expected anything like this to happen three days before the performance. I figure fans will be more shocked than we are.”
At the time of its cancellation, just one international artist, Australia’s King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard, had been added to Jisan Rock 2019’s line-up. The 2019 festival would have been the first under new ownership for the former Jisan Valley Rock Festival, held intermittently in Icheon since 2009.
In the same statement, organisers hinted at problems in recruiting artists for the festival, referring to the “many innate problems in the concert-producing business in Korea”. “Due to lack of communication between producers, the environment that forces us to depend on foreign content to cast artists leads to excessive competition,” they said. “This results in an even more hazardous environment for producing concerts.”
Roxodus “did not generate sufficient ticket sales to cover the expected costs, leaving MF Live Inc. insolvent”
Roxodus (11–14 July)
Canada’s Roxodus festival, which would have taken place for the first time in mid-July, fell at the first hurdle, with organisers blaming “tremendous rainy weather” for its cancellation with weeks to go.
Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nickelback, Billy Idol and Blondie were booked to perform at the rock-orientated event, produced by a company called MF Live, which later filed for bankruptcy after finding itself unable to pay its creditors. Liquidator Grant Thornton Ltd said Roxodus “did not generate sufficient ticket sales to cover the expected costs, leaving MF Live Inc. insolvent”.
Eventbrite refunded all ticketholders out of its own pocket while “aggressively pursu[ing] the return of funds from the festival’s creators”. Other parties owed money include security companies, production firms and other contractors and concession operators.
“The original footprint was affected by the presence of Great Lakes piping plover shorebirds”
Mamby on the Beach (23–24 August)
Bringing to mind the avian woes that plagued the final T in the Park, Chicago’s Mamby on the Beach was forced to pull its second edition with just over a month to go due to a number of “circumstances beyond” promoters’ control – including the presence of endangered birds on the festival site.
“Organisers for Mamby On The Beach are saddened to announce that the 2019 festival has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond their control,” promoters React Presents and Jam Productions said in a joint statement. “These unforeseen issues include significantly higher than average waters of Lake Michigan eliminating the beach portion of the festival’s intended site.
“Additionally, the original footprint was affected by the presence of Great Lakes piping plover shorebirds, a federally protected species.”
Acts due to perform at Mamby on the Beach 2019 included Flying Lotus, T-Pain, Troye Sivan, Brockhampton and Santigold.
“In the interests of the safety of our customers, we have taken the decision to cancel the event”
Rewind North (2–4 August)
The most recent cancellation on this list is Rewind North, the Cheshire leg of the popular UK retro music festival, which announced today (1 August) it would no longer go ahead due to “extreme weather”.
Due to kick off tomorrow, with performers including Bananarama, Gloria Gaynor and Level 42, Rewind North fell victim to the flooding affecting much of north-western England, with organisers pointing to “the prolonged extreme wet weather conditions experienced in Cheshire” as “caus[ing] significant disruption to the site at Rewind North.
“Although we have robust contingency plans in place and have made every effort to allow the festival to go ahead, in the interests of the safety of our customers, we have taken the decision to cancel the event,” read a statement from promoter Broadwick Live.
“Miracles based on marketing and myths don’t exist”
Vestiville (28–30 June)
By far the most controversial cancellation here, Vestiville, a Netherlands-born festival due to take place in Lommel, Belgium, at the end of the June, was called off at the last minute after Lommel’s mayor raised concerns about the security of festivalgoers.
Similar to the notorious Fyre Festival, Vestiville patrons – many of whom had come from abroad to see a largely American line-up that included hip-hop stars Cardi B, Future, Asap Rocky and Migos – reportedly arrived in Lommel to find an unfinished, under-staffed site a world away from the complete, professional-looking festival build trailed on social media in advance.
Videos shared on social media purported to show unrest after festivalgoers ordered by police to leave the site, while others described being stranded without food or water ahead its evacuation.
Speaking to IQ in the days following the cancellation – which ended up with organisers being detained by Belgian police – Herman Schuereman of Rock Werchter, which took place the same weekend, suggested Vestiville, an “imported festival from Holland”, failed because it tried to run before it could walk.
“It was a non-event, without roots, and it proves again that it is much wiser to start a festival small and let it grow every year,” he says. “It is like a tree: plant it in good soil, water it well, take care of it and it will grow every year. Miracles based on marketing and myths don’t exist…”
“[We are] finalising a long-term agreement for an exciting new successor festival to V and Rize”
In addition to outright cancellations, several events are taking hiatuses in 2019 ahead of expected returns next summer. They include:
Rize (August)
Festival Republic opted not to stage its V Festival replacement, Rize, this year after the festival underperformed in its 2018 debut, which was headlined by Liam Gallagher and Stereophonics.
A festival is expected to return to the V/Rize site in Hylands Park in Chelmsford, UK, in some form next year. A successor to the northern leg of V Festival, in Staffordshire, has yet to materialise.
“The council has been made aware that Festival Republic is not proceeding with Rize in 2019,” a spokesperson for Chelmsford City Council told IQ in January. “However, the council and Festival Republic are currently finalising a long-term agreement for an exciting new successor festival to V and Rize to commence in 2020 and details of this will become available when contracts are in place.”
“We are giving ourselves the breathing room to redesign the festival and bring in the necessary changes”
OppiKoppi (August)
Matchbox Live’s OppiKoppi, one of South Africa’s longest-running and best-loved music festivals, in April called off its 25th anniversary edition following a spate of violent crime at the 2018 event.
In a statement, organisers said: “For 24 years, OppiKoppi has been going great guns. Unfortunately, in 2018 we experienced the rampant crime currently impacting events and festivals across South Africa. For us to present the 2019 event with the increased security measures that are required to curb this crime to present a safe and enjoyable festival, the production costs also increase drastically.
“By taking a gap year, we are giving ourselves the breathing room to redesign the festival and bring in the necessary changes without impacting the festivalgoer by increasing ticket prices. We believe that in doing this, we will bring everyone a fresh new festival, ready to take music lovers forward for the next 25 years.”
OppiKoppi 2018, held near Northam, a small town in Limpopo (formerly Transvaal) in the north-east of the country, was targeted by roving gangs of thieves, with one festivalgoer allegedly having his entire tent taken. The festival is expected to return, possibly in a new location, in 2020.
“The team is relooking every single brick that builds a festival in South Africa,” the statement continues. “We are even investigating bringing the festival to a venue closer to a major city, to enable day tickets, less travelling and other options for the attendees. […] We realise that a festival like OppiKoppi has a significant role to play in the South African music scene, along with a critical social cohesion role that it has been playing for many years. We are 100% up for it – but we want to do it right.”
“We feel that we have achieved all that we can at this site”
Panorama (July)
After a stormy 2018, AEG’s Panorama, held since 2016 on New York’s Randalls Island, is similarly taking a gap year, after failing to secure an event permit for a new site in Queens.
In a statement, AEG says Panorama, booked partially by Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett, is on “hiatus in 2019 while we continue discussions with NYC Parks to bring the festival to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, where it was originally envisioned”.
“We had a fantastic experience with Paul Simon this past September at Flushing Meadows and look forward to returning in the future,” a spokesperson told Billboard in January. “We were disappointed in NYC Parks’ denial of our permit application, despite the long-term benefits this event would deliver to the community and the park. While we have enjoyed our time on Randall’s Island and its great facilities, we feel that we have achieved all that we can at this site.”
Janet Jackson, David Byrne and St Vincent were among those who played Panorama 2018.
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All change for free-to-attend Woodstock 50
Woodstock 50 has been subject to more upheaval over the past few days, moving out of New York state, reportedly releasing all scheduled artists from contracts and making tickets free.
Eighteen days out from the anniversary event, organisers of struggling Woodstock 50 have announced a new venue, 275 miles south of the original site at Watkins Glen.
The festival is now to take place at the 32,000-capacity Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland state, having lost its first venue at Watkins Glen racetrack and later failing to secure a permit for replacement site, Vernon Downs racecourse.
Following the new venue announcement, artists were reportedly released from festival contracts, as the distance from the original site allegedly constituted a contractual breach.
All artist names and line-up information has since been removed from the Woodstock 50 website.
Acts scheduled to perform at Woodstock 50 included Jay-Z, Dead and Company, John Fogerty, the Killers, Miley Cyrus and Santana.
“We’re still waiting to hear who is playing, but [..] they [Woodstock] do still have a venue if they have a show”
“We’re still waiting to hear who is playing, but that’s not our job,” says Seth Hurtwitz, chairman and co-founder of venue operator IMP. “They do still have a venue if they have a show.”
It has also been announced that the event will now be free-to-attend, although remaining ticketed.
“Tickets are for a single day and will be distributed through HeadCount, participating artists’ foundations and local charitable partnerships in DC and Baltimore,” a Woodstock 50 spokesperson told Washington-based publication, WTOP.
Festival organiser Michael Lang has faced difficulties since the event’s primary financier, Amplifi Live, pulled out in April. The event has since lost production partners Superfly and replacement CID Entertainment, as well as its two previous venues.
Woodstock 50 is still scheduled to take place on the original dates from 16 to 18 August, with tickets yet to be distributed.
Merriweather Post Pavilion is to host concerts by Morrisey, the Smashing Pumpkins and Vampire Weekend over the coming weeks. In addition to Merriweather, IMP also operates Washington venues Anthem (6,000-cap.), 9:30 (1,200-cap.) and Lincoln Theatre (1,225-cap.).
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Woodstock 50 appeal for funds return denied
Woodstock 50 organisers have little hope of receiving the remaining US$18.5 million in festival funds from the event’s former investor – Dentsu Aegis’ investment arm Amplifi Live – after New York judges reject a court appeal.
The appellate court also ordered that the funds, held by the investor’s attorney during the appeal process, be released back to Dentsu.
The appeal followed a court ruling in which a judge rejected demands from the Woodstock 50 team that Amplifi Live redeposit the money in the festival account.
Legal proceedings first began in May, after Amplifi withdrew its support from the event. Upon withdrawal, the investor took the remains of its $49m investment – amounting to $18m – from the festival account, which festival organisers believe ought to be returned to them.
The appeal rejection means organisers will need to look elsewhere for funding. Woodstock 50 attorney Marc Kasowitz wrote in a letter to the court that “restoration of the monies taken by (Dentsu) is necessary for the production of the festival.”
“Woodstock 50 is proceeding with the planning of the festival and looks forward to holding the festival at another venue with its new partners”
The beleaguered anniversary festival has had its share of problems since Amplifi’s initial withdrawal in April.
Earlier this month, the event lost both its venue, the Watkins Glen racetrack in New York state, and its replacement production partner CID Entertainment. Superfly, which was originally supposed to produce the event, pulled out in May.
However, organisers remain optimistic. “Woodstock 50 is proceeding with the planning of the festival and looks forward to holding the festival at another venue with its new partners,” read a statement released by attorney Kasowitz on Friday (21 June).
Vernon Downs, a racing track, casino and entertainment facility in New York state, is one of a few sites being considered as a replacement venue, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Tickets for Woodstock 50, scheduled to take place from 16 to 18 August, are yet to go on sale.
Acts booked to perform include the Killers, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Chance the Rapper, Imagine Dragons and 1969 performers Santana and Dead and Company.
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