More acts scheduled to perform at the upcoming planned Woodstock anniversary concert withdrew from the event Tuesday amid questions emerging over its lineup and location.
Santana, the Raconteurs and the Lumineers are among the latest performers to pull out of Woodstock 50, joining a growing list of artist to abandon the beleaguered music festival.
Originally scheduled to take place in New York state between Aug. 14 and 16, organizers announced last week that the event will be held instead in Columbia, Maryland. Promoters subsequently agreed to release performers from their contracts, prompting several acts to drop off the bill in the days since.
Santana will not be participating in the concert on account of being scheduled to perform on Aug. 14 in nearby Bristow, Virginia, a representative for the band told Rolling Stone.
“We can’t come back and do a free show two days after a paid show,” said the spokesperson, the magazine reported.
Representatives for the Raconteurs, a rock group fronted by Jack White of White Stripes fame, and the Lumineers, a Denver-based folk rock outfit, similarly said those bands have bailed, Rolling Stone reported.
Representatives for Woodstock 50 did not immediately return a message requesting comment.
Festival organizers announced the names in March of dozens of acts scheduled to perform at the Woodstock anniversary concert, but few other details – including ticket or venue information — was made public prior to promoters recently announcing the event will be free and take place at Merriweather Post Pavilion near D.C.
Several artists previously advertised as appearing have since been reported as having pulled out of the festival, including Jay-Z, John Fogerty, Dead & Company, Country Joe McDonald and John Sebastian.
“As our celebration evolves, we are committed to bringing unique voices to the stage,” reads a message on the festival’s website where the event lineup appeared until recently. “Stay tuned for updates as we strive to create an event rooted in peace, love and music that can be a force for positive change in the world.”
Several of the artists previously scheduled to appear at the upcoming anniversary concert had performed at the original Woodstock festival 50 years earlier, including essentially five of the eight acts to have now canceled: Santana, Mr. McDonald and Mr. Sebastian each played the first full day of the original festival, as did Mr. Fogerty, who performed at the time with Creedence Clearwater Revival, and several members of Dead & Company, then members of the Grateful Dead.
“I have no airfare booked,” Mr. McDonald, 77, told The Baltimore Sun this week. “I have no hotels. I have nothing planned. I’m not interested in getting on a ship that’s sinking, and I don’t see any indication that this ship is not sinking.”
“I was with them all the way until the location changed,” added Mr. Sebastian, 75, the newspaper reported.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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