Organizers of the Woodstock 50 festival are yet to officially reveal the full lineup of artists participating in the bash, but giant names like Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper, Dead and Company and The Black Keys have been tossed around as rumored headliners.
According to a report from Variety, the anniversary festival will also feature Imagine Dragons, Greta Van Fleet, The Killers, Cage the Elephant, The Raconteurs, Portugal the Man and The Lumineers, among others. The publication also added that Halsey, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile and Janelle Monae are among the possible female artists hitting the stage.
Festival organizer and Woodstock 1969 co-creator Michael Lang addressed the long-swirling rumors regarding the bash earlier this week, noting that nothing has been confirmed yet but official announcements can be expected soon.
“There’s always been lots of rumors around Woodstock. We have excellent partners and an incredible talent lineup of over 80 artists which will be announced within the next couple of weeks. We’re preparing a once in a lifetime event,” Lang said.
Should the speculated lineup be legit, it places a heavy emphasis on modern artists versus the classic rock nostalgia that has become synonymous with Woodstock. Grateful Dead offspring band Dead and Company would be on hand to emulate the historic performance Jerry Garcia and crew gave 50 years ago, while Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and original Woodstock performer Santana are also slated to appear.
A diverse lineup has always been part of Lang’s vision for the commemorative festival. “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 told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “I want it to be multi-generational. Woodstock ’94 was a nice mix of young and old and that’s kind of what we’re going for here.”
Woodstock 50 will take place August 16-18 in Watkins Glen, New York. A similar celebration of music will take place over that same period at the site of the original 1969 festival in Bethel, New York. That event – dubbed the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival – will feature Woodstock ’69 performers Santana, Arlo Guthrie and Edgar Winter plus Ringo Starr and the Doobie Brothers.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on Woodstock 50 and find tickets here as they become available.