David Crosby Says Woodstock 50 Is "Dead" and "Not Happening"

"There is a person in that situation who is a scammer"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Jul 19, 2019

Despite having no venue or any tickets on sale, organizers behind the beleaguered Woodstock 50 festival still have yet to call the whole thing off around a month before it's scheduled to begin. Now, David Crosby is outright claiming that the event is "not happening."

Speaking with ABC News to promote new documentary Remember My Name, Crosby, who is slated to play the event on August 17, declared the festival was "not happening," adding, "it's dead."

"There is a person in that situation who is a scammer," Crosby continued, "and has always been a scammer, and he scammed this."

When asked if he was referring to festival co-founder and producer Michael Lang, Crosby did not elaborate on who he was accusing of the con.

Earlier this month, Woodstock 50's permit to host the event at the New York "racino" Vernon Downs was denied.

Following this latest setback, the festival organizers issued the following statement:

Woodstock 50 is disappointed that the Town of Vernon has passed up the opportunity to hold the historic 50th Anniversary Festival by denying our robust and thoughtful proposal. We regret that those in Vernon who supported Woodstock have been deprived of the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of the rebirth of a cultural peace movement that changed the world in 1969 and is what the world needs now. We want to thank the artists who stood by us. We are grateful for the support of Vernon Downs and its generous owner Jeffrey Gural.   

Woodstock 50 is still scheduled to take place August 16 to 18. This comes after losing its original venue and after losing its main financier (which announced the festival was cancelled), among various other issues that have plagued the event in recent months.

Woodstock 50 had previously announced the likes of JAY-Z, Chance the Rapper, the Raconteurs, Sturgill Simpson, the Killers, Santana, Run the Jewels, Margo Price and more.

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