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Michael Lang, the founder of the legendary Woodstock festival, says that he is considering a 50th anniversary event, which would take place in 2019. The event would be the first Woodstock event of the new millennium, the last taking place in 1999, with approximately 200,000 people in attendance.
Speaking recently to Rolling Stone, Lang confirmed that there would not be a 45th anniversary event this year, though something could take place in 2019. “I think we’re certainly done until the 50th,” he said. “We’re starting to think about it now.” While the original event took place in Bethel, New York, Lang said he is currently exploring a number of potential locations for the possible event.
Woodstock ’99 continues to live in infamy for many after it descended into violence during sets by Limp Bizkit and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As NME reports, New York State Troopers and local police were called in to handle rioting crowds and reports alleged that four people were raped.
But when speaking in 2009 about a possible 40th anniversary event, Lang said that the events of the 1999 festival would not impact future events. “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.”
Watch: Red Hot Chili Peppers at Woodstock ’99
