Woodstock Vs. Woodstock?

08/12/1998 8:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(8/12/98, 6 p.m. PDT) - A mere two days before the start of "A Day In The Garden," which is being billed as the first musical event to take place on Max Yasgur's farm since the original Woodstock, the producers of the 1969 festival and their partners in the 1994 edition have announced that they will soon release details about "Woodstock 1999--One World."

Although "A Day In The Garden" is being held on the original site, it can not use the Woodstock name, since a company called Woodstock Ventures owns it. This year's fest kicks off on Friday with performances by Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and Ten Years After. Saturday's show features Pete Townshend, Joni Mitchell, and special guest stars Lou Reed, Richie Havens and Donovan. On Sunday, the "Garden" goes current with performances by Third Eye Blind, the Goo Goo Dolls, Joan Osborne, Marcy Playground and Dishwalla.

It's unclear exactly how many tickets have been sold for the "Garden" party, but a "two-for-the-price-of-one" special offered by the show's producers suggests sales are sluggish. As of this afternoon, TicketMaster was still offering the deal ($69.98 plus service charges) for Friday's and Saturday's shows. Tickets for Sunday's show are already priced low for an all-day multi-act event ($25 in advance, $35 the day of the show).

Meanwhile, the group that owns the rights to the Woodstock name promises that the competing "Woodstock 1999--One World" will be a global event held simultaneously in the U.S. and Europe.

It appears that the party that owns the Woodstock name issued its announcement to steal whatever thunder "A Day In The Garden" can muster. In their statement the producers say that they "have been flooded with inquires from around the world about a 30th anniversary festival." They claim that their statement was issued "in response to this demand, and to avoid confusion with any other event."

Whatever happened to the "peace and love" spirit that was the basis for Woodstock in the first place? Apparently it's been replaced by competing businesses. Maybe all the parties should just let the legend rest. The last big Woodstock redux, Woodstock 1994, lost loads of money.